OLD AGE PENSIONS.

Evening Star, Issue 11815, 19 February 1903, Page 7

OLD AGE PENSIONS.

THE NEW REGULATIONS. [Special to the Stab.] WELLINGTON, February 19. A few weeks ago I intimated to your readers that the Government were determined to make the old age pensions scheme better respected, and with that view a new set of regulations and forms were being drafted. Recent abuses of the Act by pensioners have fully justified alterations of a rigid nature, and the new provisions. which will likely appear in today’s Government ‘ Gazette,’ should amply serve their purpose, and meet objections so frequently raised by newspapers to the system hitherto in force. In future a stricter examination of all applicants for pensions will be made, and it is also intended that this shall apply to pensions in existence since the passing of the original Act. If any pensioner has by fraud transferred or sold his property in order to qualify, or is now in possession of money in any hank, building society, or other monetary institution, full particulars of which he did not supply when making his original claim or application for renewal when before the magistrate, such pensioner shall be amenable to the penalties provided by the new Act of 1902, and shall be dealt with accordingly. The new pension claim form seta out shortly all questions necessary under the Acts, which are to be satisfactorily answered by the applicant to the deputy-registrar. When this has been done the deputy-registrar will verify the answers by a set of forms for that purpose, which shall be sent to the Valuation Department, banks, insurance companies, land and deeds offices, and other sources to see if the applicant is possessed of property, money, etc., or if he has. transferred to any person any property, money, etc., at any time since the passing of the original Act in 1898 When the pensioner has, to the satisfaction of the deputy-registrar, complied with all the requirements of the Act, the deputy-registrar shall submit to the magistrate the pension claim, and evidence in support of same, with his recommendation. This system, in a modified form, will also apply to all pensioners who make application for a renewal of the pension. It is further provided that any pensioner who shall have been convicted of drunkenness on two or more occasions in any court shall, upon application for his renewal of pension, be disqualified because of such conviction. A pensioner reported as misspending his pension in drink shall have

his application for renewal opposed by the deputy-registrar. ,; Warrants under section 44, appointing agents to act. for pensioners, shall only be ..issued wheh.it is clear that it is explicit so to do, having due regard to age, infirmity, or improvidence of pensioner. No warrant shall be issued to any person in business to act as agent for any pensioner unless the pensioner shall sign a declaration, on a form provided for that stating that he cannot be paid by any other means, owing to the distance at which he resides from any post office. Further, no warrant shall be granted to any native to act as agent for a native pensioner. Any person appointed under this head shall be a European of good repute. No native who can personally draw his ora pension shall be allowed to appoint an agent. The same objection to any person in business acting as agent in the case of a European also applies to a native.