Social Security

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 144, 14 March 1939, Page 11

Social Security

Sir,' —Every time one picks up his newspaper he reads something about the Social Security Act that will come into force on April 1 next. One notices our Ministers are most emphatic on the point that the superannuation scheme for ail those attaining the age of 60 by April 1 will start to operate from that date, and by so saying our Ministers are causing all and everyone to believe that all one has to do on April 1, providing he or she is already 60 years of age, is to apply and they Will get their superannuation. j What I want to know is, are the forms yet printed, and, if so, have these forms been, distributed throughout the length and breadth of the country to enable the applicants to get these forms filled in? Is the Government just going to take an applicant’s word for it that he or. she has attained the age of 60? If so, I predict there is going to be some false applications put in just the same as we have had with the dole. It has always been the policy that , an applicant for the old age pension must produce his or her birth certificate before the pension is paid. And many of these pensioners have had to wait many months to get their birth certificates from abroad, so I take it the same thing will apply to ( the superannuation. There are bound to be many hundreds of applicants who will have to send Home, and they will not receive. any benefits for many months. But, according to what our Ministers are saying, all a person will have to do is to look forward to April 1 and; he gets his superannuation, which, in I the writer’s opinion, is misleading.— ] I am, etc., > NOT AN APPLICANT. Masterton, March 10.