“PROVISION WILL BE MADE”

Evening Star, Issue 25633, 6 November 1945, Page 8

“PROVISION WILL BE MADE”

ADDED SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS

(Special.) WELLINGTON, Nov. C. “ As readjustments take place next' 3 T ear the provision will be made,” said the Minister in Charge of Social Security, Mr Parry, in his reply to the second reading debate on the Social Security Amendment Bill in the House of Representatives last evening, when referring to Opposition questions as to where the money would come from for payment, of the increased benefits provided for in the measure. The Bill was read a second time.

Mr Parry said he took it that every member knew after the Budget Debate that provision was made in it for the coming year. The member for Kaipara, Mr T. C. Webb, had stated that the money could be found, but had asked where it was to be found. “My reply to that is, seeing we know that the money can be found, we have got to wait until such time as readjustments take place,” added the Minister. “ In the meantime, after going through what we have gone through before, it would not be wise for us to make a definite statement as to how it is to be done,” Mr A. Hamilton (Nat., Wallace): Making commitments without knowing. Mr Parry: It is well for us to malke provision as we ought for this year, and as readjustments take place next year provision will be made. That is the usual thing. There is nothing wrong about that, more especially as the Opposition has agreed that it is not a question at all of finding the money; it is just a question of waiting for readjustments to be'able to have a clear picture of the position, and to see just what is the best thing to do in the way of finding the money. The Minister also said that the Opposition had referred to the cost-of-living nature of the Bill. The provisions in the Bill were not on a par with the cost-of-living bonus. That could be eliminated easily by Order in Council, but the provisions in the Bill became part of statute law, a very different thing.