HOUSE OF LORDS

Hokitika Guardian, 4 December 1929, Page 6

HOUSE OF LORDS

WIDOWS PENSIONS. (United Press Association.—By Electrio Telegraph.—Copyright.) LONDON, Dec. 3. In the House of Lords, twenty amendments were tabled in Committee on the Widows, Orphans and Old Age Contributory Pensions Bill. Lord Onslow moved that the widows’ irons ion he limited to necessitous cases.

Lord Buckmastcr supported this amendment. He said that there was no reason why every woman should become a charge on the State, because she was widowed. Even this amendment, lie said, would not go far to stay the flood of extravagance under which the country would soon be submerged, and which would bo acompanied by a multiplication of Government Departments, which was to be feared more than the multiplication of widows. Several of the Liberal peers supported the Government, but Lord Onslow’s amendment was carried by 37 votes to lb.

A consequential amendment was then moved, describing “necessitous widows’’ as those not receiving £250 per annum altogether, was then carred without a division. Another sub-section of the Bill was deleted by 33 votes to 9.

The Bill was then passed through Committee.

The Government does not intend to accept the Lords’ amendment. A similar amendment has been, defeated twice already in the House of Commons. i

The Government’s view is that tin' amendment would disqualify a few widows, but would add considerably to the administrative expenses.