No Means Test Is Employed In Britain

Chronicle (Levin), 7 May 1948, Page 3

No Means Test Is Employed In Britain

AUCKLAND, May 6. Bi'itaiu did not oelieve in employing a means test wliioh, in the paynxent of socia.l secuxity ben'eixts, Would have tke ^ffect of /xiakiing all "people ioteibiy; ecjual, stated -Lord Beveridge ilx ah addfess at thj& Town HalkN ' ' 11' Answering a question on this poiii't lxe said prefex'ence was for a floor of secui'ity rather than a ceiling above which people Could not rise. As a.genex'al' principle there was no xxxeans test .that a rich xxxan who- nxay have paid xxxany tlxousands of pounds in taxation, was equally entitled to draw the age pension of 24s a week, with a man who was poor. It was thought ,tha,t the harm of this systeni1 was less than the peiialty that would be otlxerwise' imposed on a man who had saved- for his old age. - .' To another question whether , 'he thought the provision of - sociai aecurity would mean ultixxxately the loss o'f indi-' vidualism, Lord Beveridge replied:. "No, I don't.thiixk ,so -provided yoo. do wlxat we in Britain have done and what you in I^ew Zeaiand have done in sub,stance tlxough . perhaps not quite - .so well. Tlxe fState is making sure-. that you will all have the absolute neceSsaries of life for your old age. becanse otlxerwise you will beoome a burdexx -t'o t'lxu community. Every tlxing . eise ' above thesc minimum^ siibsistence benefits . ls Llxe-'individual reSponSibiiity.- All that socia.1 security has done is t'o 114ft* human life a step higher and to put a fioor below inequalities. " ' . . Lord .Beveridge emphasised thax sociai security uxeant pripxarily a'jredistribution of wealth not'only between rich axxd poor but, more important, be- . tween tlie tiyxc " when people - were earniiig aiid the time when they were iix need. But sociai. security represexited oxxlv oxxe step. It dealt with the distribution of purclxasing power, a financial operatxoxx that was far'froin solviny all tlxeir probleixxs or from, making tho kind oi* society ' thoy wanted. .