THE OLD AGE PENSIONS BILL

Evening Post, Volume LVI, Issue 77, 28 September 1898, Page 5

THE OLD AGE PENSIONS BILL

SOME PROGRESS MADE IN THE HOUSE. Consideration of the Old Age Pensions Bill was resumed in the House of Representatives at 9.30 o'clock last evening, at clause 8, specifying the qualificationsanecessary to entitle a person to a pension. When the House adjourned on the previous evening sub-clause 7, providing that no person shall be entitled to a pension the net value of whose accumulated property amounts to £540, was being considered. On the Premier's motion the figure 5 was struck out, as the first step towards reducing the amount to £270. It was at this stage that the debate was resumed, and it was continued at considerable length without any fc progress being made. The question in dispute was the amount of property a person could possess and yet receive a pension. Finally the word " two' 3*3 * was inserted by 43 votes to 13. MrBuchanan then moved to strike out the word "hundred." This was negatived by 46 to 11. The word "seventy" was then inserted, making the maximum amount of property a person could hold and yet receive a pension £270. Sub-clauses 8 and 9 were -agreed to. Mr. Scobie Mackenzie moved to add a new sub-clause to provide that no person who had been in receipt of charitable aid after reaching the age of 16 years, except in consequence of sickness or accident, should be entitled to a pension. This was intended to distinguish between recipients of charitable aid and pensioners under the Bill. While several members sympathised with the object of this amendment, it was pointed out that it would inflict a great .hardship upon many women left destitute. The amendment was negatived on the voices. Mr. Mackenzie then moved to add another sub-clause to provide that no person should receive a pension who had been leading an idle, profligate life, or wasted his means in extravagant living or gambling. This was lost by 32 to 22 votes. * Mr. Massey moved to add a new subclause providing that in the case of a pensioner's children being in a position to do so they could be compelled to refund the pension money. This was objected to as converting the Bill into a charitable aid measure." The Premier preferred to go in the other direction. He would make the pension no bar to parents claimiug assistance from their children if those children were in a position to render assistance. On division the subclause was rejected by 35 votes to 23. n Clause 8 as amended was then passed and progress reported. The House rose at 2.15 a.m.