SOCIAL SERVICES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23196, 16 November 1938, Page 16

SOCIAL SERVICES

NEED FOE EXTENSION UNEMPLOYMENT PROBLEM LABOUR PARTY AMENDMENT CLOSING PRODUCTION GAP By Telegraph—Prcs3 Association— Copyright (Received November 15, 5.5 p.m.) British Wireless RUGBY. Nov. 15 The House of Commons turned today to home affairs, when Mr. F. W. Pet;hick-Lawrence (Labour —East Edinburgh) moved the official Labour amendment to the Address-in-Reply to the King's speech, "regretting the absence of any reference to unemployment." Deploring the demoralising effects of unemployment and physical deterioration due to malnutrition, Mr. PethickLawrence argued that the continuation and extension of social services were an essential condition of closing the gap which, he declared, existed between production at a rate made possible by the existing effectivo demand, and production at a rate made possible by the existing 5 technological knowledge. Evacuation of Civilians The Government spokesman was the Minister of Health, Mr. W. E. Elliot, who announced that his department, at the request of the Lord Privy Seal, Sir John Anderson, was undertaking responsibility for plans for the evacuation of civilians in times of emergency. Mr. Elliot repeated his denial that social services were going to be curtailed. He then proceeded to review the work of the Ministry of Health. The Minister stated that progress with housing had continued uninterruptedly during the first nine months of this year, and 70,300 houses had been * completed by local authorities against 54,500 in the same period in 1937. The original slum clearance programme covered 267,000 houses, but they had nearly doubled that figure. The new programme was for 465,000 and the figure was still rising. A total of 212,000 had actually been completed, and they had now approved for slum clearing purposes the building of 302,000 houses. The scheme for the provision of milk in schools had proved a triumphant success, and last year 200,000 children came into the scheme. Treatment of Cancer Mr. Elliot added that the Government proposed to introduce shortly a Bill making ;?rovision for extensive arrangements for the treatment of cancer. Modern methods of diagnosis and treatment, either by radium, X-ray or operation, would also be made available to all who suffered from cancer. At present only about a quarter of the cases which would benefit by treatment were receiving it on modern lines. Money would he mads available to enable more radium to be acquired so that the necessary treatment could be given. "Since the Great War the sums paid out in social services have amounted to £7,500,000,000, for which there is no parallel in any other State —totalitarian or democratic," concluded the Minister. Mr. L. S. Amery (Conservative) said there was no considerable section in the House of Commons which believed rearmament ought to be secured at. the expense of social services. The gravest national problem on the social side was the fact that so terribly large a proportion of growing children were not nourished as they should be. He urged the adoption of family allowances as a means of dealing with the problem of tiie low wage group.