OLD-AGE PENSIONS.
LTO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPEHCATOR.1
Sn1,—In your last issue you praise the way in which the Chancellor of the Exchequer has dealt with the subject of old-age pensions, and you say that it is a policy on which, so far as the.general principle is concerned, every one is agreed.
We must, I suppose, take it as a fact that Mr. Asquith is quite convinced that old-age pensions are desirable, or he would have raised a stronger and different defence than that of want of money to their being carried into effect. But does every one agree that they are desirable ? I venture to reply in the negative, and I am sure that numbers of your readers will be with me in this.
The mass of literature which has accumulated on the subject during the last twenty-five years—Blue-books and what not— contains plenty of evidence to show that old-age pensions are not only undesirable in the true interests of the general public, but also quite unnecessary. To this mass of literature will be added in due course the Report of the Royal Commission on the Poor Laws, and I venture to say that the antagonists of old-age pensions will not be found silent on the subject, for they have a very strong case on the merits. I therefore beg leave to express the hope that you will delay your final pronouncement on the question until this Report appears. Speaking from my own experience, I may say that when the many objections to the establishment of old-age pensions have been clearly• explained to assemblies of working men—real working men—I have found them by no means favourable to it. Indeed, their establishment is only one of many Socialistic pro- posals in the air at the present time. But I am convinced that there is a large body of working-class opinion which is against these proposals, and this is why I ventured at the recent meeting of the Unionist Free-Trade Club to ask whether the time had not come for the formation of a now political party in order to voice this opinion. Will your influential paper, Sir, not take the lead in this matter? You might find support in very unexpected quarters.
Orchards, near Godo2naing.
[We have dealt with the question of our attitude towards old-age pensions in our note to "X's" letter below. We can assure Sir William Chance that he will find the Spectator opposed to all 'forms of Socialism, and for this reason. We believe that Socialism must inevitably sap the strength of the nation, not merely on the economic, but on the moral side. We hold that we have already gone too far in the direction of Socialism. Though we have not yet gone over the precipice, we have reached its edge, and no effort will be spared by the Spectator that may help to get the nation back once more into a position of safety.—En. Spectator.]
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