GOVERNMENT'S AIM

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 74, 24 September 1938, Page 18

GOVERNMENT'S AIM

SOCIAL SECURITY

COUNTRY'S RESOURCES

FULL UTILISATION

The objective of the Government is to utilise to the maximum the wonderful resources of the Dominion — First, by maintaining and improving the living standards that have been experienced in the Dominion in the past three years as compared with the deprivation of the .previous Jhvee years. Second, by organising an internal economy that will distribute the production and services in a way that will guarantee to every person able and willing to work an income sufficient to provide him and his dependants with everything' necessary: to make a "hoife" and "home life" in the best sense of the meaning of those terms. Third, by continuing the progressive legislation and administration which have been successfully carried on by the Government since it took office on December 6, 1935. In extension of its programme the Government' submits the following policy to the electors. SOCIAL SECURITY. (a) Complete the organisation of administration procedure and personnel to give effect to the Govern-^ ment's Social Security Act. (h) Co-operate with friendly societies in extension of membership and arrangements for the utilisation of

friendly societies' dispensaries and other existing machinery that will assist the practical administration of social security benefits. (c) Negotiate with chemists to ensure their full co-operation and supply of drugs and appliances required under the medical benefits of the Act at reasonable rates. The promise given before last election that national health and superannuation services would be instituted has been honoured by the passing of the Social Security Act, which became law on September 14, 1938.** The Act provides a comprehensive j family doctor, hospital, medicines, and! maternity services and several supplementary health services for the whole of the community and benefits to meet the financial loss due to death, illness, and age. Special provision has been made to safeguard and encourage friendly societies and to accept their co-operation in the administration of benefits. Very careful safeguards have been enacted to protect the professional status of doctors, nurses, and chemists, and particularly to ensure that the intimate confidence between doctor and patient is not disturbed.^ Every citizen from birth is covered by the health benefits and assured of a free choice of doctor, nurse, and hospital. The other benefits under the Social Security Act are designed to enable every citizen to insure himself, his wife, and children against the financial loss which almost inevitably follows from premature death, sickness, unemployment, old age, and other misfortunes from which no one is immune. For the first time there is to be universal superannuation, provision for childless widows, and all orphans, and sickness benefits. The existing pensions for invalids, widows with children, aged persons, unemployed, miners, Maori War and South African War veterans, and war pensioners, and the family allowances are to be considerably increased and widened in scope and are to be converted j into benefits paid for by the social security contributions of our citizens and the subsidy from the Consolidated Fund. *' In addition, an emergency benefit has been instituted to meet the needs of those persons who are. unable to earn a sufficient livelihood through any cause that does not. qualify them for any other benefit. To meet the cost of social security the existing employment tax of 8d in the £ will be abolished and, in its place there will be a social security contribution of Is in the £ (an increase of 4d in the £). This will meet one-half of the cost and the bal- [ ance will be paid from the Consolidated Fund charged on the revenues of the Dominion. By the Social Security Act there will be removed that paralysing fear of want and