H.—lB.

6

The percentage of the total cost of administering the Act since it came into operation to the gross payments of £2,067,755 is 1-69 per cent. Annual Liability. The liability at the end of each year since the Act came into force is as follows : — £ & s. At 31st March, 1899, 127,319, or an average of 17 2 for 7,443 pensioners. 1900, 193,718, „ 17 3 „ 11,285 1901, 211,965, „ 17 2 „ 12,405 1902, 217,192, „ 17 0 „ 12,776 1903, 211,594, „ 16 19 „ 12,481 1904, 200,915, „ 16 17 „ 11,926 1905, 199,081, „ 16 18 „ 11,770 1906, 313,018. „ 24 17 „ 12,582 1907, 326,084, „ 24 12 „ 13.257 1908, 333,340, „ 24 11 „ 13,569 The increase for the past year is £7,256, as against £13,066 for the previous year. The accompanying table shows the number of pensions at each rate at the end of the year just closed :— Number of Bate. Liability. Number of Rate. Liability. Pensions. & & Pensions. & £ 10,774 26 280,124 67 12 804 351 25 8,775 57 11 627 368 24 8,832 62 10 620 274 23 6,302 51 9 459 205 22 4,510 48 8 384 223 21 4,683 28 7 196 168 20 3,360 30 6 180 151 19 2,869 24 5 120 186 18 3,348 12 4 48 107 17 1,819 14 3 42 85 16 1,360 7 2 14 121 15 1,815 5 1 5 81 14 1,134 70 13 910 Totals 13,569 £333,340 Forfeited Instalments. The instalments due last year and unpaid on the 31st March amounted to £1,256 11s. Bd. £1,199 6s. Bd. of this amount represents absolutely forfeited instalments on which there is no further claim,and the balance of £57 ss. represents instalments the payment of which is in abeyance. The absolutely forfeited instalments in each month are, — Absolutely Forfeited Instalments. 1907. £ s. d. April .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 75 11 8 May .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 101 6 8 June .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 85 13 4 July .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 96 1 8 August .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 98 0 0 September .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 124 18 4 October .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 121 18 4 November .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 130 0 0 December .. .. . .: .. .. .. 116 5 0 1908. January .. .. . . .. .. .. .. 85 18 4 February .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 85 3 4 March .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 78 10 0 £1,199 6 8 Of the £79 10s., the payment of which was in abeyance on the 31st March, 1907, £60 16s. Bd. was absolutely forfeited. Homes and Hospitals. During the year the total amount paid to the controlling bodies of the various homes and hospitals throughout the Dominion was £16,991 19s. 2d., the number of pensioners resident in such institutions on the 31st March being 645. Of this number 626 represent pensioners who prefer to permanently reside in Homes, the remaining 19 being hospital patients receiving treatment. A return setting out the amount paid to each institution, and the number of pensioners resident therein, is embodied in the Appendix.