PENSION FOR INVALIDS

Grey River Argus, 21 August 1934, Page 3

PENSION FOR INVALIDS

Mr O’Brien’s Bill MINISTER’S OPPOSITION. WELLINGTON, August 17. In the House Mr O'Brien moved the second reading of th e Invalid Pensions Bill. He said the bill would be formally ruled out of order as it involved appropriation, but it was agreed that 'the second reading discussion should be held. He said that the Minister of Pensions had said if conditions continued good, in a year or two, something on the lines of the provisions in the Bill might be considered Although it had been said that the provision of pensions would cost a certain amount of money, the extra cost would be merely incidental, as the present old age, miners’ phthisis and other similar pensions grants t) hospital boards would all be incaK’u 1 in the invalids’ pension. The Bill was based on the Australian Act under which -every invalid received a pension/ of £1 weekly, which later was reduced to 17s 6d. What Australia could do New Zealand could do also There was nothing to prevent New Zealand looking after her invalids.

Mr Cobbe said he was sure all members had a great deal of sympathy for invalids. He thought it would be. a dangerous thing to with. the present pensions, and substitute something else. If Pensions were given io all invalids New Zealand would become the most popular country in the world* and would be a refuge for invalids He considered there wer? other pensions more deserving than for invalids He was having inquiries made regarding them. One matter was to give extra assistance to disabled soldiers.

Taking the Australian figures as " basis where the proportion was one invalid to 242 old age pensioners on the Australian ratio more than 14,000 invalids pensions would be payable in New Zealand. He said that would cost £728,000. That did not take into account th e wives and children of in valids. That provision would bring the figure to over a million. The total of pensions paid last, year in New Zealand amounted to £3,149,895. or £118.114 more than in the previous year That was equal to £629 daily If the Bill passed the payments would be more than £10,600 daily, without making provisions for wives and children of invalids.