distress that has never Veen far from the mind of our average responsible citizen when he contemplates how he will fare when age, sickness, accident, or unemployment prevent I him from earning a living, how he will meet the bills for doctors and hospitals, how his wife and children will be placed if he meets a premature death. The provision of maternity benefits will take away a burden of cost that has oppressed many homes. In place 'of the fear of want and of debt there j will be security founded oil the strongest institution of the nation—the wealth of the whole community. ['":'. By placing this Act on the Statute Book, the Government has provided the machinery to institute social security next year as soon as the administrative procedure has been completed. It is now quite clear that social security will become operative only if the Government is returned to office. MOTHERHOOD ENDOWMENT. The extended . provision of family allowances is only one more step towards the objective of motherhood endowment. As circumstances enable the Government to take* further steps to remove from our mothers the worry of maintaining a family of children on inadequate incomes, the Government will extend the principle until every mother has a sufficient income to maintain each child. HEALTH. The strengthening of school medical and nursing services to ensure the medical examination of every school child at least once each year. The most rapid extension possible of the school dental service (so that the teeth of all school children can be cared for). The milk-in-schools scheme to be pushed forward so as to include all schools hi the Dominion at the earliest possible moment. Additional health districts and an increase in the district health officers and nurses to provide better public health services. Institution of an Industrial hygiene branch to investigate and combat occupational diseases. Increased support of the Medical Research Council. Provision of most efficient maternity attention and care in all parts of the Dominion. In the past three years the Labour Government have established records in public welfare, both in extension of services and in maintenance and extension of buildings. The institution of the free milk-in-schools scheme alone was a marked advance not only for New Zealand, but for the world. Its benefits are admitted by all. The establishing of a Medical Research Council was a most notable step forward. Much of the work has been in providing for the gaps, shortcomings, and deficiencies of the past; at the same time the work has laid the foundations, for a healthier New Zealand. Results are already evident. EDUCATION.' Fullest opportunities from kindergarten to university for all children. Continuation of the Government's successful policy of providing for all children the fullest educational opportunities from the kindergarten to the university; further development of kindergarten education; maintenance and extension of the Government's present energetic educational building programme to provide the best type of new school buildings (including Native schools) with well-equipped classrooms! and modern head-teachers' residences; progressive reduction in the size of j classes; maintenance of the numbers of students in the training colleges at full j strength to ensure an adequate supply of teachers,1 and replacement of the existing training colleges at Wellington ancf Dunedin. . Special attention to the educational needs, both primary and post-primary, of the country child, including consolidation of schools, post-primary schools, and school departments in country districts, and assistance to pupils through increased conveyance services and boarding allowances; increased opportunities for home science and manual training centres in town and country; generous provision for technical and occupational training, including agricultural courses;,-. further encouragement of girls' and boys' "agricultural clubs. ' ,

