STATE PENSIONS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 August 1938, Page 6

STATE PENSIONS

LEADING DETAILS OF SECURITY BILL z Wide Range of Proposed Benefits GRADUAL APPROACH TO UNIVERSAL SUPERANNUATION

WELLINGTON, This Day. The Social Security Bill introduced in the House of Representatives this afternoon by the Hon W. Nash (Minister of Finance) provides the following benefits: — Age benefit: All persons aged 60 years, if fully qualified, will receive £1 10s per week. Income qualification, unmarried person: The basic rate of benefit is reducible by £1 for every £1 of other income exceeding £52 per year—that is, the full rate of benefit can be received while the applicant also has £1 per week from elsewhere, making a total of £2 10s per week. Married couple, both of whom are qualified: The joint benefits will be reduced by £1 for every £1 of total other income received by the married couple in excess of £52 per annum. For example, a married couple, both of whom are qualified, can receive £3 age benefit between them, plus £1 from other sources, making a total of £4 per week. If the other income is more than £1 a week, the amount of age benefit is reduced accordingly. Married person whose wife or husband is not qualified: The benefit will be £1 10s a week and the allowable income is £2 10s a week, making a total of £4 per week. Special benefit: Where a husband is not able to support his wife and she is not qualified for a benefit, the commission may grant an increase of the benefit of 5s per week, plus a further 5s for each child under the age of 16 years. Residential qualifications: Applicants must have resided in New Zealand for not less than 10 years immediately preceding the date of application, if in New Zealand on March 15, 1938, of for 20. years after that date. Computation of income: Receipts not counted as income include funeral benefit from a friendly society, fire insurance moneys, capital received under the will of a deceased husband or wife, compensation or damages in respect of bodily injury up to £5OO if used for approved purposes. Property qualification: No deduction from benefit will be made in respect of furniture and personal effects, ownership of house used as home, ownership of land or other such property, in interest in mortgages, in interest in insurance policies or annuities. The income, however, derived from the above properties, etc., will be taken into account when assessing pension. UNIVERSAL SUPERANNUATION A section of the Bill provides for a gradual introduction of universal superannuation. It is proposed as from April 1, 1940, to pay all citizens over the age of 65 years £lO per annum, this sum to be increased by £2 10s each year until the superannuation reaches £7B per annum and entirely supersedes the age benefit of the same amount, so that universal superannuation will be:—l94o, £10; 1941, £l2 10s; 1942, £l5 and so on until £7B is reached. In the meantime, from 1940 the universal superannuation will form part of the age benefit for persons 65 years or over. The only qualification will be in regard to residence and payment of contributions. Applicants who were in New Zealand on March 15, 1938, must have been in the country for ten years immediately prior to the application and all others 20 years. WIDOWS’ BENEFITS. Widow with one child under 16, £1 15s per week; two children, £2 ss; three children, £2 15s; four children, £3 ss; with 10s per week extra for each child up to a maximum of £4 10s per week. No deduction from benefit is made unless other income is more than £1 10s per week. Widows without children under 16: For fully qualified widows until they receive the age benefit on reaching age 60, £1 per week —additional allowable income £1 per week. Qualification: — (1) A widow the duration of whose marriage (plus the time during which, while a widow,’ she cared for her children under the age of 16) was not less than 15 years. (2) Any widow who loses her husband after she is 50 years of age will receive the benefit so long as her marriage has continued for 5 years. (3) Any other’ widow receives the benefit on reaching the age of 50 if her marriage occurred not less than 15 years previously and continued for 10 years and she was widowed after she reached 40 years of age. DESERTED WIVES. Women who have been deserted and have taken maintenance proceedings will, if their husbands’ whereabouts are. unknown, qualify as widows if they have dependent children under 16 years of age, or in any other case at the discretion of the commissioners. Women whose husbands are in a mental hospital, either under a reception order or as voluntary boarders, will qualify as widows if they have children under the age of 16 years, or in any other case at the discretion of the commissioners.

