OLD AGE PENSIONS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 226, 17 June 1908, Page 7

OLD AGE PENSIONS.

INCOME LIBIT. SLIDING SCALE MAY BE ADOPTED. FINANCIAL SIDE. WHAT THE NAVAL BURDEN MEANS, BT TELEGUAFH —PREBB ASSOCIATION —COPXRIGHI. (Roc. Juno 16, 8.45 p.m.) London, June 16. The debate in the House of Commons on the' seoond reading of the Government's Old Age Pensions Bill—which proposos a ss. per week pension for single septuagenarians, and a joint pension of 7s. 6d. per week for married septuagenarians, subject to disqualifications based on income, criminal record, poor relief, lunacy, and alien nationalityhas begun. The Chancellor of the Exchequer; Mr. Lloyd-George, in moving the second reading, promised that the Government would not insist too rigidly on the income limit (under which a person earning 10s. or upwards per week is debarred from receiving tho pension). The House might, if it chose, adopt a sliding scale (under which pensions would be reduced in proportion to income). The scheme was likely to cost 7i millions per annum. Tho Chancellor went on to say: I admit that the colonies have more liberal pension schemcs, but they aro in a different position, having no great military and naval expense. Tho Navy defending them Is maintalnod by us. Gould wo be saved even half the naval and military oxpense wo now bear, the case would be different.

The Chancellor: maintained that, although the Opposition declared that tho money .required by tho scheme was not prodded for, that wa3 purely a quibble. (Opposition laughter.) Ho could assure them that the Government knew what they were doing and where tho money was coming from.' He added that it was proposed to exclude from tho operation of tho character test all who had been members of benefit and friendly societies and trade unions for a decade. > Mr. H. Cox (Liberal member for Preston, noted for his froetrade and anti-Socialistic views) moved an amendment strongly supporting a contributory scheme of old ago pensions on the German model. Lord Robert Cecil (Conservative member for Marylebono East) seconded the amendment, and emphasised the Socialistic elements of the measure. Mr. J. O'Grady (Labour member for East Leeds) described tho Bill as hopelessly inadequate. Mr. Asquith gavo notice to move that seven days be allotted to the discussion of tho Bill, of which five days be devoted to tho committee stages. THE BUDGET SPEECH. ME. ASQUITH ON HIS SCHEME. Tho Budget speech of the Prime Minister, Mr. Asquith, in 60 far as it relates to old ago pensions, is thus reported by tho " Daily Mail:— \ . The question of old ago pensions has been beforo tho • country for thirty years. Other countries have been making experiments, and in _none is there any dissatisfaction with the principles or working and no desire to go back. . The obligation of providing tho pensions mußt rest on tho Treasury, and not upon the ocal authority. How far tho Treasury is to be recouped hereaftet by holding back any part of the Exchequer contribution to the local authority is not a question wo need now consider.

Any scheme must be confinod to British subjects, and as naturalisation is cheap and easy, it may be necessary to make the qualification ten or twenty years' residence in the United Kingdom. Criminals and lunatics must be excluded; by criminals I mean persons under sentence of imprisonment. It would bo very hard and very unnecessary that the mere fact of a person haying receivod Poor Law relief at any timo withm twenty, ten, or even five years should be a disqualification. ("Hear, hear.") Therefore- wo exclude only persons now actually in-receipt of Poor Law relief. CONDITIONS OF PENSIONS. As to character, the less we go into that, short of actual conviction for crime, tho better. ("Hear, hear.") All the suggested tests, which, look so woll oil paper—thrift, prudence, jwr> character, and reputation—are extremely difficult to apply, and apt to produco unwarrantable hardship. Subsequent misconduct is a totally different matter. Mr. Asquitk. gave the following l figures:— . 5s - at 05. ss. at 70. Persons m all 2,110,5(57 1,254,0*. Deduct over 10s. incomes 755,& : 3 Deduct paupers 3IiS,GOO Deduct criminals ... 33,000 , 632,000 Or. pensioners .... "... 937,000 572,000 Cost .£12,180,000 <£7,410,000 But thero will be further deductions for the married and thoso ivho fail to claim.' Thore must clearly bo forfeiture in the case of porsous guilty of fraudulent representations or subsequently convicted of serious offences. We ought to procced' in tho first instance with great caution, but on lines which will admit of subsequent developments. A moro difficult Question is whether u sliding scale according to income should be adoptod; wo have come to the conclusion to do nothing of the kind. Only persons should be disqualified who within, say, five years of tho timo they make, the application havo been convicted of'serious crime or of such offences as desortion, habitual vagrancy, etc. NUMBER OP PENSIONERS. Applicants will bo supplied at'the Post Office with a form of application, in tho filling up of which it will bo tho duty of the local postmaster to givo them assistance. The application will bo sent to the local pension authority, the area of which is the administrative counties and municipal boroughs with a population of ovor 20,000. The committee will be appointed by the county, borough, or urban district council from within or without their own body. In large towns (like Liverpool) and largo counties tho committee may appoint subcommittees.

This money coming out of the taxes and not out of the rates, a central authority must have a very decided voice. We sot up in each of thoso districts a pension officer—the Excise miin—to act with the ponsion authority. If the pension authority and tho ofhcer concur, there is an end of the matter; but if they differ, there must be an appeal to the Local Government Board or some officer appointed by them. The pensioner, if his application is granted, will bo furnished with a book of monthly or weekly coupons, payablo at the post office. The pension cannot bo "oliarned," and,is payable only to the individual or his representative. Wo think it safe to assnmo that tho maximum number of pensioners will not exceed 500,000, and the maximum cost to tho State six millions. On the subject of married pensioners, Mr. Asquith is reported by the "Express" as follows " Married couples, living together, ought t<s be pensioned at a lower rate, say, 7s. 6d., instead of 10s. a week. The numliur of husbands and wives living together in the lower strata of tho population over G5 is probably about 28 per cent, of the total population of that age. Roughly speaking, about a quarter of the total number of pensions received will be 3s. 9d., instead of ss. per head, or <£3 15s. a year, instead of £13." • l