OFFICIAL WIRELESS

Hokitika Guardian, 9 May 1929, Page 3

OFFICIAL WIRELESS

BRITISH PENSIONS. MINISTRY’S STATISTICS. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, May 4. Figures compiling by the Ministry of Health show that 1,500,000 peopie in England and Wales are.in receipt of pensions under the Contributory Pen sions Act. These include recipients ol old-age pensions, widows’ pensions, additional allowance for children as part of widows’ pensions, and orphans’ pensions. Over £37,(L0,000 has been paid from the Pensions Fund. Figures are given showing the growth of the national health insurance scheme during the last five years. At the end of last year the accumulated funds of' the, scheme amounted to £113,000,000, an increase of £9,000,000 during that period. The number of insured pensions lias increased from £1,000,000 to nearly £16,000,000. The total expenditure on benefits amounted last year to £29,000,000, as compared with £23,000,000 in 1024. Maternity and child welfare services have also been steadily extended in recent years, over 2500 centres now being in txistance. BRITISH INCOME TAX. VISITORS NOT LIABLE. RUGBY,May 4. The third reading of the Finance Bill, embodying the annual Budget, was passed yesterday in the House of Commons. During the discussion Mr A. M. Samuel, the Government spokesman, 'removed misunderstandings regarding the liability to income tax which might discourage visitors from coming to Britain, or cause British citizens serving abroad to think they would be penalised for taking a holiday at homo.' Air Samuel pointed out that no person not maintaining a residence in Britain was liable to income tax during occasional visits which extended to less than six months'in any income tax year. Even if the person maintained a residence the liability applied only to income received or brought into Britain. There was no liability on employees of British subjects in India or the Malay States who worked on commission. THE ROYAL ACADEMY. RUGBY, May 4, This year’s Royal Academy exhibition is to be open to the public next week. The exhibition comprises 1600 works, and while the critics, generally declare their inability to discover anv outstanding picture of the year, there is an agreement that the general level of achievement is higher than usual.