Installation of modern aids to teaching, such as visual education and radio equipment, to supplement the work of teachers; extension of physical education on the most approved scientific lines in all schools; improvement of school grounds and amenities. Raising of the school-leaving age to fifteen, thus extending the benefits of post-primary education to all children; unification and reorganisation of administrative control of primary and post-primary education; operation of the new salaries scheme for primary school teachers, with readjustment of possible anomalies, and"' an examination of existing salary scales for high school and technical school teachers, with a view to necessary readjustments. Asshured finance for the University of New Zealand and its constituent colleges; and necessary additions to university college buildings; adequate support for the programme of the Council of Adult Education in coordinating and extending the activities of the Workers' Educational Association and all other adult education organisations; development of the country library service. HOUSING CONSTRUCTION. (a) Continuation of Government housing construction to the maximum of available labour and materials. (b) Extension of housing construction to rural areas for farmers, farm ] workers, and other rural dwellers. (c) Clearance of slum areas and | erection of modern dwellings. (d) Advances to modernise existing dwelling-houses. The Governnfent is faced with a huge task in filling the need for new houses largely caused by the stoppage of building throughout the depression. The Housing Construction Department will press on with the erection of as many houses in every locality as the materials and men available will enable to be built, until decent accommodation is provided for every family in the Dominion. The high standard of quality and comfort now achieved will not be relaxed, as the Government believes that high standard housing is the best incentive to.the formation of healthy and happy homes. The construction of homes by the Government will be extended to all country districts to ensure that farmers, farm-workers, and others rural dwellers shall tfiave the same comforts and amenities as those in urban districts. The slum areas at present existing in some of our cities and towns will be swept away and replaced by modern dwellings that will be a credit and a pleasure to the country: that takes pride in its high standard of living. In the clearance of these areas the city dweller will have the choice of multiple dwellings or of individual homes as he prefers, and all forms of transport will be developed and improved to serve new suburbs efficiently and cheaply. , ■ Home owners will be assisted to modernise and improve dwellings, and to install necessary hygienic equipment to bring homes up to the high standard achieved in the new houses now being erected. STATE CONTROL OF CURRENCY AND CREDIT. j In extension of its policy the Govern- j ment proposes to maintain and extend the control of credit and currency until the State is the sole authority for the issue of credit and currency. The first major' act of the Labour Government was to buy out the shareholders of the Reserve Bank at market rates, and. . strengthen the powers of the bank so that it could better the stability of our currency and also provide a banking service necessary to bring unused resources and idle labour together, to produce goods and services to provide for the needs of the people. Interest rates have been kept down and money provided for local bodies at lower than the ruling market rates quoted by private financial interests. The ownership of the Reserve Bank has enabled the Government to finance the purchase of the butter and cheese for export by the Marketing Department, and the building of thousands of houses. ..■■■'■ STATE" ADVANCES. (a) Provide credit to the fullest ex- j tent for farmers at the lowest possible rates of interest. (b) Provide the maximum advance of capital at the lowest rates of interest for persons in rural and urban districts who desire id own their own homes, and for the erection of suitable houses for the accommodation of workers on farms. - (c) Extend the provision of credit for the establishment and extension of secondary industry. The Government is now able actively to direct the advancing of moneys for all necessary purposes to farmers and home-builders and to maintain a low rate of interest. Advances can be made to farmers for the purchase and equipping of farms, for improvements and extensions, and for the erection of homes and other buildings. These loans will be made at the lowest rate of interest and on the most favourable conditions possible. . The rural intermediate credit activities are now administered through the State Advances, and through it advances on the most helpful terms will be made for the purchase of stock, implements, manures, and other farming requisites. Loans will be made available for enabling farmers and dwellers in urban districts to erect their own j homes and to build accommodation for | workers on farms, on long-term mort- j gage, to any person who is worthy of credit. Special facilities are available in the provision of a wide range of attractive plans and specifications, and supervision by qualified architects at a low standard cost. Skilled officers will give every assistance and advice in the purchase of sections, calling tenders, and overseeing construction. For the first time State advances are available for the establishment and extension of secondary industries, and the fullest assistance will be provided to enable the development of industry on conditions that will facilitate expansion and new enterprise. SECONDARY INDUSTRIES. Establishment, protection, and ex- ! pansion of manufacturing and other secondary industries essential to the development of the Dominion. ° The Government believe* that a vigorous policy of industrial development and expansion is essential to the welfare of this Dominion. This the Government intends to carry out so that what is manufactured in New Zealand wUI be en\?ient anti will at the same time have regard to our trade relationship with England. The Government has made extensive investigations into possible new industries. As a .result of these investigations a number of new activities have been commenced and others'will be commenced in the near future. During the past year assistance has also been given to the footwear industry, which .was. finding it difficult to compete with imports. The Gov-

