POLICE SUPERANNUATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 48, 15 February 1908, Page 2

POLICE SUPERANNUATION.

DISCUSSED AT WANGANUI. Per Press Association. Waugaimi, Last NightAt a fully attended meeting of the local and suburban police held at the station to-night, the question of mem 1 , bers joining the Public Service Superannuation Fund, established last session, was considered. It was pointed out that the benefits under the Public Service Act. were in many cases better than under the Police Provident Fund. For

instance, instead of a pension going up to SU-UUths of ii year's pay as provided by the Police Fund, it could go up to 4()-lil)tiis under the Public Service Fund. Contributions paid into this fund are returnable irrespective of years of ser-; vice or whether dismissed, whereas under the Police Fund a contributor under ten years' serviee cannot receive any refund, and from ten to twenty-five years (if he leaves voluntary) he receives three-fourths of the amount con-; tributed, but utter twenty-live years 7 service no return of contributions cau be made, unless he retires on a, pension. The Ci»il Service Fund provides that a widow and children shall receive a pension of £lB per year during her widowhood, and each child iis per week until reaching the age of 10 years. This applioa to where a coutri-

butor had only served a short period prior to death. This, it was pointed out, is certainly a most liberal provision, and one which should make all married men consider it advisable to go over to the Civil Service Fund. Then, again, the fact of all contributions being returnable is of the greatest importance to both old and young members. In a few cases the amount of contribution will increase from half to one per' cent-, and in a few others they will decrease by the same amount. It was

thought that increasing the age of retiring from CO years under the Police Fund to 60 under the Civil Service Fund was an objection from a police point of view, but it was pointed out that the Minister in control of the Police Department could make the retiring age CO, and would, in all probability, do so, as it would certainly be injurious to the Department to have a number of police* men over CO years of age. It was considered by those present that the great and only blot in the Civil Service Fund from a police point of view apparently is that there is no suitable pension for a police official injured while in the execution of his duty, as provided for in the Police Fund, but it was thought that when this was pointed out steps would be taken to rectify it. After carefully considering the whole scheme it was unanimously decided to vote that the police join the Civil Service Fund.