The Timaru Herald THURSDAY, JULY 9, 1908. NATIONAL ANNUITIES.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13642, 9 July 1908, Page 4

The Timaru Herald THURSDAY, JULY 9, 1908. NATIONAL ANNUITIES.

It appears from an item in our cable news to-day that Canada is in a fair way to anticipate New Zealand in the institution. of a system of national annuities. The message reports that the Dominion House of Comlmons lias passed ail ' Old Age Annuities Bill which we assume to be similar in purpose . to tho measure outlined by Sir Joseph Ward in his Financial Statement on Tuesday evening. 1' may be, of course, that) the Canadian y proposal goes no further than the Old Ago Pensions Act which lias been, on the New Zealand statute book for years, but from the title of the Bill we are inclined to ( think tbati it intends to supply the facilities which will enable people to provide for their old age instead of relying upon what is after all charitable aid with' Ilia liame changed'. It is the rankest casuistry to pretend, as the official Liberal does, that- because a person has spent a considerable part of his life in, a country and lias contributed to its revenues through the Customs, and other indirect channels, lie thereby becomes entiued-in his old age to a fixed payment fvom the State. The very restrictions which, surround the old age pensions in New Zealand,,- and 'with which it is proposed to surroundi tliem in' Great Britain, is • a refutation of' ;the illogical theory that tlia is a right earned by lengUi of residence and contributions to, the national treasury. If it were so, nobody . could be deprived of his right merely because he Jiad a weakness for too iiiUcii bjper, and, Mr Flatman, would not be able

to pose' as the benefactor of inebriated old age by asking tlio I'rcmier to amend tlio Act' " with n ykyr. to reducing the penalty term where-prohibition orders..are made " against old age pensioners or those qualifying for old! age pensions." Hub it does not require arguments of lliis eort to prove that the taxation, ar poison may have paid," either' directly or indirectly, gives him no claim upon the State for a. retiring allowance in his - declining ; yettrs. Taxation is raised, or is supposed 'to ; be raised, for the porpoise of carrying.' on' the administration' of tifb country, so that, every year reach resident receives, in thework 'of the Government Departments, the equivalent of the nionfey ;ho lias;.'been required to contribute tcT the upkeep v ; of those Department*;. . If, in addition'; v to that, lie • wants au ' old age pension "as well, he must be taxed to provide it, and if one gets such a consideration from the . •State, all. should get it. Old agOv pensions, of course, cannot be paidi out of .nothing, and at present they are being paid,, nob out of tlie revenue contributed by. the pensioners in. bygone years, but, out of the excess taxation levied upon the people of the present day. We du not imagine that tliis is the eysteiri to which the Canadian-Parliament has given its approval. ~ Rather we think that the Dominion' Government has in .view a scheme which will enable any thrifty: perI sou to provide, himself with 1 an annuity i of some real. value at. an age when ..nature bids him remit-the >labours(-of life. Such ;a system: l too, is that foreshadowed 1 > ill i-Sir Joseph : Ward's Budget on .Tiiesdjiy, the details of which will be hopefully awaited by many of our people who have 110 desire; to- earn an old age pension of a jfew\shillings a week at -Hie expense " of practical destitution:, but who Sv'llbe' glad to be put into soinerthiug like , the fortunate position occupied by members of the public service.. The summary of the Budget which wo published yeste'rduy indicated that the general scheme , for Hie people is to be less generous in. its benelits than those enjoyed by the employees of the State,, but of course it) i& far iiiore difficult to elaborate a superannuation fluid when the membership must be .entirely' voluntary than ■ it is in the case* of- 'the Government service;;where membership' yf the fund, can be made a condition' ; of employment. ' ■. .: