Mr. GREENWOOD:

The National Health Insurance Act, 1918, provides for a penalty by way of reduced benefits being imposed on members of a society who fail to pay a levy within the proper time. The penalty under the Regulations is a reduction in the rate of sickness or disablement benefit payable during the next benefit year, the reduction in the weekly rate of sickness benefit being 6d. for each 6d. or part of 6d. comprised in the amount of the levy. Where the produce of the levy is less than the deficiency in the administration account, the amount transferred from the benefit fund to that account is the additional sum required to extinguish the deficiency.