Old Age Pensions in Britain.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 11998, 21 February 1903, Page 1 (Supplement)

Old Age Pensions in Britain.

SCHEME SUBMITTED TO -THE FRIENDLY SOCIETIES. e c The sub-committee appointed by the Na- o tional Conference of Friendly Socities to l draft a scheme of old age pensions, on c December 31st issued to the societies of t the country their proposals for submis- ; sion to the societies. The scheme pro- t vides that a-person (male or female) while in the United Kingdom shall be entitled ; to receive a pension 'of ss' per week under s the following main conditions : —That the s applicant is a British-born subject or a j British naturalised subject of not less than * twenty-five years' standing; that the appli- ( cunt has not. habitually received poor-law ; relief; has not been convicted of felony i within twenty-five years of the age of sixiy- : five ; has not been convicted of an uffer.ee of less gravity than felony within ic;; years of the age of sixty-five, and is no; leading an immoral life. Other conditions are that the applieau: has, according to the judgment of the pension authority, endeavoured, to the best of his or her means or opportunities, to be provident, by (a) Membership in a registered friendly society (not being a dividing society) providing sick, funeral, or superannuation, or other benefits, or (b) A registered building society, or (c) A registered trade union having funds kept separate for sick, funeral, or superannuation, or other similar benefits, or (d) A registered co-operative society, or (e) By degosits in the Post Office Savings Bank or by the purchase of an annuity through the same source, or (f) A savings bank certified under the Act of 1863, or (g) By becoming the owner of u house not exceeding £250 in value. That this condition shall only be modified or disregarded in cases where it is shown to the satisfaction of the pension auth»rity that the lack of saving has been due either to continued sickness or disablement, or other exceptional misfortune, cr to expenditure upon the education and improvement of applicant's children. That the applicant is unable to follow his or her usual occupation (excepting females carrying on their ordinary household duties), and is.not able to follow or obtain any other employment calculated to produce more than ten shillings per week. That no pension be paid to a person whose income is equal to more than ten shillings per week from all sources, or to persons whose joint; income as man and wife is equal to more than fifteen shillings ] per week. I That in calculating the weekly income under Clause (Y) the pension authority [ shall not take into account any sum not exceeding five shillings per week from registered friendly societies or registered trade unions. That if a pensioner under this scheme receives poor-law relief (except outdoor medi--1 cal relief) his or her pension shall cease, but may be renewed at the discretion of the pension authority when poor-law relief

ceases. That every pension shall be reviewed, every two years by the pension authority, but this shall not take away the right of the pension authority to review the pension at any time, provided they have evidence satisfactory to themselves that the pensioner's income from other sources exceeds the limit laid down.

That where a child or children of a pensioner are provarl to the satisfaction of the pension authority to be in good circumstances, they may be called upon to repay the whole or part of the pension to the pension authority at the reuuest of the pension authority or upon the order of a Court of Summary Jurisdiction, but this clause shall not in any way invalidate the rights of the pensioner as to claiming und receiving the pension, provided he or she is eligible in all other respects under this scheme.

That no person receiving a pension under this scheme shall thereby forfeit the light of voting in Parliamentary or any election in whiclrhe or she would otherwise be entitled to vote.

That in the event of an applicant desiring to appeal against a refusal of the pension authority to grant a pension, such appeal shall be only to the" nearest countyenuvt, the decision of the eoun! y-cou'i t judge to be final and binding, and the county-court judge shall have power to charge costs against either the pension authority or the applicant. That neither Parliament, nor any anlholity constituted by Parliament, shall interfere in any way with the funds or management of any friendly society or oilier thrift institution in the' providing of pensions under this scheme. That the cost of providing pensions under this scheme, excluding cost of local administration, shall be met by the Imperial Treasury. I That the rural district, urban district, : and borough councils shall appoint the

pension authorities subject to the following conditions : (a) Each authority shall be elected annually, and shall consist of ten persons appointed by the council, six of them to be elected from the council, livo from local branches of fiieiidly societies, anil two from local brandies of trade unions or other thrift institutions.

(b) Where the council are unable to secure the four, or any of the four, representatives outside their own body, then the whole ten, or as many as may be needed to make up the ten, shall be elected from the council.

(c) The decisions of the rjension authority shall not be reviewed by the council or any other body except as provided in the scheme.

That for the purposes of this scheme, the rural district, urban district, and borough councils, shall be held liable, in the first instance, for payment of the pensions, the amounts expended in pensions to be repaid annually by the Imperial Treasury to the -local authorities, but the expenses of local administration shall be borne exclusively by the said local authorities.