VALUE OF PENSIONS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 31, 20 February 1937, Page 6

VALUE OF PENSIONS

Press Association.)

New Zealand Total Now Nearly £6,000,000 CLAIMS REVIEWED

(By Teleeraph—

WELLINGTON, This Day. The annual value'of pensions of all classes now in force in New Zealand is nearly £6 000.000. The increase in the bill is due largely to the Government's review oi the pensions legislatibn which Parliament passed last session. Some illuminating and au'thoritative figures were quoted to a deputation yesterday by the Minister of Pensions, the Hon. W. E. Parry, showing the details of the increases. "The figuree make interesting. reading" remarked the Minister, "and show the number of increased pensions granted since Parliament removed the anomalies which long existed in our legislation." Expressing the opinion that the amendments to the pensions laws, which came almost immediately into poeration on th | being passed by the Legislature, wej o part of the policy of the Labour Party in the general riection? the Minister said that he doubted if any member of the community would cavil at the scope of the amendments. The Minister said that at his instance the Commissioner of Pensions. Mr H. Digb^-Smith, had recently visited all the larger centres of the North Island. The object of that visit was to meet peraons whose claims for pensions benefits had not been passed beeause they did not come, apparently, within the scope of the legislation of Parliament. "I have since had before me the Commissioner's report," the Minister said, "and also correspondence from some of the claimants themselves. These make plain to me the thorough and painstaking way in which Alr Digby-Smith went personally into the large number of cases which came before him. "Many of these claims, fortunately for the persons concerned, it was found possible to grant, and others require further looking into to see whether certain features of them could be brought within the law. I am satisfied of the good this method of personal contact between the chief executive officer of the. Pensions Department and the claimants has achieved."