PENSION PAYMENTS.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13360, 14 September 1936, Page 5

PENSION PAYMENTS.

SECOND EDITION

THURSDAY S INCREASED GRANT. MINISTER’S TRIBUTE TO STAFF. Electric Telegraph—Press Association ROTORUA, Last Night. It will be made possible ior State pensioners throughout the Dominion to receive on Thursday next the increases of pensions recently granted by Parliament. The Minister of Pensions, Hon. W. E. Parry stated to-day that approximately 60,Out' pensions will be affected by the increased payments to be made by legislation. The maximum old age pension was Increased from 17s 6d a. week to £1 a week from July 1 last and to 22s 6d a week from Decern bet 1 next. The Minister said that the alterations in the method oi calculating the pension would mean, that a far greater proportion ot pensioner.* than formerly would receive tlie full |>ension. Among the very beneficial improvements in the law was providing that a woman under 65 should now have no deduction made from her pension in respect ol hei age. In the great majority ol cases, he said, the deductions formerly made in respect of property which provided little or no income were new eliminated.

Pa3’ing a warm tribute to the staff of the Pensions Department in performing what he described as an almost herculean task in getting ready so quickly the vouchers to enable the back pay of jieiisioners to be handl'd

over to them on Thursday. Mr Parrysaid he had discovered from tin* investigations he had made on taking up the office cf Minister of Pensions at the beginning of the year that the" State had in it> Pension* Department a. staff from the Gommiss ion© t* to the junior officers which in cotnpetence and readiness to serve in any emergency could not l>e excelled.

“I have nothing but praise for th© work these officers have jierformed,” the Minister said “There have been investigations and ©nmequent alterations going on in the Pensions Department for some time now and these have placed a big harden a! additional work on tlie men and women of tho department, and all of it Las been carried out with .*>. thoroughness and expedition which has earned lor the staff the highest commendation, alteration of a pension means a tremendous amount of extra work which carries with it much overtime tor the staff.