FOOTING THE BILL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 August 1938, Page 7

FOOTING THE BILL

MR FORBES ON SECURITY FINANCE EXPENDITURE EXCEEDING BOUNDS PRESSURE ON MINISTERS ASSUMED (By Telegraph—Press Association.) . WELLINGTON, This Day. “In the past, pensions schemes have been inaugurated and widened in scope, but they . have always been based on the capacity of the country to pay for them,” said the Rt Hon G. W. Forbes (Opposition, Hurunui) during the debate on the Social Security Bill in the House of Representatives last night. “That principle has been observed all through, but I' believe that in this case the hands of the Ministers have been forced. I cannot believe that anyone who has had charge of the finances of this country could deliberately load the country with such a burden of cost. There must be some pressure from behind.” Mr Forbes said that the Bill should be viewed impartially, but no Government speaker had told the country what the costs were to be, and when Opposition speakers attempted to do so they were charged with lack of sympathy for those who were to benefit. That might be good party tactics, but it was the duty of; every public man to examine the proposals in their financial details and decide whether they were feasible or not.

The country must satisfy itself, said Mr Forbes tnat the Bill would give social security in fact and not in name only. The figures produced by the English actuary gave reasons for doubt that the country could continue to meet the huge cost of the scheme, not only now, but in a few years when its cost would rise. The actuary had presented a true report on the facts placed before him, and had not been influenced by any consideration of presenting the proposals in either a favourable or unfavourable light. The Minister, on the other hand, was straining after the most favourable effect, and had not hesitated to alter the actuary’s figures to suit his purpose ft appeared that the total taxation needed next year would be £48,587,000. Could anyone in his sober senses believe that the country could stand the strain of an expenditure of that size? “What I fear is not so much whether we can afford the scheme this year,” said Mr Forbes, “but whether in the long run it will not jeopardise the-’ whole of our pensions system. I woul'C like to see every benefit the Bill proposes and more, but I would not like to see it cause our finances to crumble. I will be accused of lack of sympathy for criticising the Bill, but I would be failing in my duty if I did not point out what I believe to be its dangers. It is, any way, a poor sort of sympathy that the Government offers the poor, the sick, and the aged, when it does not see that the scheme is founded on sound lines.”