eminent is concerned to see that use- i ful industries are safeguarded and preserved. The first essential of any programme of development is the provision of basic industries. It has therefore decided to establish an iron and steel industry, as on the success of such a venture the prosperity of so many other industries must depend to a great extent. Slf New Zealand provides its own basic needs then we will be in a better position to withstand the effects of any overseas crisis that may occur in the future. < SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH. ' The Government, has built up research organisations with staff and equipment adequate and competent to deal with the problems of rapidly changing conditions in all branches of industry. The policy is to intensify the investigation of national resources of all kinds, minerals, soils, plants, and animals, with a view to their exploitation for the needs of the whole of our people. INDUSTRY. Maintenance and improvement of wages and conditions in industrial and! other employment in accord with productive facilities and potential living standards. NATIVE AFFAIRS. ; (a) An immediate determination of the sums which should be provided to equitably meet Native claims. (b) Extension of Native land development and settlement. (c) Provision of houses, water, sanitation, and health facilities in Native districts. Houses have already been built for the Maori people, many have been settled on Maori lands, the land development schemes have been and extended. The Maori people hava received under the Labour Qovernment the same treatment as their pakeha brothers —standard rates of pay ', on public works, old. age pensions, invalidity pensions, and family allow- \ ances. Schools have been built, dental services instituted* health services extended^ LAND POLICY AND SETTLEMENT. The policy aims— 1. To bring into productivity all available unoccupied Crown land which is suitable for development. 2. To acquire (by purchase) land which today is not being adequately farmed. 3. To provide for settlement of acquired land after the development. 4. Provide security of tenure for occupiers by leasehold titles, conserving: full value of all improvements to lessees. 5. To give preference to application for, lands when developed and stocked to competent rural and other workers and sons of farmers for whom land has not been previously available i.ai economic prices. 6. Financial assistance to farmers to enable them to develop and improve their properties. Deteriorated lands have been brought back into cultivation by large-scale operations, and no land is being settled under, this Government, which ,is not| in adequate working order and provided with adequate access. Permanent contributions to agriculture have been made by the encouragement of plant and. animal research, by soil surveys,! and by developing other methods ofj scientific aid to farming. The main-! tenance of soil fertility has been advanced by the reduction of the price of j fertiliser. In addition, liberal assistance has been given to farmers who have suffered by flood, frost, disease, or other natural disasters. Land settlement will be pressed ahead with the intention of diversifying our farm economy. The Crown has very little land available which is suitable for economic settlement. To pursue a policy of closer settlement, | the purchase of estates , which are I capable of carrying a larger popula-1 tion will be embarked upon, under a] planned system, the State providing a | full measure of finance for building, \ stocking, and equipping the farms, in j order to enable farmers' sons and other capable men with farming experience to become efficient farmers. Every care will be taken in the purchasing of estates for closer settlement in orderto avoid the mistakes of the past through paying too high a price for the land or cutting it up into uneconomic "farms. ■•' -..■..•. •' ' .■;. ■', ■ .■■• ; PRIMARY INDUSTRIES. (a) Organisation and support for the extension and diversification of primary production; to ensure the .maximum availability of commodities that can be marketed within the Dominion and overseas; ■■■ . • -... ■■■ .■". 7-';:.' " ' ■ (b) Extension of guaranteed price procedure to provide an income for farmers measured by New Zealand living standards in accord with the services rendered by the farmer. Prices of farm products are unstable. To rectify this as far as the farmer was concerned, the Government promised I to institute a policy of. guaranteed prices. Already this procedure covers j butter, cheese, wheat, fruit, honey, bar-: ley, and tobacco. The results have so! justified the policy that no farmer \ would advocate the abolition of the' guaranteed price procedure. It has brought stability, security, and hope for the future. The marketing side in the United Kingdom is working smoothly. Our butter prices have been brought closer to Danish; there have been less fluctuations. Our agreement with Germany raised the price of butter by 4s a cwt at a time when prices were sagging. The following dairy industry production figures for the seasons 1935-36. 1936-37, and 1937-38 show the progress that has "Keen made in the three years--1935-36. £ Butter 15,571,977 Cheese 4,222,961 Other products .... 1,000,000 20,794,938 1,125,000 Total ....*......!.. 21,919,938 1936-37. Butter . 18,341,065 Cheese 5.074,219 Other products 1,000,000 j 24,415,284 Milk 1,125,000 i Total 25,540,284 1937-38. Butter 18,813,696 Cheese 5,301,106 Other products 1,000,000 25,114,802 Milk 1,125,000 Total 26,239,802 The farmer now gets more in the way of pay-out from every £ 100 paid for butter by the public. In 1925-26 the farmer received £86 14s for every £100 paid to the dairy

