PENSIONS POR WIDOWS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 234, 27 June 1919, Page 8

PENSIONS POR WIDOWS

VIEWS OF THE HOSPITAL BOARD;

Recommendations from the Finance and Property Committee of the Hospital and Charitable.Aid Board included the following one for consideration by the board at yesterday's meeting:— ' '•'That the board support the resolution forwarded by the Buller Hospital Board, with the deletion of the time limit, the amended resolution reading as follows: 'That the Hon. the Minister of Hospitals, be asked to - have the Pensions Act amended 'so that widows with ,- children under the required % age may be entitled to the widows' The above clause caused some little discussion. It was pointed out that the name of the Act was a misnomer, as there was no widows' pension, but there were pensions for children of -widows with children born in New Zealand below a certain nge (fourteen years). Mr. J. Hutchison thought the clause was vague. There, was no pensions for widows onlv. ' Whilst they were on the subject he would like to point.out that in cases where compensation was paid it was counted against the widow. In one case the city corporation's compensation was taken into account, and-the authorities had withheld from a widow (whose husband had been killed) for the first year.. There were three children, but their money was held in trust by the Public Trustee. For that reason she would probably have to come upou the Charitable Aid Board. _ That was quite an unsatisfactory position. Several members thought the clause was vague, and. should be referred back. Mr. J. Glover said the object of tho Buller remit was to make the pension available to all widows, irrespective of the time they had been in the Dominion, and independent of any children they might have. Mr. C. M. Luke said, that the spirit of the new uge \va,s that all widows with children should be provided with the means to bring those children up respectably, and he. believed that the board would rise to the occasion, and support the intention of the clause.

It was agreed that the clause be referred back for redrafting..