COUNTIES' REMITS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22819, 28 August 1937, Page 17

COUNTIES' REMITS

LAID BEFOEE MINISTER HEALTH INSURANCE SCHEME PRESENTATION TO HOUSE [BY TELEGRAPH OWN CORRESPONDENT] WELLINGTON. Fridny Remits adopted at the conference of the New Zealand Counties' Association were laid before the Minister of Finance, tho. Hon. W. Nash, by a deputation from the association to-day. headed by the president, Mr. C. J. Talbot, of Fairlio, Mr. Nash assured the deputation that the matters would receive tho closest attention from himself and the other Ministers concerned.

While tho principle of a national health insurance scheme was supported by the association, it asked the Government to present the scheme to Parliament during tho next session, and thus allow local bodies" an opportunity to express their views before a Parliamentary Cominitteo. An amendment to tho legislation was also requested to provide that all medical and hospital charges in connection with motor accidents be made the first charge on third party insurance. A request was made that tho present system of Government subsidy on hospital levies made on local bodies be amended, so as to allow a greater subsidy being paid to those districts where there was a largo proportion of native population and native land from which no rates were collected. Tho Government was urged to vote sufficient money to tho Department of Agriculture for tho purpose of clearing noxious weeds, particularly ragwort, on unoccupied Crown and native lands. It was the association's opinion that small counties should receive benefits on tho same scale as the largo in tho fixation of petrol prices. Speaking on the proposed amalgamation of local bodies Mr. Talbot said that there was a largo personal element involved in the public servico given by many local body men. Amalgamation meant standing some of them down. Other remits presented were:—(l) That this association reaffirms its application to the Government for a pound for pound subsidy on expenditure on roads other than main highways, instead of the present subsidy on rates. (2) That the ' Act bo amended to make provision for tho representation of counties on the Local Government Loans Board. (3) That this association strongly opposes the granting of universal suffrage in all county elections.