industry. Since then, the proportion, of transport and factory costs has gone down until ;\ow they are i?l2 per £100. The result iis that on the average the farmer gets £88 in pay-out out of each £100.. This is an improvement which, comes, from zoning together with efficient and centralised handling of the product. EXTERNAL MARKETING. Continuance of negotiations with; the United Kingdom and other countries • with a view to securing expanding markets for our primary products by bilateral agreement. . In consultation with the United Kingdom the New Zealand Government made trade agreements with Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland and other countries which extend the markets for our goods without adversely affecting the market for British goods in New Zealand.- At the same time, the Labour Government has made favourable agreements with Canada and Australia to widen bur markets and safeguard New Zealand's industries. . The Government will continue the negotiations with the United Kingdom and other countries with the main view of expanding markets for our primary products by bilateral agreements on a reciprocal trade basis. INTERNAL MARKETING. Regulation of orderly marketing In the Dominion to, ensure reasonable prices to consumers whilst maintaining guaranteed price* to primary producers. Up to 1935 the marketing of foodstuffs in New Zealand was unregulated and unco-ordinated. The producer of goods did not know what his returns would be and often the prices did not cover costs. The Labour Party promised a fair, deal to both producer and consumer. The producer now ge{s a guaranteed return for butter, cheese, wheat, fruit, honey, onions, barley and tobacco. v ■'.'•"'■ . • The internal handling or marketing of these products is now supervised so that the quality is improved, the service is better and more efficient, nobody makes undue profits, and the consumer gets the products of our soil at reasonable prices. The philosophy js abundance, not scarcity.. The Government has paid better prices to producers and yet kept prices to consumers' lower than they would have been otherwise. : : ■- The supply of apples, oranges, and bananas during the last year with better quality, lower prices, and more fruit is the result of Government supervision. ~' .- The Government will continue tne supervision and regulation so that the consumer is well served and the pro* ducer well paid,' and the family grocer is not harmed by unjust trade practices. PUBLIC WORKS. 1. Maximum facilities for the !■• provement of secondary and main highways with Bpecial consideration for the construction and improvements et roads in backblock<areas. 2. Completion of existing railway construction work and extension of Taneatua Opotiki railway and Rinmtaka deviation tunneL The Government does not.subscribe to the view that public wprks-sbould be regarded as a palliative to be undertaken only when private enterprise fails to provide the necessary facilities or to offer the required employment The Government's policy is to promote or expand public works on their individual merits as projects of public development. The various public works undertakings already initiated will be completed and the programme of construction will be continued and expanded. Many of the public works undertaken in the last two or three years were merely doing what should have been done years ago. The changing needs of industry, transport, and communications mean that public works must be modernised. To keep production costs down, transport must be cheap and fast. Our roads and railway crossings need great improvement not only to save valuable human lives but to provide a roadway for modern motor traffic which is playing such a great part in the development of the country. The development of air services and the Air Force necessitates the rapid building of extensive aerodromes. This be proceeded*with. Men will be employed to build nationally-needed assets; i This policy will dovetail to ■with the work of national development referred to elsewhere. ELECTRICAL DEVELOPMENT. Provision of electricity at mmimam charges for domestic needs in rural and urban areas. Special facilities for supply of power to farmers and manufacturers at lew rates to reduce production costs. In the supply of electricity in rural areas New Zealand has been one of the pioneering countries of the world and the extent to which electricity distribution has been carried out may be gauged from the fact that electric power is now available to 33.3 per cent, of the population of thcDominion. Electrical facilities are so much Inside the normal run of life of our cities and urban districts that it is not often realised that many of our settlers have at present no access to the advantages of electricity.. The Government has determined to v remove this reproach.and as soon a* it is practical to do so power.will be made available to the maximum number of our people in the. backblockS areas at the lowest possible cost. . These facilities will be extended to enable farmers and manufacturers to obtain the benefits of electric power .for their productive work on their farms and in their factories at the mort economic charges. RAILWAYS. The Government has initiated m campaign for the modernisation of the railway system" and the latest designs in railcars, multiple-electric units, electric locomotives, Improved engine designs, and rolling stock generally are being provided for the service of the public. This policy will be continued fa the future in order that our great national transport system shall become one of the most efficient in the world, NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT. Organisation of land development and utilisation by extension of Irrigation works and swamp drainage by modern methods. Extension of afforestation system with provision for maximum economic utilisation of products. Establishment of a special Depart* meat under the Minister t* Publio Works for the prevention cf river erosion,, and the cleaning of river beds and planting of hills with a view to avoiding the disastrous floods which have been experienced during the past ten years. This work under the special depart* ment will be planned on a national scale and will materially protect the basis of our production. Treerplanting to prevent flooding will be co-ordinated with the extea*