Rangitikei Advocate. MONDAY, MAY 18, 1908. EDITORIAL NOTES.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9148, 18 May 1908, Page 4

Rangitikei Advocate. MONDAY, MAY 18, 1908. EDITORIAL NOTES.

THE statement that Sir Joseph Ward intends to introduce a scheme for universal pensions next session cannot fail to excite some interest and cause speculation as to the proposals made in Ids Hill. No scheme can be satisfactory in which contributions are not made by those who are to receive pensions. In the firsn place universal non contributory pensions would be too great a tax on the country and would mean that tiie thrifty and careful would have to pay to provide money for the idle and dissolute. It is true that this is the case with the present system of pensions, but even Mr Seddon recognised that the pensions he established must soon prove too heavy a burden and had some other proposals in view at the time of his death. Most people do not care to apply at present for an old age pension unless absolutely compelled ‘to do so, and would much prefer to contribute a portion of the money whan they were able to do so in order to feel that in £their old age they had a claim to a pension. Government servants have pensions provided partly by deductions from their salaries and partly at public expense and a similar plan might well be adopted for those who are working for private employers. We should recommend a system which is in vogue for accident insurance in Germany. Without going into details too closely the scheme is that every employee has a book, and when he or she receives’weekly payment, stampsj.to a certain amount are affixed in the hook by employer and worker and subsequently the sums represented are placed to the credit ofthe employee in the savings bank. Thus for example, a worker receiving £1 a Week would put say two penny stamps in the book each week and the emjiloyer would do the same an additional twopence being subsequently added by the State making on the whole 6d for each £1 of wages received. These sums placed in the bank and allowed to accumulate at compound interest would suffice to pay an old age pension at 60 or 65. Provision might be made that Id should be paid on all sums under 10s, so that a casual worker who received 7s or 8s for a single day’s work would contribute when he was working, and boys and girls would begin to make contributions as soon as they earned wages. The case of married women and girls who are living at home offers some" difficulty, hut there seems no reason why husbands or fathers should not bo expected to pay contributions for them on the same basis as if they were receiving wages at £1 per week. As soon as the contributions readied an amount sufficient to provide an annuity of 10s a week at 60 contributions from and the State would cease and at any period a lump sum paid in would make additional.coutributions unnecessary. It might oven become fashionable to provide brides with sufficient to ensure an old age pension in the form of a dowry. In case of death before the pension age the amount subscribed would take the place of a life insurance polic3 T . The introduction of some system of this nature would gradually replace the present old age pensions and in the transition period the payments made by elderly men, though not sufficient to pay for the whole amount of their pensions, would reduce the cost to the Government.

THE motions for discussion at the Wellington Provincial Conference of the Farmers’ Union which takes place at Feilding on May 26th contain no very new proposals. It is not likely that farmers generally will approve any revolutionary schemes and, therefore, there is no complaint to be made as to the topics selected for discussion. It is, however, to be desired that there should be more driving power behind the opinions held by the farmers, so that their views may be effective. It is no use meeting and passing resolutions as to the value of the freehold tenure or the evils of socialistic legislation unless those who support the resolutions are willing to work hard to impress their opinions on others and to vote at elections for those candidates who will carry out the views of fanners. Academic discussions are of no value if they have no practical results. We hope, therefore, that the discussions at the Feilding meeting on the freehold and the unsatisfactory condition of our labour legislation will result in convincing farmers that they have nothing to hope from the present Ministry and that a much stronger Opposition party is required in order to check the progress of legislation inimical to the interests of country settlers.-