PENSIONERS' CLAIMS

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 31, 1 November 1920, Page 4

PENSIONERS' CLAIMS

LAID BEFORE MINISTER

STRUGGLES OF WIDOWS AND

OLD PEOPLE

SOME RELIEF TO BE GRANTED

A deputation coneialing chiefly of oldago pensioners and widows in receipt or civil pensions waited on the Minister ot Pensions (Sir William Hemes) on Saturday morning to urge that the amount of their pensions should bo increased on account ot the present high cost of living, and that certain other amendments should bo made in the peiifions law. Mr. P. Eraser, Sf.l'., for. •Wellington Central, introduced the deputation. He said that one particular provision of tne pension legislation of last session was a source of a great deal of hardship to widows who were 1 struggling, to rear families If these women earned more than' a certain amount, their pensions were reduced accordingly. The limit set last vcar was really narrower than the previous limit, and ho hoped tint Ul °, lc <j ?" lation of this session would remedy tUf "mKSww, a manlier of the Wellington Hospital find Charitable Aid Boom. E aid that the widows in receipt ot civu pensions wished to be put on the same footing as military widows. They thought that they outfit to have sS a week for t emselvcs for life, and 10,. 40, a week (or each child. That was not too much, and the country coudafiord it. A pen., sioned widow should havo the right to appeal to a board against any /eduction in her pension. At present, when there was a reduction to be made, no notice was eivmi. and the woman had no right of appeal. Moreover, amounts received in tho way of charitable aid were reckmied as income when the reduction to be made in the pension on account of income was being computed, that was the greatest insult that the Government of the country could offer to the widowed mothers. ■. The widow got a w\try,f. M. for herself and 7s. Gd. for each child, till the youngest child was iourtccn. It members of Parliament, had to bring np families on the amount that a widow reeeiTed they would soon be in the lunatic asylum. Old age pensioners were to-dar asking to be admitted to the .OhiM Home because they could not live on their penStories of Hardship.

A. member of the deputation said tha* riie was a widow with five children. She received 7s. 6d. a week for each chlid, and 7s. 6d. for herself. She paid 225. 6d. a. week rent, and was left with 225. 6d. on winch to clothe Vr children and bur "extras." She could not keep the family in food on Hie amount she was EttW,, and sho had had to apply to the Chantable Aid Board. Her youngest child was two years of age, and her eldest in. 1 heeldest was very delicate, and nad spent last winter in the Hospital. ■ \n old woman bowed down with years told the Minister that rite had ?n -Y her pension to live on. It wa s not living, it was only existing She was finite i liable to get work because she wasi soold. Another old age pensioner said that tho pension was not sufficient to pay for & room. She thought 255. a week was little I enough for an-old age.pension. . Mrs Catlow observed that the Arbitration Court granted increases m races on account, of the rise in the cost of liyiny, and members of Parliament had only a 'few weeks previously increased their own salaries. She thought it only nelit that Hie widows and the old peopleshould have increases mado in the amount of their pensions.

The Minister's Reply. Sir William Hemes, in Teply, said he did not want the pensioners to tnmfc that tho Government was devoid of sympathy with them. It recognised that the old age pensioners especially were in a worse position than they had been in before the war. During the war, however, the pension 'had been, increased-by a bonus of m a year. He could not give the details - of the proposals that would be brought before Parliament inthe Finance Bill. Mrs. Snow had sain that the money had to be found, but ■unfortunately the general demand. wa» that taxation should lie reduced. Tho Government was extracting as much as it could from tho pockets of those who were comparatively wealthy, and at the same time tho heavy taxation had hit a lot of people who were not by any means wealthy. The Government would take into consideration the needs of those who could not protect themselves. It was only a question of how far it would be possible to go, and he would consult the ■ Minister of Finance about. the matter. The Minister of Finance had promised to set aside .£IOO,OOO for the relief of superannuated Public Servants, iher© was every indication that tho cost of living had reached its highest point, and probably next year there would be a considerable drop,- The Government would do all it could .with the money at its disposal. He hoped that next session it would bo possible to inaugurate an invalidity pensions scheme. That would be considered during the recess. The deputation would find some relief for the old age pensioners in'a Bill thnt would come before the House this session. He did not know whether a direct increase would be granted, but he thought the proposal was to raise the amount that might be earned without affecting the pension. Tho bonus of .£l3 a year would be permanent, and there would'bo a certain amount of

increase in the lower rates. Mrs. Snow asked whether the Minister would see that the practice of reckoning charitable aid as income was discon-

tinuod. . Sir William Hemes said he had not heard that matter complained of before, but he would take it into consideration. Mr. Fraser invited tho Minister to coneider also a change from the system under which the income was reckoned from

tho previous year's receipts. Ho thought that the circumstances of the pensioner at the time qf computing the pension ought to be closely inquired into. A provision for the setting', up of an appeal board would probably get over the difficulty.