NATIONAL SUPERANNUATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21129, 11 March 1932, Page 12

NATIONAL SUPERANNUATION.

Sir, —Superannuation is at present confined to civil servants, in which term we include all who work for the State or municipal corporations and whose salaries are provided out of the taxation levied principally on the incomes of non-State workers. The superannuation fund is provided partly from deductions from the salaries of civil servants and partly from annual contributions from the Consolidated Fund : but, in reality, all the superannuation money is the result of taxation of the people, most of whom aro not civil servants. This circumstance alone naturally raises the question, "Why are not all workers permitted to retire on superannuation after 40 years' of honourable service?" There can be no doubt that many thousands of workers who render service to the State not as employees of the State but as equally honourable and useful citizens are not, as a result of their long and faithful work, in a position to retire after 40 years' service and. indeed, most of them are compelled to work until prevented by ago and infirmity. The utmost assistance they can then demand from the State is the miserable pittance known as the old _ age pension, whereas a civil servant who has boon capable of only menial work is provided with a comfortable competency up to the last day of his life. The non-provision by the Stale of suitable superannuation for all its honourable and useful workers is undoubtedly one of the causes of unemployment of the young, for by necessity old men and women arc compelled to continue working long after they have reached the retiring ago; and this circumstance obviously blocks or closes tho avenues to the employment of younger and more vigorous workers. National superannuation would clearly do a great deal toward curing the evil of unemployment of the young; indeed, there can be little doubt that it would be a complete solution of tho unemployment problem. The additional taxes now being raised to relieve unemployment would, it is submitted, be sufficient and better used for the purposes of national superannuation, for such use would incidentally solve tho problem of unemployment and add immensely to the general happiness and contentment of private workers whose service to their country has been at least as valuable as that of civil servants to whom superannuation is rightly allowed but illogically confined. To put the matter in another way, the State should be equally solicitous for the welfare of all its worthy citizens and should organise accordingly. As to the amount payable to national snperannuitants. some initial difficulty would have to be met, but R should not be Impossible to decide upon on irreducible minimum with additional allowances according to the responsibilities of this annuitant. Barrister.'