WIDOWS' PENSIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 64, 15 March 1919, Page 5

WIDOWS' PENSIONS.

. EXISTING ANOMALIES. PROTEST BY MOTHERS' LEAGUE. A largely attended meeting of the Soldiers Mothers' League was held at the Trades Hall yesterday afternoon to consider the question of pensions granted jto widows. Sir Frederick Lang, Speaker ! of the House, and members of the Labour j party were present. . , Mrs. 12. Nieol briefly explained the reaeon of the meeting, and the subjects to be dealt with. Dr. Florence Keller, after alluding to the inadequacy of the pensions paid to I widow a other than from the epidemic, 'alluded to the inconsistency of the epij demic pensions as between husband and jwife. In cases where the husband had died the widow was allowed 10/G for the children and nothing for herself, whereas lin the cases where the wife had died the Government allowed the husband, in addition to the 10/6 for the children, 25/ j per week with which to pay a housekeeper, thus taking the burden from his shoulders, while the poor wife, who was left, had to struggle along as best she "could. It was not right that this fund ; should be administered by the. Education J Board. Every candidate lor Parliamentary honours should l>e asked.if they, jas representatives of the Government, I would be prepared to act in the position of fathers of the children left as the result of the epidemic. I An outline of the old age pensions scheme was given by Mr. Foster. It was resolved, on the motion of Mrs, E. Nicol, that this meeting considers tim I administration of the widows' pensions Ito be a strange anomaly of justice to a great number of widows and children inasmuch as a difference of many shillings is made in favour of the epidemic widow' ,as against all other widows. Thin 1 League considers that the only fact the I Government has to deal with is that tin: I applicant is a widow, and it woul»] strongly appeal to Cabinet to adjust such I maladministration and mak» iin "qnal pension for all widows and children upon the rate decided upon for tiie epidemic widow's pension. i Mr. P, J. Nerheny, in dealing with 'the administration of the pensions, urged that the ful! pension should be paid through the ordinary pensions channels. Parliament, he said, had set the standard of pensions at 10/6 per ■ week. That being so, they should not j hesitate a moment to increase the pensions (o the epidemic widow. }\qtc not I her children as valuable to the State.as ' i other children? j Sir Frederick. Lang said he was one ['of those who first brought up the question of pensions in the House. The, I chilrden,. he said, had the whole of their i lives before them, and some adequate , I provision. should be.made for them by the , State. There was, however, only a cerjtain amount of money available, and the. 'question appeared to him to be one of j whether thjs should be divided anions ail or.among the.-jjo-jt needed only, lhia J was not a .que&tkm of charity. Tt was only what the rhsopk w».-ro entitled to. Mrs. Nicol: You would not vote to have the pension reduced'; /Sir Frederick Lang: No; I would vote to have it increased. . Mr. Savage said he represented a party whqse policy was based not upon poverty, but upon national service. Labour stood for a universal pension scheme. The difficulties in the way of this were not ; I insurmountable, and we need not let , them stand, in the way of providing for "_ ' the future mothers and fathers of the . community. Parliament could only be j ] made representative of the people by placing it in the hands of tl.e jieople. j Mere direct, methods of doing , things I should be arrived at. Labour- believed^ that the old people, of this country or anc'y other country should be cased fur n«..t because of .their poverty, but JJncaupQ j ( of their national servic. I Mr. G. Davis endorsed the remarks made by Mr. Savage. The .Government ', ,up to the present time had only done, what they had been .compelled tp. What ; was wanted was justice. The; Labour ; J Party was wholly with the objects, of • the meeting. i Strong comment was made by various 'speakers regarding the indignity women , i were put to when going to the Charitably , Aid-Board for their pensions, and the following motion- was carried: —''That thjs ', meeting expresses its strong indignation | at a Government widows' pension beir-g I , administered through the Charitable- Aid I Board and urges that the epidemic | , I widows' pension be sidininistarcd through j . jits proper channel—the Pensions Depart-, I I ment." ; J The meeting then terminated.