24 FEBRUARY 1923, Page 2

On Wednesday the chief business in the Commons was the

discussion of a motion of Mr. Maxton, a Labour Member, which if adopted would remove the restriction of the grant of old-age pensions to those whose income does not exceed £4917s. 6d. The argument for the motion is, of course, that the present system actually penalizes thrift, so that the man who has provided for his old age by the efforts of a lifetime is disqualified ipso facto from the State benefit. The one conclusive argument against the motion was that it would cost £17,000,000.