EXTENDING PENSIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 247, 18 October 1929, Page 7

EXTENDING PENSIONS.

Labour Bill To Provide For

Widows

500,000 TO BENEFIT. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, October 17. The text has been published of a Government bill to extend the provisions of the Act passed by the Conservative Government in 1925 giving pensions to the widows of men who come under the State health insurance scheme. The new bill has a retrospective provision for granting pensions to the widows, aged between 55 and 70, of men of the insured class who died before the Act of 1925 came into force or were over 70 on that date and therefore no longer came under the health insurance schemc. At the age of 70 widows, under the bill, would receive old age pensions without any disqualification or reduction for means, residence or nationality as in the past. Widows under 55 who receive pensions for their children would draw them until the youngest child was 16 instead of 14* as at present. One clause provides for pensioners to be allowed to _ reside in any British Dominion, also to keep up voluntary ' insurance payments for pensions and payments for a limited period of unemployment insurance. This would remove the discouragements of migration. "" c It i* estimated that 500,000 more widows than in the past would receive 10/ a. week under the new bill, and that the new proposals would cost £47,000,000 in ten years.