LESS HASTE, MORE SPEED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22860, 15 October 1937, Page 10

LESS HASTE, MORE SPEED

Proposals for national health insurance may have to be postponed in order that the Government's universal superannuation scheme may not be held up, according to a statement by the Prime Minister published this morning. Mr. Savage considers the provision of contributory pensions to be more urgent and, indeed, with the present pensions bill mounting by millions it may be urgently necessary to put this service on a firmer financial basis. Also it can well be understood that a scheme of national health insurance raises all sorts of administrative and financial difficulties that must be overcome. It would be fatal to jeopardise such a desirable and important social service by hastening the date of operation. If fairly smooth working at the outset can be secured by taking further time for study and consideration, final success may actually be forwarded. After all, schemes have been under examination since 1924 and "to rush the finishing touches would seem imprudent. As Mr. Savage says there is no reason why health 'insurance and contributoVy pensions should be introduced together. They are .linked together to-day in Great Britain, but the former preceded the latter by 15 years. Here the Prinje Minister says pensions may precede health insurance and there appears to be no objection to I'eversing the British sequence. Tq enact one scheme at a time and set it operating may be a positive advantage. Experience should be gained and the risk of an administrative overload minimised. With health insurance, also, it would seem necessary to secure the understanding co-operation of the doctors and the people. Any delay would therefore give the Government an opportunity of explaining its scheme and making the provisions generally known, an opportunity that should certainly be used.