SOCIAL SECURITY

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21558, 22 January 1940, Page 6

SOCIAL SECURITY

Many Benefits To Community Address By Mr Savage An assurance that the full services of the Social Security Act would soon be brought into operation was given by the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, in the course of his seventh weekly broadcast from Wellington last night in the series “New Zealand’s Problems as I See Them.” The fear of poverty or invalidity greatly contributed to worry and eventually sickness and death at a premature age, commenced Mr Savage. Exact statistics were not available, but he could safely claim that few homes were free from it. Before the introduction of the Social Security Act the great mass of the people had no economic security against the effects of illness and old age. Surely a combination of individuals to secure economic security in their old age was better than any effort which could be made by a single individual. The depression had proved that that was the case, as many prudent people who had endeavoured to make provision for economic independence in their old age had found that their resources had disappeared as a result of forces over which they had no control. Moreover, in the depression days no social help had been forthcoming unless in a most humiliating manner. The Social Security Act had come into force on April 1, 1939, but he knew people who maintained that they had received nothing as a result. If that were true they should lose no opportunity of thanking God for their good fortune. The man who insured his house against fire or earthquake risk went on cheerfully paying his premiums for years and did not complain but was happy that he had not had cause to collect anything from the combination known as the insurance companies. Similarly, a man might join a Friendly Society and might pay his dues for years and yet not require to consult the Society’s doctor. Opposition to Scheme There were no people who received the benefits of social security at the same cost, continued Mr Savage. Nature was a great leveller; sickness might enter any home, and it was not merely a matter of sickness, but of the economic effects if the breadwinner were laid aside. No one could say which family would be the next. In spite of the benefits provided by the Act a good many people, upright, sincere and well-meaning, opposed the Social Security plan. People of this type had opposed the abolition of slavery and the cessation of child labour in factories and mines. They had also opposed everything like a shorter working day, but the machines had gone on multiplying output and had done so many times within the last few years. In New Zealand the same type of people had opposed old age pensions and everything which attempted to improve the lot of the masses. During the depression one-fifth of the people of the Dominion had received assistance in the form of food, shelter and clothing, but half of the people who had required medical assistance had not been able to obtain it as they could not afford it. Nevertheless from his own experience Mr Savage said that he could pay a high tribute to the wonderful gratuitous service given by the nursing and medical professions. The full practical services of the Social Security Act were not yet in operation, but he was optimistic enough to believe that they soon would be. Social Security Benefits Mr Savage then quoted the Social Security benefits as follows: — (1) Free maternity benefits at public hospitals. Payment of maternity fees in full or in part at private maternity hospitals. (3) Payment for the services of Obstetrician and nurse at a confinement at a private home. (4) Free medical services except when the services of a specialist obstetrician was engaged when he was permitted to charge the patient a fee in addition to the Social Security payment. <5) Free ante-natal and post-natal advice. Free in-patient treatment in public hospitals. (7) A contribution for patients at private hospitals equal to that paid at public hospitals. (8) A reduction of fees to the extent of 6/- a day at the Queen Mary Hospital and at the Rotorua Sanatorium. <9) Hospital benefits at other institutions. x . (10) Free treatment at State mental hospitals. A Substantial Effort They would agree that was a long list, continued Mr Savage, and he could claim that they had made a substantial attempt In the Social Security benefits to provide against poverty, old age, invalidity, unemployment, widowhood, and other misfortunes. No one would claim that the provisions of the Social Security Scheme were unlimited. Wha. had been done had been achieved at a tremendous cost for a small naten like New Zealand. In 1935 £2.000.000 had been paid out in pensions; this year the sum would be £9,250.000. There had been a very considerable increase. Very little remained of the charge against the Government "you go too slow.” The scope of the benefits ranged from orphanhood to old age and every householder would secure some benefit under the Act No one knew when he would be struck down A man might ache with laughter m the evenand vet be smitten with illness in th! morning; he might be manned a work or on the highways. Hmight speculate in business and come to grief. No one knew his fate. A man might invest In a machine to-day but it might be revolutionised by a new indention and be out-of-date and useless to-morrow, and his investment would, in Se colloquial saying, “have gone to Social Security Act was an insurance against all that, concluded Mr lavage There was plenty of room for Its development and improvement, and nothing else couk happen i the people got the oenenu vi science or any other scheme, was no argument against the deielop ment and improvement of the Socia Security Act.