Residential qualification:—A widow satisfying the marriage period qualification who has no dependent children qualifies if she and her husband were both resident in New Zealand for not less than three years prior to the death of the husband. A widow who has dependent ‘children qualifies in respect of children who were born in New Zealand or were born while she was temporarily absent from New Zealand, or if both she and her husband were resident in New Zealand for not less than three years immediately preceding the date of the husband’s death, or desertion, or admission to a mental hospital. ORPHANS’ BENEFITS. Orphans' benefits: —15s per week. These benefits are payable to every child under 16 (1) If both its parents are dead. (2) If it was born in New Zealand or its last surviving parent resided in New Zealand for three years prior to his death. (3) So long as it is not being maintained in a State institution. . The rate of benefit will be fixed by

the commission in its discretion u.p to 15s per week. Any property owned by the child and any special circumstances will be taken into account when fixing the rate of benefit. Payments of orphans’ benefit will be made to the guardian for the benefit of the child. FAMILY BENEFITS. Rate of benefit: —Qualified family with three children under 16, 4s per week; four children under 16; 8s per week; five children under 16, 12s per week, increased by 4s a week for each additional child under 16 years. Income qualification:—Family benefit, together with the weekly income of the family, must not exceed £5 a week, added to 4s for each child in excess of two. In the case of a family whose income is £5 5s per week, where there are five children under 16, the maximum total income within which the benefit is payable will be £5 12s. The amount of benefit in that case will be 7s. Residential qualification: —The applicant must have resided in New Zealand for not less than one year immediately preceding the date of application. The benefit applies to children who were born in New Zealand or have been permanently resident for not less than one year immediately preceding the date of application. Either father or mother may apply for the benefit. The benefit is payable to the mother of the child, whoever makes the application. In special circumstances, however, the benefit may be paid to the father or any other person for the benefit of the child. The benefit must be expended for the maintenance or education of the child. INVALIDS’ BENEFITS. Fully qualified invalids will receive the following benefits: — Under 21, if unmarried, £1 per week—Allowable additional ’ income £l. Married man and wife, £2 and one child, £2 10s; two children, £3; three children, £3 10s—allowable additional income. £1 10s. Married woman, £1 10s—allowable additional income, £2. Other invalids, £1 10s—allowable additional income, £l. An invalid is defined as a person who (a) is totally blind or (b) is' permanently incapacitated for work as a result of an accident or by reason of illness or any congenital defects. To qualify for benefit, an invalid must have resided in New Zealand continuously for not less than ten years immediately prior to the date of application. If he. claims on the grounds of blindness, he must show that he was born blind or became blind in New Zealand, unless he was a resident of New Zealand on September 4, 1936, or has lived in New Zealand continuously for not less than 20 years. - '

The commission has discretion to make a payment in respect of an invalid wife up to the maximum of £7B a year, so long as the total income of the married coUple does not exceed £5 a week. In the case of each benefit a reduction will be made in respect of property owned by the applicant and his wife and family, the same exceptions being allowed as in the case of age benefits. SICKNESS BENEFITS. Rates of sickness benefits to full}’ qualified persons after the first week are: — Under age 20, without dependants, 10s pel- week. Over age 20, without dependants, £1 per week. Married man and wjfe £1 15s, and one child, £2; two children, £2 ss; three children, £2 10s, with an additional 5s for each child under 16. The maximum benefit for a man with wife and nine or more dependent children is £4 per week. The above rates will be adjusted according to the other income received during the period of sickness. UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT. The standard rates of unemployment benefit are: — Under age 20, without dependants, 10s per week. Over age 20, without dependants, £l. Married man and wife, £1 15s, and one child, £2; two children, £2 ss; three children, £2 10s, with a further 5s for each additional child under 16 years of age. The maximum rate of benefit is £4 pel’ week for a man with a wife and nine or more dependent children. The standard rate of benefit will be adjusted according to the other income of the applicant. In those cases where the wife is dead and a housekeeper has to be employed to care for the home, the allowance of 15s for a wife may be paid for the housekeeper.