PLANS FOR THE SESSION.

Waipawa Mail, Volume LXVI, Issue 67, 23 February 1938, Page 3

PLANS FOR THE SESSION.

SUPERANNUATION AND HEALTH INSURANCE. AYILL THEY GO THROUGH? OBSTACLES TO OVERCOME. AA’ELLINGTON, Last night. There was a very tense atmosphere at the Labor Caucus held here recently to discuss the proposed legislation for the coming session, and member's heard for the first time that it would be a matter of impossibility to put both the superannuation and national health schemes through before the election. They heard of the Government’s plan to shelve one of them until after the session, in the light of the unfavorable and unassailable figures which its experts had produced. They heard of the refusal of the indomitable Mr Nash to be submerged by figures of what the country could afford, and his determination to reshape the plan in some way and bring down proposals which the Government would be able to put through this session, so that it may go to the country and say that the ten points of its platform have been carried into effect —or nearly so. For another of tile Government’s plans is to end the sales, tax this year, if that is possible, and a small reduction in expenditure will make it possible. The income tax collection, on money earned last year, will reach new heights. The Customs revenue, due to the import influx, has surpassed expectations. And while there will be new duties on some 36 items now imported from Australia, applied as soon as the House assembles over the protests of the helpless Australians who have had the ground cut from under their feet by the disproportion of trade, the imports from Britain remain high.

MR FRASER AND EDUCATION. The new education proposals of the Minister of Education were also put before the caucus. The Minister was much impressed by the things he heard during the New Education Fellowship’s conference in New Zealand, and this has affected his whole mental outlook. But he cannot get any great agreement amongst his advisers, and his own habit of mind is on the conservative side, so the reform of education will not be the spectacular thing that might have come out of stimulation of the Minister’s mind. But he has determined on one more revision of the syllabus, on the ultimate ending of the matriculation examination and the substitution of university entrance examinations, on the alteration of the present administrative machinery of the educational system. In fact, this is to be so thoroughly overhauled that the real name of the bill should refer to the reform of educational machinery and not to education. The general object is the reduction to more straightforward lines of the present tangle of authorities controlling education in the Dominion. As soon as there is sufficient accommodation the Minister will move for an increase in the school-leaving age from IF. where it stands at present, to 15 rears.

A UNIVERSAL SCHEME. Tn the field of health insurance and superannuation there have been some interesting exchanges, of some of which caucus was made aware. Tt is not generally realised how near the Government has been to dropping the former measure until after the election. arguing that by shelving it and putting through the national pensions scheme it would strengthen its position. The impact of hard facts and the strong clash between the Minister of Health and the Minister of Finance brought about this position. Mr Fraser, a believer in moderation, would like to bring in a limited scheme similar to that in operation in Britain. Mr Nash, however, insists on the need for a universal scheme, because of the cost of administration. The Government now aims at a general practitioner service, which alone will cost £7,000,000 a year, with free hospital service and free drugs and medicine, but not including the services of specialists and dentists, etc., which it was at first hoped to cover in the plan. The weight of taxation for this, on top of the national superannuation scheme, is sobering, but Air Nash lias insisted that it is possible to draft a plan which will he acceptable, and lias had the matter turned over to him for finalising. That is why he was accompanied b.v officials such as Air Maddcx, (he British expert on health insurance, and Mr B. C. Ashwin, Assistant-Secretary of the Treasury, on his recent tour of the North Island. For this reason the health insurance" plan was kept in the background during the AA’ellington meeting. But it was pointed out to members who raised the subject that there will be sonte modification of the unemployment tax as the result of the new pensions plan because aged men will be removed from their- present position of being a charge on the funds of the Employment Department.

This move is one which the Minister of Employment welcomes, because it is contended that these men arc not unemployed but unemployable?, and that they help to swell the. figures of those out of work and give an untrue idea of the position in the country. Another thing that caucus learned was that the full forces of the Government have been turned on to the pensions scheme, which will be made ready as rapidly as possible. So that if Mr Nash does not find a way out, at least one of the two Important plans will he ready this year. Bat the Government’s advisers view the position pessimistically.

bat moves in this direction which, it is considered, would be the cause of serious friction in the service. After hearing statements of representatives of the brigades concerned the conference was satisfied that the adherence of at least sonic of the individual members of the brigades was obtained by misrepresentation of the facts. The conference called attention to the danger of unionisation of a national service such as fire brigades. In the event of an industrial disturbance a sympathetic strike in the Fire Brigades’ Union might place not only property but life in jeopardy. The conference requested the support of the Municipal Conference, to be held next week at New Plymouth. Its views are to be placed before the Prime Minister, the Minister of Internal Affairs, and the Minister of Labor. The Government is to be requested that, if necessary, special legislation be introduced to provide for the exclusion of volunteer fivemen as defined by the conference from the provision of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act.