PROMISED BENEFITS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 September 1938, Page 7

PROMISED BENEFITS

SOCIAL SECURITY SCHEME THE POSITION OF WOMEN & OTHERS. FINANCE MINISTER’S OUTLINE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.), WELLINGTON, This Day. “Everyone who contributes to the social security fund will receive benefits from it,” said the Minister of Finance, the Hon W. Nash, in his reply to the second reading debate on the Social Security Bill in the House of Representatives last night. He said Opposition members had talked about taxation costs to the individual, but had not counted the benefits. “We are accused of taxing people under the age of 21 years before they have any political rights or responsibilities,” the Minister continued. “They may not have rights or responsibilities, but the Government has a responsibility to them. That is why they are being brought into the scheme. The principle which is at the heart of this Bill is that there will be no benefit without contribution.” Mr H. S. S. Kyle (Opposition, Riccarton): “Then children under the age of 16 years will not get any benefits?” Mr Nash: “A child under the age of 16 will get exactly the same medical benefits as anyone else.” “Another complain is that we are taxing women who are exempt from the present wages tax,” continued Mr Nash. “It must be remembered, however, that women hardly got anything under the old proposals. This Bill makes it possible for a wife to pay 5s a year for 20 years, a total of £5, arid then at the age of 65 to get 30s a week for the rest of her life. If she is a widow she will get 25s a week, with allowances for her children, and if she becomes unemployed she will get £1 a week. There are the health benefits in addition. Surely 5s a year, together with: Is in the £1 of wages, is not too much to pay for all that.” “There is nothing in the way of investment or an insurance scheme that can in any way look at the proposals in this Bill,” the Minister concluded. “The Government’s scheme is subsidised on the lower scales by 50 per cent, and no investment can bring that percentage in.” “It has been suggested that the benefits under the Bill, especially the age benefits, will not come into force until April, 1940,” the Minister said: “That is not so. It is true that the universal superannuation, commencing at £lO, and rising by £2 10s each year until £7B is reached, will not begin until 1940, but apart from that every other benefit will become payable on April 1, 1939. There seems also to be an impression that every persons, on reaching the age of 65, will receive superannuation amounting only to £lO, but that applies only to. 1940, and persons reaching 65 after that 'will come in at the current figure.” Dealing with the actual number of people who would benefit, Mr Nash gave the following figures:— Recipients of age benefit 80,000 Invalids .... .... ..-;.... 11,700 Widows 9,000 Widowed mothers 5,500 .Orphans 1,300 War pensioners( not under Social Security Bill) 24,600 War veterans (not under Bill) 2,200 Family allowances 67,000 Miners ... 1,100 Sundry recipients 250 Total 202,650 If the number of children and orphans benefiting were taken away, Mr Nash stated, the total of adults would be about 130,000.