THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1923. NURSES AND SUPERANNUATION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19048, 19 December 1923, Page 6

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1923. NURSES AND SUPERANNUATION.

The request which was made to the Minister of Health yesterday by a deputation at Wellington that the Government should inaugurate a superannuation scheme for nurses is far from being a novelty. It has long been recognised as a somewhat anomalous state of affairs that, while pension schemes for the benefit of all branches of the public service have been in existence for many years, members of the nursing profession, the character of whose services to the public is particularly meritorious, should have nothing of the kind to which they might look forward when their capacity for work is exhausted. The occupation of nursing is strenuous and often highly self-sacrificing, the pay is relatively small, and, as the deputation pointed out to the Minister, the average working life of nurses is comparatively short. Nobody who fully appreciates the conditions of their work need marvel that it should be so. A very great deal of sympathy is to be accorded to the efforts which the Nursing Association is again making to secure the establishment of a superannuation scheme. The difficulties, however, in the way of the institution of such a scheme cannot be under-esti-mated. Apparently, Sir Maui Pomare has a scheme in mind which might cost the State about £25,000 a "year. But unfortunately a proposal of that kind is prejudiced by the deplorable experience which the country is- having in connection with existing superannuation funds not one of which is actuarially sound, and each one of which is supported by a large annual contribution from the taxpayers. This year the taxpayers have had to contribute £86,000 to the Public Service Fund: they have also had to provide £43,000 by way of annual payment, and a special subsidy of £25,000 to the Teachers’ Fund; and they have contributed £25,000 by way of annual payment, and a special subsidy of £50,000, to the Railways Fund. Anyone who is interested in examining more fully the cost to tho country of the superannuation of public servants need only look back for a few years to find that,since 1912-13 statutory grants amounting to £1,310,000 and additional special subsidies amounting to £270,000 have been made to the funds by the taxpayers. Such is the nature of the burden placed upon the public revenues by the superannuation funds Which already exist. In tho great majority of cases the general taxpayers by whom these contributions have been furnished have no expectation themselves of receiving superannuation. They must rely upon their own personal thrift to lay by enough to maintain themselves in their declining years. Superannuation schemes which look very well in principle may operate very inequitably in practice. The general taxpayer is inclined to be philosophic, but it is inevitable that sooner* or later he will resent-the necessity for the annual payment of a large sum out of the public revenues for the bolstering up of State superannuation funds. The existing state of affairs is the more to be regretted because it must militate against the prospects of a scheme of superannuation for a body of workers so eminently deserving as the nurses of tho dominion are.