OLD AGE PENSIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 177, 26 July 1913, Page 4

OLD AGE PENSIONS.

The two measures dealing with Old '. Afje Pensions submitted to the House ' yesterday were cordially received, and. on the whole, with good reason. The reciprocal arrangement between Xew Zealand and Australia will certainly be ' a great convenience, and, as its oondi- ' tions appear to be equitable without being onerous, it was almost certain to re- , ceive substantial support from both sides , of the House. As to the proposed amendment of our existing Old Age Pensions system, it is all in the way of extending the benefits provided by the Act to deserving classes of the general public who have hitherto received less ; consideration than they could justly j claim. Women arc no\V to receive pen- ; 1 sions -at GO: while widows' pensions from J friendly societies and receipts from i miners' relief funds are exempted from the restrictions hitherto imposed. Various modi lies lions are introduced into the j details of tho Act to check fraud and j evasion, and. on the whole, the nsw Old Age Pensions Bill seems to he a distinct improvement on the old law. We must, not omit to add that the reduction of the age at which wo-men are eligible for the pension, and the added cr*t for military pensions, will mean an iddition to the country's expenditure of ncarlr .€BO.OOO a year. But, in our opinion, these are entirely justifiable purpose;-,, fnrl we do -not. think that the Old Age Pensions system is yet prcseing heavily enough upon u=> to cause any serious apprehension a= 'o its financial future. So far as the political j&pwte of the question arc concerned, this Tlill removes jny doubt as to the attitude that the '"Reform" parly means to take up Howard this important branch of Liberal b-e'.-.1.-'''on. Wo e-ongratulfli*> Mr Mtwy and his colleagues on their good scntse in accent in? r-ho principles that Liberalism had to (drive so hard to establish; and it is ocrt'iinly the highest compliment that the Liberal founders of our system of social and industrial legislation could . hope tr> receive, that their successors in otTiee. who iinee fniijjht so vigorously .'against "f*-ovprnment. interference,*' "Socialis-m,"" and "State pauperism." should now he found numbered among the supporters of one of the most definitely """octal is* ie" mcisurrs that the , Liberals during their long tenure of office over placed up ,n our Statute Boo!:.