Pensions And Grants; Increases Favoured

Northern Advocate, 23 July 1938, Page 7

Pensions And Grants; Increases Favoured

[Special to “Northern Advocate.”,! WELLINGTON, This Day. The claims that the social security benefits proposed by the Government are a logical development of legislation over many decades and that, at present, too many people are outside the range of the services of friendly societies and other voluntary organisations is made by the National Health and Superannuation Committee, in arguing that nothing but a national scheme would be sufficient to meet the situation. Even in the cases of witneses who raised objections to paying a contribution unless there was a definite return, it is stated, no re>al argument was raised against the need to make adequate provision for these whom it is proposed to benefit under the scheme. Dealing with sickness, invalidity and disability benefits the report states that the Government’s to provide in the invalidity benefits the sum of 30, for the invalid v/ith 10/ for the wife and 10/ for each child met with the general approval of fixe committee.

The present invalidity pension is payable at the rate of 30/ a week to the invalid from the age of 16 years, and it is the committee’s recommendation that the benefit should be payable at the same rate between 16 and 20 years and thereafter at the rate of 30/ a week. Sickness Benefits. In dealing with sickness benefits, the committee states that it was impressed by the evidence given by the repi'esentatives of fi'iendly societies and the New Zealand branch of the British Medical Association and other witness as to the mental and physical distress caused to those falling sick, not only from the loss of income but also from the fear of death. This fear had a profound effect on the powers of recuperation of side perrons, and the provisions of a sick benefit would go a Jong way toward meeting the need. The way had already been shown by the efforts of the friendly societies, sick benefit funds and other voluntary organisations. The Government's proposals were simply an extension of the principles which spread the loss of one individual over the whole period of Ills membership as well as .over the whole group. Sick benefit should be payable at a rate adequate to meet the temporary situation which the average sickness created and should be paid where the income of the breadwinner was lost by inability to work.

Friendly Societies. “We are satisfied that the services given to their members by friendly societies is a very valuable one, and should not be prejudiced," the report goes on. “We therefore recommend that the receipt of a sick benefit from a friendly society should not disqualify a sick person from receiving full benefit from the national scheme, also, and further, that * friendly societies should be authorised to disburse the benefits under the national scheme to their own members. The committee states that sustenance rates for dependent children should be increased from 4/ to 5/ making the rate of benefit 20/ for an individual, plus 15/ for his wife and 5 for each dependent child under the age of 16 in the ease of a married | man, j Payment to Widows. ft endorses the proposal of a widowed mother’s benefit of 35/ a week, with 10 for each child, the latter benefit to continue until the youngest child is IC, In special cases where the child is still at school the benefit should continue until the age of 18. In the case of widow’s benefit the committee recommends to the Government for consideration the possibility of granting a pension to widows whose marriage has continued for less than .’5 years and to postpone the pension by six months for each year that the duration of the marriage has fallen chert of that time. The effect of this would be that a woman whose marriage had lasted for 13 years would receive the pension from the age of 51 and so on. Family Allowance, The committee approves of the | Govermenfs proposal to pay 15/ a l week to foster-parents for orphan's ! benefits, but states that capital up to £SOO should be safeguarded for orphans to give them a start in life alter they have reached the age of 16. The Government's proposal to increase the rate of family allowance to 4' in respect to the third and subsequent children and to fix a maximum ullowj able income of £5 a week plus the I amount of the allowance is also apI proved. 1 War Veterans. 1 The committee considers that some I effort should be made to place the men ' in the war veteran class on a more j definite footing so that it should not i bo necessary for them to apply for j sustenance. It recommends that the I proposals of the Government bo ad--1 i.pted as the basic rate for the War j Veterans' allowance and the War i Pensions Board be empowered under I special circumstances to increase the ! rales for veterans to 30 a week and I for wives of veterans to 2(P n week, j The maximum allowance, it is stated 1 ■ Mould he £3 10 and the veteran | should have the right lo receive 20/ j additional earnings without sufferj ing a reduction of the allowance. ' i