Hill. — National Pensions. 691 



■example, are to be found in the old men's homes in New 

 Zealand who have been trained as engineers or blacksmiths 

 or teachers or lawyers or ministers of rehgion ? Such trades 

 and professions are in a large measure specialised, and where- 

 ever specialisation comes in so also do better pay and im- 

 proved social surroundings. 



It may not be considered necessary to do anything in the 

 way of helping a whole community at a certain time of life in 

 the face of such facts as have been given as to the position of 

 friendly societies, insurance, building societies, and Post-Office 

 Savings-banks. These aspects of thrift, be it rerriembered, are 

 as much socialistic as individualistic. They are individualistic 

 inasmuch as each individual acts on his own responsibility in 

 taking care of his surplus income on earnings, but they are 

 socialistic because the savings are transferred to the keeping 

 of societies or companies or Governments, as the case may 

 be. By this means it is possible in a great measure to esti- 

 mate the savings of the different classes of workers in the 

 colony, and no doubt a large proportion of the working- 

 classes endeavours to make provision for the future whenever 

 opportunities are favourable. It must be evident, however, 

 that many of those employed in the manufacturing industries 

 of the colony are unable to do more than keep themselves in 

 fair comfort, and put by for a time of need inconsiderable 

 sums. 



The average annual wage of 22,986 males employed in the 

 manufacturing and machine works of the colony in 1896 was 

 £77 OS., or at the rate of £1 9s. 8|-d. weekly for each worker; 

 4,403 females received in wages during the year £131,516, or 

 at the rate of lis. 6d. weekly. The return from which these 

 facts are taken does not give the number of youths included, 

 and whose wages are necessarily much smaller than those paid 

 to adults. The annual report of the Minister of Education, 

 referring to salaries, says, " The average salary paid to the 

 3,426 teachers employed in the public schools was £93 8s. od.," 

 but the return included 1,061 pupil-teachers and 804 juniors, 

 none of whose salaries would probably reach more than £60 

 per annum, whilst many of them would receive £20, or, at 

 the most, £30, per annum. What is specially defective in 

 these returns is the absence of information as to the purchas- 

 able comfort obtainable on the wages received, and the 

 capacity of the workers to provide for old age. No informa- 

 tion is available as to the wages paid to labourers and those 

 subject to irregular employment, but the income is much 

 smaller on the average than the above. In any case, it may 

 be set down as a law that the nearer you get to unspecialised 

 and non-professional forms of labour the nearer you get to 

 poverty and to the condition of life that requires all the 



