THE STATE'S DUTY TO HUMANITY!

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2164, 1 June 1914, Page 4

THE STATE'S DUTY TO HUMANITY!

temp; tiic destiny ot'otir Voting coun- ■' try are agitating tiic Blinds 'af 'our legis*: latofs and oilier tiiinlcmi; imm at present, lime, mav I be permitted. Sir, : t.l'iroH.Kli the medium of your widelyread paper, to suggest, a :fo\V matters, war'icuiarly ■ to tho leaders of the liefftrju Government? AVliilc the old ago pension is a blessing to many das.orvi.iift ■ eases, surely it -i| possible U> iutro♦luco speedy legislation to assist those 'a mili.es w!i"o niay not- be able to draw a pension for al<i age, .but who .teiV<3 burden,s to bear in frtiior ways, viz., .per (taps n member of the fufnily atflicted with blindness, epilepsy, etc.,, and who: 'vre I>e.arifl{j ' even worse biirdcus than those drawing the pensiEin. in question, fstrelv, Sir, :our Resorn; Gove.rnmeijt; mijrhi strain a point and inelij.de with-. in the scope of this Act a. clatiso en■titfing those who have, members afflicted. to a pension, even though it be but os. per week. Legislatkn in this dj-. lectio.!! is nrgciitl.V . need<>d, and' if israufilit before tho Iloufe, i.u my opiuion, \\ould fee carried without' a" dissentient voice. It would not break tlio Government to also include a pension for every mother who has a family of ovor vix.' 1 ij-m not writing about tlioso who .are already in various institutions, a'.nd Dins assisted by the Stale, but those af<(liefed in private families. ■ £2.3,000 ■placed upon the Estimates would tpver the cost, and would lie .0110 o: : f tho greatest blessings conferred <m this portioi; of uiiassiste:!, buileriiig humanity. Tlio State lias a dirt;y t<! .pef.fnr.iii this class, winch has been sadiy neglected.

"Jieform' 1 is a practical term—limn., lot ns have ii rusjipijise In Uie wsij of reform in this direction. Tho farm; r is getting ivcii Nurtured by the State 'm many ways, by way of rebate,a, «ou--cessions, etc., Imt inss olnss, svho ago deserving of ;hc- fist/atu's grefttost sympathy, aro apt to he foi-gotton. If tfh.fj e.xeuso shouM bp. raisi.il t hat funds will not p.e.rnrit in tips direction (ndrnft'ted, I .«in sure many ways and incans nm [)<• found, us onspuiiiß the diflienhy. TrusU in.g smriu of our htHiKiii.e legjafttors frill iftfiodncr- this tifgojit iind reform (hiring tlm .i:e.:<t .si-spi/in, and receive the heart-foli of many responsible heads of families,- 4 ail), etc., A. E. IIOKNBT.OW. Wellington South.