PENSIONERS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 222, 12 June 1908, Page 7

PENSIONERS.

— ' EVIDENCE AS TO AGE '- 1 SERIOUS HARDSHIPS. AMENDMENTS OF THE LAW ASKED FOR. At tho Conference on Hospitals and Charit- ;i able Aid yesterday somo attention was given • •; to tho lot of tho old ago pensioner. ' . Mr. L. J. Bagna.ll (Auckland) said that ■many old people when applying for a pension found/great difficulty in certifying their age. Tho stipendiary magistrate was not satisfied without somo. certificate or statutory declaration, and thero-were old people, in Auckland ■ who were debarred in this way from receiving < :. the pension, .although anyone could see'that • tioy were over the requisite age. There wero • fivo or six inmates of the Old People's homo who were in that position,' and be thought thY Government, ouglit; to make somo provision 'such'fio'rsons could receive tho ' i pensions. Old ago pensioners who sometime? took a glass too much of beer had in.soino "i instances harshly treated. ; He-knew of ono old man who once took an extra glass oil a festive occasion, and afterwards sat 1 % .down ; by the roadiand,went to sleep. A oonstable arrested" him, -ho was convicted for "■ drunkenness, and lost his pension. Ho could not get it again for fivo years, and thus ho > was'virtually fined £135; ; (Shame.) Ho thought-.fhat on the. two, points lie had- mentioiied some mbro reasonable provisions might bo adopted. . - i,Mr. J.. Scantlebury .(West-land) said that °{j West - Coast, in any case, whero 'an old man who needed tho pension could not - provo his age, _ they brought. him ■to tho magistrate in his''private' room; and if the - magistrate could satisfy, himself that the mail was over, 65 years of age, tho pension. waa Granted. ' , ••., , - : •

■ Mr. Bagnall: : Wo shall have to got one of yoiir. magistrates up to Auckland. .j The Rev. Canon Jordan (Tauranga) corroborated Mr. Bagnall's remarks as to the difficulty of proving age. He spoke, of cases that had como under his own notico. In,one,:instance, a maii produced his marriage certificate,'on which the'officiating clergyman had stated that the parties were " of full age." That, of course, meant 21 years, and on .that assumption the man was qualified to receive the old ago pension, but the registrar would not allow it. ' In; anothervcase ho (tho, speaker), offered t-o make, a.sworn ; declarationthat hovknew a certaiu;w6man.-:in ,1852, Vhen shewas a girl of 11 or 12,' yet tlio registrar positively declined to accept that evidence. Mr. P. Horrell (North Canterbury) said that homes for tho indigent were being occupied by old age pensioners, who looked upon themselves as boarders, and more necessitous cases were being crowded out. He thought, that the Government, in-stcad of paying theso ' a peiißioa of-10s. a week, on which it was difficult for t-hem to live, should provide some kind of home for them. Tho following resolutions wero moved by Mr. Bagnall, seconded by' Mr. G. Knight (Auckland),' and;carried;unanimously:— . ' : "That-"provision-"should bo made i whereby old ago pensions may bo granted." to persons who Cannot produce documen- . ,'tary-evidenco of their age, on tho magis- : ; fcrate satisfying himself, in such manner as ho may think fit, that they have passed tho statutory, age." ;. -in-'cases' 'age pensioner is convicted of drunkenness, Clio should .-not bo cancelled for so ' long; a period'as five years, as is now . done. . ; .-•