CIVIL PENSIONS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLII, Issue 20513, 3 September 1936, Page 11

CIVIL PENSIONS

BILL FAVOURABLY RECEIVED SEVERAL AMENDMENTS MADE leieeraph—Prest Association WELLINGTON, September 2. In the House to-day the second reading debate on the Pensions Amendment Bill was resumed, by the K. J. Holyoake (Nat. Motueka), who said they had been Informed that the Government intended to spend on pensions this year £5,480,000, compared with £3,370,000 spent last year. He was in full accord with a national health insurance scheme, and he was sorry such a scheme was not being considered at the present Juncture. There was not a member of the House who did not desire to see pensions on the highest level, but they had a duty to see that taxation was regulated so that industry in future would not be hampered to such an extent that ft would not be able to pay taxes. They should not allow their hearts to run away with their heads. He thought the invalidity pension was a most admirable provision, but he thuoght it should not apply only to permanently incapacitated people but to those who were totally Incapacitated for, perhaps, a short period. The Hon. W. E. Parry: That belongs to something else, not this. Mr Holyoake said he thought the provision for deserted wives was a good thing, but it might be open to abuse. Care should be taken to see that the taxpayers were not imposed upon. Room for Improvement Mr J. O’Brien (Lab. Westland) said there was plenty of room for improvement In the Bill, but when they did improve it they wanted to institute a national superannuation scheme which would do away with pensions altogether, He praised the increase in pensions, particularly those referring to miners. For years he had endeavoured to have an Invalidity pensions bill put on the Statute Book and although members of the Government epressed sympathy and realised the desirability of such a measure they said the cost to the country would be too great. He ventured to say that if the last Government had still been in office nothing would have been done. Mr H. G. Dickie (Nat. Patea), asked why the Government had deviated from the Budget proposal of £1 a week for 22/6, and suggested it was because of the rising cost of living. Referring to pensions for deserted wives he said there was such a thing as collusion between husband and wife, and the passport system to Australia should be very strictly administered. Before a husband could leave the country he should receive his wife’s consent. He objected to the clause which allowed criminals to qualify for the pension while people of unsober habits or immoral, character were debarred. It placed a premium on crime. Tribute to Mr O’Brien Mr F. W. Schramm (Lab. Auckland East) said the provision for deserted wives might give rise to many complex problems such as whether a husband deserted his wife or the wife deserted her husband. He hoped before the Bill was passed that the clause would be tightened up and the loopholes removed. He paid a tribute to Mr O’Brien who had repeatedly urged the claims of invalids for pensions. Mr O’Brien had done more than anybody else to bring the position of invalids before the House and the country. No one, he claimed, could object to taxation to do something for those who could not help themselves. One of the worst features of the present pensions law was that people had to pauperise themselves before they received a pension. The Hon. J. G. Cobbe (Nat. Orua) expressed pleasure that the Minister had not attempted to make any cheap capital out of the fact that he (Mr Cobbe) when Minister of Pensions was unable, owing to the shortage of money, to do more regarding pensions. He had given a promise that when money was available something would be done to provide pensions for invalids. He thought the pension estimates would have to be increased very considerably and that before long it would be found that the cost of pensions would amount to £6,000,000 and afterwards, because there was a tendency for the number of pensioners to increase and with the Increase in population that figure would reach £7,000,000. Mr E. L. Cullen (Lab. Hawke’s Bay) expressed pleasure that Maoris living under the same conditions as Europeans were to come within the scope of the Bill. He also thought that a Maori who drew a small income from land should be considered so that he should be able to live under decent conditions. Relief foi Hospital Boards Mr C. H. Burnett (Lab. Tauranga) said he looked forward to the time when widows would be given a pension Irrespective of the number of children or the children’s ages. The Bill would relieve hospital boards to a considerable extent. The Hon. F. Langstone said he thought the Bill reflected tremendous credit on Mr Parry. The sense of security that would be given those affected by the Bill was of more value than the actual money they would receive. When people saw the effect of that humanitarian legislation, when they saw the impetus it would give to business, they would say it should have been In operation long ago. Amendments The debate was interrupted to enable a number of amendments to be made to the Bill. Mr Parry explained that the Bill did not express just what the Government had in its mind, and the amendments were introduced to make the position absolutely clear. It was found respecting the £5OO exemption for moneys in the Post Office Savings Bank that the powers in the Bill could be used in a way that was not intended by the Government, and an amendment would ccv-r that. The second' amendment was to make it clear that the Bill would apply to the widow of a miner whose death occurred before the Act came into operation. Another amendment dealt with the question of compensation received by a person who had met with an accident as to whether he would have the right to the maximum of £5OO that the money could be used to pay off the mortgage on the home in which he was living. An amendment

would permit that. The last amendment was to deal with a sad kind of case '’•here, under th old Act, a person who was not sufficiently capable of knowing what she was signing in a form or document, although she was reasonable enough to be at large, could not receive a pension. The amendment made provision that such a person could receive a pension. Mr Parry in reply, thanked members for the favourable reception they had given the Bill. He asked members to assist him in putting the Bill through so that the Act could be put into operation this month. The department would give every assistance and advice to those who had to fill in forms in connection with applications for pensions. He was going to ask institutions not to claim back pay to July 1, but to allow pensioners to reap the benefit of that back pay. Fie paid a tribute to the staff of the Pensions Department and his private secretary for the assistance they had given him in preparing the Bill. The second reading was carried. The War Pensions Amendment Bill nd the Family Allowance Amendment Bill were also read a second time. The House rose at 10.30 p.m.