PARLIAMENT YESTERDAY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 3994, 26 July 1913, Page 5

PARLIAMENT YESTERDAY.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. [PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM] WELLINGTON, July 25. The House met at 2.30 p.m. The Wellington City Empowering Bill (Mr. Herdman), and the Land Drainage Amendment Bill (Mr. Wilkinson) were read a first time. , COPYRIGHT BILL. The House went into committee on the Copyright Bill, which passed through with minor amendments, PENSIONS RECIPROCITY BILL. Mr. Fisher moved the second reading of the Old Age Pensions Reciprocity Bill, which ratifies the agreement between the New Zealand and Commonwealth Governments, providing for reciprocity in the matter of old age pensions. The Minister said the pension conditions were easier in Australia than in New Zealand. The proportion of pensioners in New Zealand was 1.75 and in Australia 1.50. In each country the pension was £26, while in Australia the residential qualifications were 20 years, as against 25 in this country. Conditions here would be much in line with those of Australia. It was impossible to get data relating to the probable cost of the scheme. Members of both sides expressed concord with the measure, some sounding a a warning note regarding the amount of expenditure necessary to make a success of the proposal. Replying, Mr. Fisher said the New Zealand pensions scheme for the year 1912-13 had cost £415,761, and in the six States of Australia £2,200,000, which worked out at about the same as ours per State. There was no way of getting complete data relating to pensions, as it was impossible to find out how many people in the country would come under the Bill. He hoped the Bill would bo the forerunner of many further reciprocal agreements with the Commonwealth, especially one concerning workers’ compensation. The Bill was read a second time.

PENSIONS BILL. Mr. Fisher moved the second reading of the Pensions Bill, amending and consolidating the laws on the subject. The principle of the Bill was explained by the Minister on the first reading. The main features were the payment of pensions to women at the age of 60, and repeal of the income and property qualifications for military pensions. Other amendments permit of a break in the residential qualification for pensions, the definition of income as applied to old age and widows’ pensions, disposition of property by will. The Minister said no pension fund would be fair which did not recognise the thrifty man. The new scheme would cost £70,000 after the first year. The increase in military pensions would involve an expenditure of between £7OOO and £IO,OOO per annum. They proposed to exempt a horn© in the computation of income, so that a person who had been thrifty should not be penalised and an idle person should receive the pension. Mr. Witty congratulated the Minister on the introduction of the Bill, but to his mind it did not go far enough. With the surplus which the Government claimed they might well have extended the pension more than they had done. Still, any reasonable proposals put forward to improve the pensions scheme would have the hearty support of his side of the House.

Mr Lee held that the necessity for going to the open 1 court for pensions deterred many deceirtdeserving people from applying for the pension. He advocated a system of applying to the Magistrate in chambers. Mr Ngata said he hoped that the Minister would look into the matter of Maori pensions. He knew there was not sufficient money to meet the demands of the Maori civil list, and trusted that those who were now claiming under that head would be transferred to the Old Age Pensions Act. Mr Russell hoped the House would not support a universal pension scheme as had been suggested. If that were adopted men who were worth hundreds of thousands of pounds would be found claiming a pension, and the whole system would break down. Mr Massey said lie had made a promise that if they secured the Treasury benches amendments to the Old Age Pensions Act as were included in the Bill before the House would be carried out, and he had kept that promise. That was incorporated in the Governor’s Speech, and he could further say that all the nromises of the Government would be kept. The Minister replied briefly, and the Bill was read a second time. The House rose at 12.45.