PENSIONS BILL

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22343, 5 March 1938, Page 18

PENSIONS BILL

COST OF EXTENDED PROVISIONS ADDITION OF £220,000 [From Our Parliamentary Reporter] WELLINGTON, March 4. The cost of the additional pensions provided under the Pensions Amendment Bill, which was introduced in the House of Representatives on Thursday evening, and which extends the residential qualification for pensioners, will be in the neighbourhood of £220,000. This was indicated by the Minister for Pensions (the Hon. W. E. Parry) when moving the second reading of the bill to-day. ' Mr Parry repeated that the new bill would make provision for between 3700 and 4000 new pensioners, who previously had depended on charity. The idea behind the bill was that it was no use New Zealand attempting to find markets in other parts of the world, when there were people in the Dominion who still had to be fed. Now, nearly 4000 j more people had the option of coming to the State for pensions, and would be entitled to draw pensions at the rate of £ 1 2s 6d a week under the old age pensions scheme. The cost of this would amount to approximately £220,000. The distribution of such a sum would increase the circulation of money in tht community, Mr Parry said, and z-> would increase trade. There was nc doubt whatever that goods were available in the community for this increase in trade. The people who would be benefited were already a charge on the community, but the question before the House was whether they should be kept in decent comfort or be allowed to go to charity by backdoor methods.

Position of Elderly Women Mr R. A. Wright (Independent, Wellington Suburbs) expressed regret that the Minister had not considered the position of women between 50 and 60 years of age. In his experience there were scores' of women between those ages who were in difficulties. They were regarded as too old to do ordinary domestic work or to go into factories, and were left as a charge upon the community. There was very great heed to help that class of person. "What a remarkable thing it is to hear a former Minister of the Crown talking about what should be in this bill," said the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage). "The present Minister has gone miles ahead of any- ] thing I have ever heard the member for Wellington Suburbs suggesting in this House, and still he thinks that we have not gone far enough. Irankly, I agree with him, but it is remarkable that he, a former Minister of the Crown, never saw the light until now." More to Come "This is only filling in a gap," Mr Savage said. "We hope to have something better for the old people of this country. It will come during the life of this Parliament. The honourable gentleman can take that from me." The Leader of the Opposition (the Hon. Adam Hamilton) said that the Prime Minister would give people the impression that nothing had ever been done in pensions before this Government arrived. "We had very likely the most advanced pensions system in the world when this Government came in," Mr Hamilton said. j Mr Hamilton asked what was the special reason for giving a special privilege to persons residing in New Zealand at this particular period and no other. The door was going to close. Mr Parry: We don't want to make a dumping ground in New Zealand. Mr Hamilton: There will be,a special privileged few who will get their pension in 10 years. Mr Parry: We are legislating for the citizens of New Zealand now, and not for those who may come here. Restriction Questioned Mr Hamilton: If the Minister were reducing the residential limit from 201 years to 10 years, of general and con- 1 tinuous application, then that would I be understood. Now he is putting it down to 10 years for a particular period, and then he goes back to 20. Mr Parry: We will reduce it to 10 years when we can enter into reciprocal arrangements with the rest of the Empire. Mr Hamilton: I would query the wisdom of legislating and closing the door for the next man that comes into New Zealand. Approval of the bill was voiced by Mr W. A. Bodkin (National. Central Otago). In replying to the debate, the Minister thanked members for the reception accorded the measure. He said that the reason provision had been made for 20 years' residence for future applicants was to prevent the Dominion from becoming a dumping ground for people from other countries. The bill was read a second time, and will be debated when the House resumes on Tuesday. UNEMPLOYED TO BENEFIT IMMIGRANTS SHARE IN EXTENDED PENSIONS EXPLANATION BY MINISTER FOR FINANCE fFrom Our Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, March 4. The effect of the new pension qualification on unemployment was mentioned by the Minister for Finance (the Hon. W. Nash) during the second reading debate on the Pensions Amendment Bill in the House of Representatives to-day. From what the Minister said, a large proportion of those who will benefit will be unemployed. Mr Nash said that those people who came to New Zealand before 1918 received the pension to-day. Those who came between 1918 and 1928 were not getting it, and now they were to get it. In a period of five years about 70,000 people had been brought to New Zealand by a previous Government. Unemployment was then existing, and the action of the Government of the day had extended its difficulties when the Slump came. Mr Nash said that those people came at the invitation of the Government, and in response to representations that s>they ceuld obtain jobs at £7 a week and that homes would be found for them. Now that they were in New Zealand it was only right that they should be provided for, and saved the humiliation ol having to go to hospital boards for assistance. Mr S. G. Holland (National, Christchurch North): Did the Government tell them they could earn £7 a week? Mr Nash: Yes. It was the most lying and malicious propaganda that went out of this country. It was issued by the Immigration Department. Some very bad misrepresentations were made. Mr Nash added that the Government would like to assist all who were in New Zealand now, but there were limits to what it could do. It was estimated that about 3000 of the claimants under the new qualification would come from those at present on the un T employed register.