Thank you for correcting the text in this article. Your corrections improve Papers Past searches for everyone. See the latest corrections.

This article contains searchable text which was automatically generated and may contain errors. Join the community and correct any errors you spot to help us improve Papers Past.

Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image

WAR PENSIONS

AUSTRALIAN FIGURES RISING.

£7,762,508 A YEAR

SYDNEY, November 25

Latest Commonwealth figures show that 14 years after the institution of the war pensions system, the number of pensions in force is still rising, and it is admitted by the officials that the peak period cannot be forecasted. This is a serious matter for the Government, for it knows that the public would not countenance for one minute any reduction in the scale of pensions. In the circumstances it is almost impossible for the Government to tell what its obligations are going to be.

On June 30th last there were 279,285 war pensions in force involving an expenditure to the Commonwealth of £7,762,508 as compared with 272,631 and an annual cost of £7,639,814 for the year ended June 30th, 1929. The rapid expansion of the system is shown by comparison with the figures for 1916 and 1924. In 1916 8754 war pensions were being paid, costing £368,800. By 1924 the figures had risen to 236,761 and the cost to £6,915,761. It is apnarent that the war pensions paid to children born of war pensioners are largely responsible for the huge increase in the cost. Of the pensions that are payable at present more than 200,000 are drawn by dependents of pensioners and of deceased members of the Australian Infantry Force. Only 74,578 former soldiers are on the pensions list. There are 65,242 wives and widows drawing pensions, 110,656 children. 7678 widowed mothers, 16,174 by other mothers, 3075 by fathers, 697 by brothers and sisters, and 1185 by “others.” The average rate of pensions per fortnight is £1 17s 9d in the case of war pensioners, and 15s 4d for dependents. Thus 170,437 dependents of war-pensioners and 34.270 dependents of deceased members of th/B( A.I.F. are drawing an average of 15s 4d ewerv fortnight. Tliei-e has not been a single year since the inception of the war pensions system in which the number of pensions has not steadily increased. During the year ended June 30th last, 13,650 new pensions were granted, and only 6442 were cancelled or discontinued. Of the new pensions granted only 1317 went to former soldiers, and 9522 were awarded to children and 2374 to the wives of exsoldiers.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/HOG19301203.2.14

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Hokitika Guardian, 3 December 1930, Page 3

Word count
Tapeke kupu
372

WAR PENSIONS Hokitika Guardian, 3 December 1930, Page 3

WAR PENSIONS Hokitika Guardian, 3 December 1930, Page 3

Help

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert