THE OPPOSITION AND OLD AGE PENSIONS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXIII, Issue 15968, 29 June 1912, Page 10

THE OPPOSITION AND OLD AGE PENSIONS.

Wb were not finding fault with Mr Bradney's views on old ago pensions when we quoted tlio Press Association's summary of his remarkß at Dargavilla tho other day to show how the Opposition newspapers were not above "doctoring" reports that seemed likely to prejudice the interests of their political friends. Tho member for Auckland West has been quite frank in denouncing Mr Seddon's pension scheme as one of the meanest voto-catching measures ever placed upon tho Statute Book," and though wo cannot applaud his judgment wo can admire his candour. The letter he sends us this morning, however, does not improve tho position of his party's leader or of his party's newspapers. We can easily believe that Mr Massey had not " tho slightest intimation" of what his impetuous supporter was going to say when ho mounted the platform. If they had rehearsed their speeches together before they attended tho "rally" probably thero would have been no need for the "doctoring" process. Mr Massey himself was asked by one of tho Opposition newspapers to assist his friends in covering tip this process, but apparently ho failed as signally as Mr Braduey has in his letter to show that the Press Association's summary did not fairly indicate what ho actually said. Tho matter, ns wo havo said before, is really of no great consequence. Everyone knows that the leader of the Opposition would give superannuation allowances to people who could afford to pay for them and would reserve pensions for the unfortunate people who were compelled to aocept them as charitable aid. It is just here that his method of relieving the aged poor differs from tho ono introduced by Mr Scddon. Of course economically it is sound, but socially it is simply atrocious.