INVALID PENSIONS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 77, Issue 158, 6 July 1934, Page 6

INVALID PENSIONS

MR. O’BRIEN’S BILL READ NEED OF MEASURE STRESSED. MINISTER SYMPATHETIC, BUT ( Per Press Association ). WELLINGTON, July 5. In the House this afternoon, in moving for leave to introduce the Invalids’ Pension Bill, Mr. J. O’Brien (W’estland) said that for years every party had made promises of introducing invalid pensions, but nothing had been done. It had been said that the cost was too great, but he believed that at the present time the House was almos unanimously in favour of that legislation being put on the Statute Book. The cost to the country would be practically nothing when savings were taken into consideration and the cost of charitable aid could almost be wiped out. Australia had invalid pensions. New Zealand was richer than Australia and it would not hurt New Zealand to make a similar provision. He referred to the hardships invalids had to suffer, and said that his Bill provided a pound a week for adult invalids and lbs for children. He thought it was time the promises made an past years were carried out. It would not embarrass the Government in any way. Mr. W E. Parry (Auckland Centre) said that in his opinion there was no Bill which would be more appreciated than a Bill providing for pensions for invalids, but there was no hope of getting it through the House unless the member in charge of it made a nuisance of himself. It was a Bill New Zeaiana. really required, and one that could be passed without causing any serious difficulty to the finances of the country. Mr. A. M. Samuel (Thames) supported the Bill. He said the promises made by more than one prospective Government had not been honoured after achieving power. That, in his opinion, was politically wrong. It was breaking faith with the public. He said’ that women who had lost husbands were in a better position because they received widows’ pensions for themselves and families, than women wlhose husbands were invalids, as they had to provide food and medicines without any income. Mrs. McCombs (Lyttelton ; said she did not despair of the Minister and hoped the Government would take the measure up ftnd before the end of the session it would be on the Statute Book. It would not be a moment too soon. The average woman had a strong sense of dignity and a feeling that ahe should not impose upon the family the stigma of asking for charity. New Zealand had gone a long way in adopting Socialistic legislation, and she hoped that in the future Governments would be on the Treasury Benches that would go much further in giving relief to persons in necessitous circumstances. Mr. R. Semple (Wellington East) said there was a moral responsibility resting on the Government to take the measure up. If the country was on the road to recovery the first to receive benefit should be those who were unable to protect themselves. He believed that if the Minister had a free hand he would adopt the Bill a-s Mr. O’Brien appeal to him to do. The Rev. Clyde Carr (Timaru) asked whv the other pensions, such as old age, widows’, soldiers’ and miners’ had been instituted.. It was because such people were unable to support themselves. That inability to earn applied also to invalids. He commended past Governments for what they had done and hoped the present Government would make provision for invalids. Mr. H. Atmore (Nelson) who said he favoured the Bill, saia that the appeals made might touch the heartstrings of the Minister, but would not touch the pursestrings of the Government. Mr. D. G. Sullivan (Avon) said it was not so much a financial question as the method by which the money should be expended. It was inevitable that in a great majority of cases where the breadwinner was unable to work on. account of sickness, dependents would have to resort to hospital boards and various forms of charity, and while it might misrepresent the position to say that no additional expense was involved the fact remained that it was very likely jndeed that a large proportion of the cost of support of families of invalids had to be borne by the State at present. Mr. A. J. Stalworthy (Eden) said that all that was required was an adjustment of the system of dealing with invalids, as their needs to-day, in most , cases, were administered by charitable aid societies and hospital boards. Mr. F. Langstone (Waimarino) said that apart from humanitarian principles it was a common-sense policy to make provision for those unable to fend for themselves through no fault of their own. The Minister of Pensions (Hon. J. G i Cobbe) said that he had no record of any promise being made about pensions. Every member of the House recognised the crying need for something being done, but he said that the pensions payments last year amounted to £llB,OOO more than the year before and was still increasing. The taxpayer had to be considered. There were two thing? he would like to do. One was to restore the cut in ' old-age pensions and the other was the granting of invalid pensions. If things continued to improve he thought there was a possibility of recommendations in those directions being made, though 1 he did not want that to be taken as a definite promise After Mr. O’Brien replied, the Bill was read a first time.