The Star. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 1905. OLD AGE PENSIONS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7727, 10 June 1903, Page 2

The Star. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 1905. OLD AGE PENSIONS.

To those pessimists who are never tired of reiterating their belief that the Old Age Pension Act is destined to land the country into inextricable difficulty, we commend' the reference to this subject in an address delivered by the Premier at Kumarai on Saturday evening. If they are open to conviction, a perusal of Mr Seddon's speech can hardly fail to reassure them. From figures which he quoted, the. Premier was able to show that last year tho pensions cost only £51004 nrore than they cost during the previous financial year. "This," he added, "will be good news for thoso deserving persons who, during the prime of life, helped to bear the public burdens of the colony by the payment of taxes and to open up its resources by their skill and labour." No doubt the pensioners will be pleased to learn that the comfort which they derive from the pensions does not entail an unbearable burden on the country, but we think tha^t their pleasure will not exceed that of the taxpayer. To the latter, who ha* been haunted by Conservative-inspired visions of increased taxation to provide funds for the pensions, it must be an inexpressible relief to learn that there is no foundation for his fears. Until last year the sum paid away in pensions showed a steady increase. On March 31, 1899, the number of pensioners on the roll was 7443, but as at that date the Act had only been in operation some three months, the sum of £53124 was sufficient to cover the outlay for the financial year. Twelve month's later the Act had been working long enough to enable something like an exact estimate to be formed of the cost of the pensions. By the end of the period mentioned, the number of pensioners had increased t& 11,285 andl the, payments to £157,342. A year latter, that is to say, on March 31, 1901, the recipients of the pension numbered 12,405 and the total sum which they received amounted to £197,292, and on the corresponding date of 1902 the figures were: pensioners 12,776, payments £207,468. (During the financial year just ended there was a; drop in the number of pensioners to 12,480, while the sum distributed in pensions only increased by £2672 on the amount paid away during the previous twelve months, and it was afterwards reduced to £1000 by recoveries either from persons who obtained pensions by fraud or from pensioners who forfeited their payments owing to misconduct. Figures, we know, are sometimes deceptive indications of the future, but, after making due allowances for the fluctuations which must always be inseparable from a system of pay- ' ment ; such as is made under the old age pension, scheme, there remains ample reason for supposing that, as far as the cost is concerned, a level has been reached which will not be passed for some years to come. Mr Seddcn himself anticipates that there will be no increase during the present year, and, if for once he bo persuaded to abandon his habitual caution, we daresay that he would go as far as to prophesy that there will be no material growth for some years. But, even supposing this forecast were falsified, we do not believe that the taxpayers would grudge the extra outlay. The pensions have proved such an unqualified blessing that their continuation is assured so long as the country can afford them. And, judging from present appear* a;nces, the day is far distant when the finances of the colony will not bear the strain of the £200,000 or so necessary to meet the needful expenditure.