AGED PENSIONS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 284, 1 December 1941, Page 6

AGED PENSIONS

If the Government could see its way to raise the pension rates of the aged rent payers who are unable to earn extra money a great social injustice would be eased, especially for those aged widows. NATIVE BORN.

I nder the pensions scheme my wife and 1 get £2 per week to live on. After paying rent we have £1 2/6 left to feed and clothe ourselves. We are no better off than during the hard times of the depression, but admittedly a lot of people are better off to-day than then, especially sirgle tradesmen. 1 am a skilled tradesman, but, owing to disability through no fault of my own. am unable to work. I trust that the Government will make some statement about increased pensions soon, as promised, and talk less about spending millions on work that could wait. I am a returned man of the last war and do not want any gratis sympathy, but fair treatment. During the depression I managed to give my sons three years at secondary school and they are now overseas, and we went short of many things to give them a grounding in which to start life's battles. What about this increase, if to meet the increases in costs. W. D. AITCHISON".