POPULAR DEMANDS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2209, 23 July 1914, Page 10

POPULAR DEMANDS

REFORMS IN PENSIONS SCHEME WHAT THEY WILL COST Interesting information as to the cost to the State which must inevitably follow tho granting of pensions on moro liberal terms was given to the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon by the Hon. F. M. B. Fisher. It had been suggested to him by way of a question that he ought to ailow a bigger exemption than the present one of £340 for tho homes of pensioners. This led to general criticism of, the pensions system; and a general request for a moro liberal administration of it. Mi 1 . Fishor said he was very glad tho criticism of tho pensions scheme had been on the wholo favourable. "But," ho added, "when honourable members of the House are asking for further concessions under our law it is just as well that wo should realise what we havo done in tho past, and what tho liabilities will bo if the suggestions that are being -made are to bo carried out. Tho ideal pension, suggested by my honourable friend, the member for Auckland West, is tho universal pension payablo to all persons over a fixed' age,- regardless of either income or property qualifications. If wo are to pay a peiision to persons over sixty years of age and ignore income qualifications, it will cost us an additional £120,000 per annum. If we aro going to exclude property qualifications it will cost us an additional £60,000 per annum. If. wo are going to pay pensions to wives' of military pensioners it is going to cost us an additional £77,000 per annum. If wo are going to pay pensions to orphans it is going to cost £12,000 per year. If wo are going to pay pensions to blind persons over 15 years of ago, it is going to cost £9000 a 3'ear." Mr. Okey: Do that now. .' Mr. Fisher: Do it? The honourable gentleman must see that if I can get tho money from my colleague—and I assure you that on those occasions ho does not bleed freely—l am proposing to ask the House to remedy some of the existing evils of the pension system. And some of them need it. An honourable member: Tax the beer. Mr. Anderson: Provide for the blind on this occasion. Mr. Fisher: I was saying what thecost of the various requests will be, if' they are' granted. We came into this I arliament pledged to give a pension to women at tho ago of 60. We carried out that pledgo at a cost of £70,000 a year. We also carried our pledge with reference to military pensions, and tho liability undor that Act-is £44,000. Mr. Russell: A lot of the military pensioners were getting the old a"e pension. ° Mr. Fisher: Not very many of them. Mr. Russell: Chiefly it is tho difference between £26 and £36 a year. Mr. Fishor said that only about 25 per cent, of tho pensioners wero transferred from the old ago pensions to the military pensions list. He would liko to seo something dono to help miners under our pensions law. But tho popular domaiid for pensions for everybody was going to cost a lot of money. Ho thought one of the things they ought to do was to remove' tho penalty now imposed upon tho thrifty, who, bocauso of their thrift,'wore'deprived of their pensions. Tho'reason for the existence of these anomalies was that the Act was badly drawn when it was first passed, and now it was a very different matter, and a very much moro expensive mat. ter, to carry out tho reforms he had mentioned