The Waikato Argus [PUBLISHED DAILY.] A Guaranteed Circulation of over 8000 Weekly. SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 1908.

Waikato Argus, Volume XXV, Issue 3849, 1 August 1908, Page 2

The Waikato Argus [PUBLISHED DAILY.] A Guaranteed Circulation of over 8000 Weekly. SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 1908.

A discussion arose in the House on Wednesday on a petition for the granting of an old age pension. The facts of the case were stated to be that a Mr and Mrs Farr had been in receipt of a pension, tut having come into a legacy of £IOO their names had been struck off the list. Mr Baume, in speaking in support of the petition, said several amendments to the Act were required,_buttha.t the most important to all was one that would not permit a person who had provided in a small measure for old age losing perforce all claim for a pension. This at present was the case. Several members spoke to the same

effect. No doubt cases of hardship frequently occur in consequence of the provision that the annual pension of £26 shall be subject to a deduction of £1 for every £lO of the net capital value of the pensioner's accumulated property, which is the actual capital value less £SO. The provisions of the Act are not, however, so illiberal as the discussion on the petition would lead one to believe. A qualified person may possess an income up to £34 a year, or property to the value of £SO, without suffering any deduction from the full annual allowance of £26. He may also possess, without invalidating his claim to full pension, property worth £l5O on which he resides and which produces no actual income. It is of all things essential that any provision scheme should not tend in the direcion of discouraging thrift—this is certainly the tendency of the New

Zealand Act. This is so for the reason that the scheme does not embody contribution. In the case under review the remedy is clearly to extend the amount of property or income up to which forfeiture of pension or portion of pensions follow automatically. Presumably this would open the door to a number of people to claim the pension who at present are debarred, thus adding largely to the sum it is ncessary to appropriate for the purpose. The annual cost of the pension has steadily increaed from £127,311 in 1899 to £326,084 in 1907 and the number of pensioners has mw reached £13,257. The Government evidently recognise these facts, and have suggesic;! a nat'onal annuity scheme. We have yet to learn its details.