OLD-AGE PENSIONS IN NEW ZEALAND.
[To THE EDITOR OF Till "SPEOTA.TOR.".1 SIR,—I have no doubt that you will have a good answer to the High Commissioner for New Zealand's letter of last week on this subject. In the meantime Mr. Reeves is not quite correct in his figures. According to the New Zealand Official Year-Book for 1905, the liability of the Colony for the year ending March 31st, 1905, in respect of the 11,770 old-age pensioners was £199,081. It is also fair to say that this sum has been higher. Thus for the year ending March 31st, 1902, it was £217,192. But Mr. Reeves should not have stopped at a simple, though important, correction of figures. The following facts are significant :—(1) The liability of the Colony for old-age pensions has risen since 1899 from £127,319 in respect of 7,443 pensioners to the sum of £199,081 above mentioned. (2) Under an Act which became law on July 29th, 1905, the annual expenditure " on the basis of the present number of pensioners " will be increased up to £300,000 per annum by a stroke of the pen apparently. This is caused mainly by raising the amount of pension from £18 to £26 per annum, and by increasing the amounts which will disqualify applicants from receiving pensions. The full facts are given on p. 582 of the Official Year-Book for 1905. I do not think any comment is called for. The facts speak for themselves, and support the argument used by the opponents of old-age pensions in this country,—viz., that they have no finality. On the question of the increase of Friendly Societies in the Colony since old-age pensions were established, one would like to know much more about this (e.g., what is the kind of Friendly Society which has increased its members ?—what is the definition of such a Society in New Zealand P) before drawing any safe conclusions as to how far their growth is affected by the establishment of old-age pensions.—I am, Sir, Ste.,
W. CHANCE.
Previous page
