OLD AGE PENSIONS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13985, 19 August 1907, Page 3 (Supplement)

OLD AGE PENSIONS.

Figures aJj'd boMpAR-isoNs. . . 'WliiifNGTON, August t Tllb tuiftuai report bf thb Registrar .bf Pcnsibiis, which was laid oh thb tab'liS b'f the House today; tdlttains sohib iritbrcsliii|; figures' cbncbrhitlg thb cbst of (lie adnilhistfatiori bf the act during the past financial year, and alsb for thb entire pfeiidd iliiit the scliehie' has been iri opera; tipii; The report shbivs thdt at tlie brid of Marbn iast liibre were 13,257 pbhsibiibrs iih thb books bf the department (including 660 Maoris); being art increase of. 675. oh tho previous year. The increase ih tlie jire ; vibiis year was 812. Tlie number bit. the roil exceeds the huhiber at the ohd bf March, 1902, by Wl.. The number of.pensioners, ih receipt bf the fill] pension of £26 is .1d,653j or 80 per .cent, of the whole. . ,0{ tlie four, ehicf. bchtrcs of ]Sbpulatiori, CJhristclitiroh . has thb largest number 'pf pensioners—viz. i 1625, against 1342. in Aiicklaiid; 1233 ih Drihcdiii; and 622 iri Wellington. The 'male pensioners' execfid the females by 1927: There were at tlie end of the y<*ar 75 European lierisiorieri bf the ago of 90 and over. Throte Were cohWhafiaiis, their ages, being 103 i lOi, ahd 106; and their respective rcsidotibea Russell, Aslibuftoh, and Otiki. The first aiid sticdnd bf these beritchtlriflris -\Vcfo drawing their instalments in person at the .post bftifco each month up k> the tihie that the re'fioH wda prepared. Tho nuhtbo; Sf.neiV olaima received dilrihg tllb year Avis 3577, being 450 less than iri tlio previous... vear. Of this huihbef 2030 were granted; 774 rejected, abandoned,, or rendered void bv death, , the remaining 665 Iwing iiiidealt with whon tho year closed. I'he total payments for the year (the first cbrapleib year since tho pension was increased to £26) was £514,183. It is estimated that £355)000 will bo necessary to cover tiro curfeltt year's expenditure. The total ambuiit jraid in pensions since the act c&lti'e jhtb fbrtSb is £1,742,556. . Tlie cbst. bbr heitd of tho population has increased front 4s Id. in 1699-0. to &s lOd for tlie jiast ybftr. Thb cost of adriiiliistratioii last year was £5250 (including £ÜB4 paid to the Post ahd Telegraph Departriic-ilt for services .rcride'red). Thb amount paid to homes arid hospitals during the year was £16.121, the number of pensioners resident on March 31 ih .such institutions, being 627. It is noted in connection with tho operation of the peh6i'on scheme that the annual expenditure Oft but: door relief in the colbnT has decreased from £50,850 ill 1899 to £36,532 ih 1907;