THE OLD AGE PENSIONS.

Clutha Leader, Volume XXV, Issue 1274, 16 December 1898, Page 6

THE OLD AGE PENSIONS.

w The regulations and appointtupnts of deputy-registrars for the districts constituted under the Old Age Pensions Act are published as a supplement in the gaz«tte. Printed forms of the pen sion claim will be sent as soon as possible to all post offices. The following prominent features are of interest to the general public. It is imperative that pension claims be made on printed forms obtainable at any post office. These must be addressed to the deputyregistrar for the district in which the claiment resides. The claims will hn investigated by the stipendiary magistrates from time to time as they arise It is necessary for claimants to produce corroborative evidence on material points by documents or other independent testimony. In case of the Jobs of any certificate application by statutory declaration may be made to the deputy registrar for a duplicate, but in the event of any instalment being paid under a lost pension certificate after the issue of a duplicate the pensioner shall have no claim against the Crown in respect to any instalment so paid. Under certain conditions pensioners may be transferred from the register of one district to the register of another district. Pensions granted in any month begin to accrue on the first of the following month, and the first instalment becomes payable on the first of the next month. (Thus in case of a pension granted during December the first imtalment would not be payable till Ist February.) Instalments will be paid monthly at any money-order office desired by the pensioner. Application may be made to the deputy -registrar for a change of place of payment. Where pensioners are receiving relief from or are inmatps of any charitable institution the governing board of such institution may make J application for the payment of the reasonable cost of maintenance or relief of such pensioner. On the application . of the pensioner to a stipendiary magistrate the payment of a pension may be made to an agent, and the magistrate may, for the benefit of the pensioner, nominate a person to receive bis instalment?. In the case of Maori claims, an endorsement in the Maori language by a Government officer that the contents are understood by 'he claimant is necessary. It is the duty of the Government officers in any district to afford assistance to claimants in the preparation and investigation of their claims. Statutory, deslarations under the Act may be made before justices of the peace, solicitors, deputy-registrars, or postmasters, and are exempt from stAmp duty. All correspondence on official business is carried free. No court feps are payable, but 9 fee of one shilling is ehargpable for inspection of a pension claim roaster, or of the list of pensions kept at post offices.