OLD AGE PENSIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 165, 14 July 1910, Page 7

OLD AGE PENSIONS.

A SWET.T.TNG- TOTAL. WIDENING THE SCHEME. CBy Telegraph,—Paxllamentars: Reporter.) WELLTNTGTOtf, this day. ■The amalgamation of the Old Age Pensions Department with the Post and Sslegraph Department took place, on Ist May, 1909, and the total saving effected thereby, reports the Commissioner, was £5744 per annum. During the past year the new arrangements have worked, smoothly and well. On.the 31st March last the number of pensioners on the roll was 15,320, including 694 Maoris. The new pensions granted during the jear numbered 2304. At mc same date the Europeans eligible by age and residence for the pension numbered 40,238, and the number of European, pensioners was 14,626, or 36 per cent. In 1906 it was 31 per cent, in 1907 32 per cent, in 1908 32 per cent, in 1909 34 per cent. Two reasons are ascribed for this upward tendency—lst, the widening of tha scope of the Act by the amendments of 1908 and 1909, and the very evident desire of the aged community to avail themselves of the benflts of the Act at the earliest possible opportunity. There was no doubt that the financial stringency during last winter assisted in swelling the ranks of the pensioners, but it marked feature of the transactions right through the year had been the number of successful applicants who had just reached the pension age or had just completed the necessary period of residence; "With the present indications of the effect of the 1909 Act, which has been only three months in operation at the close of the year," says the Commissioner, "there is every reason to anticipate that this percentage ■will be further increased during the current year. The European pensioners of the age of 90 and over numbered 105y eight of them are 95 and over, and one of them is over 100 years of age. The total claims lodged since the Act came into operation number 39,316. Of these 30,034 have been granted and 51 per .cent of the number are still in force. The gross payments made on account of pensions during the year totalled £362,495, being £2a,725 in excess of the payments of the previous year.' The increase in the cost for the year was £5521. The total amount paid in pensions since, the Act came into force has reached the sum of £2,767,011."

An agitation has recently been voiced in the House urging the broadening of the scheme to bring down the age limit in respect of women to 60 years of age. The Prime Minister told tne Hbuse yes-terda-r that this would mean an increase of additional persons., and would represent an addition of £80,000 a. year. They could not go on expanding the benefits as they liked unless they were prepared to impose a special tax for old age pensions, a course that, personally, he- did not believe in.