THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1911. THE WIDOW'S "MITE."

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10487, 25 November 1911, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1911. THE WIDOW'S "MITE."

In the event of there being any unhappy widows in .the Mastertoii, Wairariapa: or> [Bahiatua, electorates:, %vfh!o feel .that joy and gladness is likely to (enter thie&r .livesi as a result of thebeneficence of ian allegedly "humanitarian)" Gtovearuneailt, and who may be tempted urn oonisequeaioe to. show, their gratitude at (the ballot-box, it mlay be as rweHj /to point out that the widows' pension /scheme is largely ia onyt/h. As the Riaugtftakei Advocate points out, the Year Book shows that only 6i.19 per <oenlt. of (the women iin the country are widows', so tihaifc oven if oadh of these were 1 qualified to receive the pension the cost wouldi be i.sniatE. Baiit all' are not qualified. The ,v eaisdon is restricted to widows with eluWiren under 14 years of age, so itliat tine elderly widows, wih'o are most fliikely to require assistance, are short out from any benefit under the AcL An appflioant for ithe widow's pension, lias to fill, (in an appßidation fbrmai dJedaring .thiat she is a widow, that she is a BirtftMi s-uibjeCt, .stating wlheai OJid .where bom, where married, late liiusbaaLd's- Mil: name, names and ages, of children, under fourteen (as the pension is increased according to the number of children), particulars |

of any kinded property she may possess, or any money or other asset. To qmi'iliify for the pension the applicant m u sit not ihave deprived herself of a<uy property for the purpose. of securing a> higher pension. Gorroborative e\ 'xlenee is required of a neigjhIoli; cr friend cf tdi-c applicant! who will be required to answer .several] questions as ; to tlie widow's eligibility to receive a pension.. This- pixnfoioaL seems (to invrollve inquiries. wihadh may be disagreeable, and it is indeed difficult to understand why the widows should have to run the gaunitflet of the tonguies of po-ssilbly inicliaritable neighbours, especially as tJieir j statements nui.de in rthe application l form® have to be siupported on oath beforie a magistrate before a pension), willi be granted. Apparently it liis ! on3y «bsokitoly poverty stricken wid" j ows with children under 14 ivlio earn possibly receive tlie dote, l beca.uße, las shown above, the applicant must possess no property. Moreover, whale the nates of iponsion are £l2 per annum if tJie widow has ome child to support, £24 if there are tlnreo, £3O of (there axe more than tihree I dlili'llcliren under the age of fourteen ; years, ea<oh of thes'e rates of pensionis reducible ,by £1 for every £1 of anmua.ll income received by the widow andiher children, too that the scheme i<s useless .to any widtaw wfho with tliree children) may 'be e'a.rnding £3O a, year—and they will starve if they do not earn much more—wlhile a widow wtith one c3iild under 14 who earns 5s a week , wiM' receive no pension''. As 1 a scheme for .pretending to do something and dbing notMng ,thi!S' widow's pension .affair is even superior to tflile bogus l "Nhitdonall! Provident" (Scheme, [f one sliouM beware of the Greeks when they come (bearing gifts, one shouildj be doublty careful l when alleged gfilfts are transparent sihams.