The Committee stage of the Old-Age Pensions Bill has occupied
the House of Commons throughout the week, with the result that the Government have been forced, as we felt sure would be the case, to make concession after concession increasing the burden to be laid on the taxpayer. On Tuesday Lord Castlereagh moved an amendment in favour of a sliding- scale, which led to a discussion in which the Labour Party expressed the strongest possible objection to a sliding-scale such as that foreshadowed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. If a sliding-scale were adopted, it must be a generous one, which would not put persons in receipt of 10e. a week in a less good position than they would have been under the original proposal. Ultimately the Chancellor of the Exchequer stated that the Government would proceed upon the schedule standing in the name of Mr. Goulding. The additional expense entailed would be about 2100,000. The schedule showing the scale which he would propose would appear upon the Order Paper so that Members might consider it. Upon this surrender we predict two things,—first, that in the end graduation will not begin earlier than 10s. a week, and next, that the total cost will not be below half-a-million.
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