PENSION STATISTICS

Otago Witness, Issue 3398, 30 April 1919, Page 39

PENSION STATISTICS

A YEAR'S FIGURES. Tho Hon. Arthur Myers, Minister of Pensions, has furnished the following interesting returns for the past financial year in connection with the five classes of pensions administered by the Pensions Department : PAYJIESTTS 1918-10. Statutory Allowance under Pension's. Finance Act, 1917. £ £ Old-age 482,458 200,605 Widows' 44,715 36,058 Maori War 89,455 11,033 Miners' 10,721 2,555 War 1,173,607 . 1,760,956 810,251 These figures show the' total pensions ai follow :-0!d-age, £743,063; Widows', £80,773; Maori War, £50,488; Miners', £13,276; War. £1.173,607, giving a grand total of £2,051,207. The figures represent the actual payments made in New Zealand. The total relating to war pensions does not include payments made in Threat Britain, Australia, and elsewhere overseas, the returns for which are not yet complete. OOMPABATTVE TABLE,. OF PAYMENTS. Gross Pensions. 1913-14. 1917-18. 1918-19. £ £ £ Old-age 410,778 643,177 743,063 Widows' 27,077 57,952 80,773 Maori War ... 29,447 50,734 50,488 Miners' War k 473,300 1.280,583 2,061,207 The total new pensions granted, with deaths, cancellations, and the net increase or decrease during the year 1918-1919, aro as follow :—... .■ . Kew Pensions. Cancellations. Old-age 2,229 2,323 Widows' 1,346 327 Maori War 12 124 "- Miners* 82 116 War 16,954 4,024 20,623 6,914 "Of course, the abnormal increase in the number of widows' pensions is duo to the epidemic," pointed out the Minister. " The new pensions granted per month under this head had never averaged more than 50 up to November, 1918. the actual new grants for the succeeding four month* being:— December, 1918. 433; January, 1919, 245; February, 1919, 158; March, 1919, 124.