THE BENEFITS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 75, 30 March 1939, Page 19

THE BENEFITS.

SECURITY ACT. STATUTE EXPLAINED. ITS MAIN PROVISIONS. I OBLIGATIONS OF PUBLIC, Although volumes of space have been devoted by the newspapers during the la= f 1- months to the Government's (Social Security scheme, with the legislation becoming effective next Saturday, numerous correspondents are inquiring how they are. personally affected and asking what benefits ar e provided under the Act. An explanation of the main provisions ot the legislation is contained ill tins article. The qualifying age for superannuation age-heiielits is til) vears, t l, e basicrate of payment being £1 lu/ a week 'Jhis amount may be increased at the discretion of the Commissioners by a further 5/ a week, if t h t . applicant's viite. being under (,(), cannot qualify for a benefit. Ihe amount can nU<> be increased by an additional 5/ a week for earl, dependent child of the applicant under the age of 10 years. These agebenelits take the place of old a «e nenM ; ,n l r, ha , v I ° ,)ocn i ,aid »t the ra t e ot il 2/f» weekly. The maximum income, including the age-benefit will be £2 1(1/ a % r a single man or woman. a widow or widower. I hat is £1 ]o/ age-be,,elit and il allowable income. The maximum income for a married applicant is £4 a week. In the case of a married couple both of whom qualify, the pavment of benefit is £1 in/ each, plus 'fl other income. In the case of a married person whose wife or husband does not qualify for the age-benefit, the a»ebeneht payment is £1 ]„/ ot j; income u,» to £2 10/ is allowed, brin-in-toe maximum amount up to £4. ° P Property Rights. u An important provision concerns accumulated property" possessed bv an applicant. The age benefit will be reduced by £1 a year for every £1« of net accumulated propertv possessed by an applicant, but under the definition of accumulated property" an applicant's home and furniture, any interest in land or mortgages, or in an annuity, or any insurance policy, and. in addition, the sum of £500. do not count at all The applicant may have all the above property specified, and the amount of the benefit will not be affected, but any income received from such property will be- taken into account as other income. For persons living Xew Zealand on March 1 •». 1J)38, the period of residential <1 ua 1 ification is ten years' residence in the Dominion immediately preceding the date of application. For persons arriving in New Zealand after March 15. 1038. the period of residence to qualify for an age benefit is 20 years. Universal Superannuation. Universal superannuation will be payable for the first time in the year commencing April 1, 1940. The payment will be £10 for that year, in 1941 it will be £12 10/, in 1942 £15, and so on by increments of £2 10/ annually until 1968, when the payment will reach £78 a year. Tiui&fcentitlesdi .tft.jrniversal superannuation will be all persons, of 65 years of age. ' The rate of benefit for every person qualifying for universal superannuation will be exactly the same. For exa.mple: In the year 1945 universal superannuation will be £22 10/ and the amount will be paid equally to the person who was 65 on April 1, 1940, and had been drawing ujiiversal superannuation since then, and also to the person who did not attain the age of 65 until the year 1945. Persons in receipt of age benefits on reaching the age of 65 years qualify either to continue the superannuation age benefit or to receive universal superannuation, •whichever benefit is the greater. Unemployment. Unemployment benefits range from 10/ a week for persons 16 years ,of age and under 20 to a maximum of £4 a week for a man, his wife and nine children. For a person over 20 years of age the benefit is £1. while a married man and his wife, receive £1 15/. For each child an additional 5/ is paid. The present rates of sustenance pfovide only for persons 20 years of age and over nml the rate of benefit for children is 4/ weekly* instead of 5/ under the Social Security Act. One of the qualifications for the benefit is that the person is capable of undertaking and willing to do- suitable work. Widows' Benefits. In the section of the Act dealing with benefits for widows two special classes of women who have children under the age of 16 years are entitled to receive widows' benefits although- they are not actually widows —a married woman deserted by her husband (under specified conditions) and a married woman whose husband is under treatment in a mental hospital under a reception order or as a voluntary boarder. The benefit in those cases will be £1 a week and the allowable income £1 a week. Widows' benefits commence with £1 a week for those without children with allowable income of £1 a weeek. A widow with one child under 16 years receives £1 15/ a week, and there are increments of 10/ for each additional child until £4 5/ is reached for a widow with six children. The maximum is £4 10/ for a widow with seven children and the allowable income from other sources is £1 10/. Other benefits include: Invalids' benefits, orphans, and family benefits, miners' benefits, sickness benefits, Maori War benefits, emergency benets and certain benefits in respect to the medical portion of the statute that does not come into operation until later on. The emergency benefit is fixed according to the special circumstances of each applicant. 1 The benefit is intended to cover all persons who are in need but for some reason or another cannot qualify for any of the benefits specified by the legislation. People's Obligations. The community ha 9 an obligation to see that registration is effected during next month. The registration fee for youths and girls 16 years of age and over and for all women is 5/ annually. For all men over 20 years of age the fee is 5/. payable quarterly. The first instalment is due on May 1. Certain persons are exempted, including "any person enrolled as a student of any educational institution," provided he is not in receipt of an income. Any person entitled to exemption from payment of any instalment must complete a. declaration of exemption on a form obtainable at a postal money-order office. A social security contribution of 1/ in the £ is payable on all salaries, wages and other income. This supersedes the present emergency unemployment charge of 8d in the £, which, will be abolished on Saturday next.