SUPERANNUATION AND HEALTH

Southland Times, Issue 23406, 13 January 1938, Page 4

SUPERANNUATION AND HEALTH

FULL INFORMATION OBTAINED CABINET TO BEGIN STUDY TODAY (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, January 12. The Cabinet, at its second meeting of the year tomorrow, will come to grips with the task of formulating legislation for the session of Parliament to be resumed on March 1. The most important Bills will deal with the national health service, national superannuation, education reform and taxation, and in applying itself to these the Ministry will enter the final stages of dealing with the 12 main policy points on the manifesto on which the Labour Party went to the 1935 general election. “When this is accomplished there will not be much left to be done of the 12 points which I outlined all over this country before the election,” the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) declared in an interview this evening in referring to the work ahead. “In fact, in certain respects we will have exceeded them. I do not think there is any other period in the history of New Zealand in which it can be shown that any Government has the same record.” Referring to superannuation and the health service, Mr Savage said the information the Government had asked for to enable it to prepare legislation was complete. “We have certain ideas about these subjects,” he continued, “and now we will thrash these ideas out so we can be on common ground about the definite principle of the foundations of the schemes. Once we have that clear and also have it clear as to how we can give effect to them financially the details will be comparatively simple.” Mr Savage said the task would probably take weeks and from now on the Cabinet would go straight ahead on this important job until it was finished. He thought probably two Bills would be required, although he could not be dogmatic on that. The national superannuation proposals of the Government would not only be general in principal, but would also provide for a considerable improvement on the existing pension system. The Prime Minister said the existing old age pension was 22/6 a week and it was the intention of the Government hot only to liberalize the conditions, but also to increase the amount of the pension.

The Prime Minister - said the superannuation age had not yet been settled, but whatever age was decided on at the start need not be regarded as binding for the future.