STATE PENSIONS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 266, 8 April 1914, Page 6

STATE PENSIONS.

LAST TEAK'S DISBURSEMENTS. ~ i:\CItEASED UEXEFITS. )' Some interesting particulars of the operations of . the Pensions Department J during the financial year wheh closed j at the end of last mouth were given to ■ a reporter on Saturday by the Hon. I'. 1 M. I>. Fisher, Minister in Charge of the j Pensions Department. In some instances j th- I'.guiv." are snbjfi't to alight modi- J (■ration by the inclusion of snail re- . turns not yet embodied. The annual j figures on this occasion are of par- I ticular interest as indicating the cost J incurred in grunting the pir.sioii to wo- > men at t':e age o'* sixty years, instead I of Mixtv-iive, untie;' the amending Act | passed last session. I The number o;f .pensioners on >the j roll at March 111, 11)14, and the increase ( I on tlie figures for the previous year, i I are an follow: — j

Numher, Trie. I, Did age .pensions. .. 18,050 1,.41 j Widow.-{' pensions .. 1,548' 235 I Military pensions .. 1,240 672 j The gross payments for the year end- J ed March 31, l'Jli, have been as fol- } low: — '. , io.rcasu j Oil lad. year. Old age pensions . . 41f>,7."0 1,000 Widows' pensions .. 27,0(53 4,954 Military pension* .. 29,431 25,740 The payments made under this bead in the previous year were, for the last quarter of the year only. The gross amount paid by way of pensions in tile' vear ended March 11113, was as 10l- | lows:— | O'd age pen-ions .. .. 4:."> 710| Widows' peiiiiio-i--, .. .. '22,1131 MiJitarv pensions .. .. :'!.!>7S i Total 441,540' With the large increase of old age pensions during last financial year, namely, I.VI-I, it may be thought that there is soiiK'thiug peeulir-.r abnul the small increase of £IOOO in the payments for the same period, but the explanation is that towards the end ol last year some four hundred eld age pensions were converted into military pension'. The consequent decrease ;n old-age pensions did not appear until the year just ended. Fuuiier, a considerable proportion of the new pensions during the past year consisted o» women under sixty-five, who hare heen admitted to the roll during tile past four months, and on account of whom, of course, full pensions have not yet been pairt. The number of women not over sixty-live years of age on the. roil at March 31. 1014, wiw, in round numbers, 1200, representing an annual 1 1;<liility of £28.000. The Departmental estimate made in .June last w:is £70,0011 for some three thousand pensioners for the first year, and it will the- be seen that with only four months of th" year gone, considerably over one-third of th.' estimated' annual expenditure has In'coriie payable.

The annual liability in regard to all pensions on the roll at March 111, 11114. is as follows: Old age pensions 440,000 Widows' pensions .. 2!)..~00 Military pensions .. .. 44,(>40 Total 5H.J.40