PENSIONS BILL GROWING.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 82, 6 April 1914, Page 7

PENSIONS BILL GROWING.

£31,704 INCREASE LAST TEAR. \ REDUCED AGE LIMIT. New Zealand's pensioners increased in numbers by last year, and the footing of the bill cost an additional £31,704, according to the figures issued by the Hon. F. M. B. Fisher on Saturday. The increases have been mainly occasioned by the inclusion of women over the age of 60 years instead of over 65, as hitherto. The figures cover the period ending March 31, 1914. but they may be subject to slight modifications when further returns come in. On March 31 there were on the roll 18,050 old age pensions, and payments daring the year had been £416,750, an increase of 1,541 pensions and £1,001 on the year. Widows in receipt of pensions numbered 1,548, and payments amounted to £27.0G8, an increase of 235 pensioners and £4,954; while military pensions numbered 1,240, and cost £29,431, an increase of 672 pensioners and £25,749, last year's payments being for one quarter only. Thus the total number of pensioners was 20,838, an increase of 2,448, and the total cost £473,249, an advance of £31.704.

The large increase in numbers of old ape pensioners and the comparatively trivial increase in the eoet has resulted from various causes. Towards the end of last year some four hundred old age pensions were converted into military pensions, but the consequent decrease in old age pensions did not appear nntil the year jnst ended. Moreover, a number of the pensioners are women who have become eligible owing to the reduction of the qualifying age. bnt who lieve not received pensions. As a matter of fact, the women under 65 years of ape on March 31 numbering 1.200, represent an anrnial liability of £28.000. The annual liability in re-rard to all pensioners on the roll is ap follows: Old app pensions. £440,000; widows' pensions. £29.000; military pensions. £44,640; total, £514,140.