Hill. — National Pe?tsions. 693 



habits of self-reliance, but to stay the increasing tendency to 

 seek charitable aid at the hands of members of the twenty-one 

 District Boards into which the colony is divided for the pur- 

 poses of doling out relief? 



I have pointed out already that when a dole is given by the 

 State to individuals it is known as a pension, but when given 

 by unions in England or by Charitable Aid Boards in New 

 Zealand it is a relief or a charity ; but to me the man who 

 has passed through life "toiling, rejoicing, and sorrowing," 

 like the village blacksmith, is as worthily entitled to a pension 

 at the instance of the State as is the man who has been em- 

 ployed in the destruction of mankind at the instance of a Go- 

 vernment, or in writing letters for a Minister of State, who 

 draws the pay and then expects the people to pension his over- 

 worked clerk. 



It is clear from what has been already stated that the 

 social conditions of a country are such that, no matter what 

 plan may be adopted, whether the individualistic or commu- 

 nistic, in "government, there must be, and there always will 

 be, differences in the comforts and possessions of the people. 

 As well expect an equality in the production of the soil as 

 expect the same results to obtain among human beings. But, 

 whilst this is recognised, it should just as fully be recognised 

 that an organized society implies a capacity to regulate for the 

 common good. All government is assumed to recognise this, 

 and jointly in its individual and collective capacity is supposed 

 to provide for it. Whatever scheme of social evolution there 

 may be as the years go by, there will be rich and poor just as 

 certain as there will be summer and winter. 



Now, the facts that have been presented show that so 

 soon as people have the opportunity to save in anticipation of 

 a rainy day they do so, and most of the agencies and profit- 

 making schemes of these latter days are the outcome of this 

 growing tendency among men to provide for bad times and 

 sickness and old age. The friendly societies have done good 

 work in their days, and the insurance agencies have likewise 

 been a great power for good in paving the way to a generalised 

 scheme of benefits to communities. 



The principle laid down as regulating the trade guilds has, 

 in a large measure, been followed by every society and associa- 

 tion having in view the case of man's bodily needs, but, un- 

 fortunately, such institutions have been based on the manage- 

 ment of an ordinary joint-stock company, where a man's 

 profits are in proportion to the amount of money he has at 

 stake. Just as the friendly society was the outgrowth of the 

 trade and craft guilds, so insurance is the outgrowth of the 

 friendly society, the commercial system, and the factory 

 system, and now the tendency to generalise yet more is 



