Hill. — National Pensions. 683 



the zebras, and many wild cattle and antelopes, could not have 

 been for protection, and I think their uniformity proves that 

 the colour in each case was the one that went with a consti- 

 tution proof against their oivn epidemics. 



The same might be said of the men in well-defined 

 countries. Thus it follows that a given constitution might 

 only be the best for its own country while fairly isolated, and 

 that the frequent importation of foreigners may prevent the 

 evolution of the healthiest race. For instance, the introduc- 

 tion of rinderpest to the South African cattle may seriously 

 injure a fine race, as the measles injured the Fijians, and as 

 some of our own ailments injure the Maoris. " Proof consti- 

 tution " seems a clumsy term, but I noticed it used the other 

 day by the Americans ia picking out soldiers to stand the 

 yellow fever. I do not know if they had any shade of colour 

 to guide them, unless it might be what we call sun-browned, 

 with the fact that they had previously escaped the sickness. 



Art. LXXII. — National Pensions — a Proposed Scheme. 

 By H. Hill, B.A., F.G.S. 



l^Read before the Hawke's Bay Philosophical Society, 11th July, 1898.] 



I 

 Although not openly manifested, there are few subjects of 

 more interest to the public generally at the present time than 

 the one which aims to provide pensions to the aged. Not 

 merely in New Zealand, but in most countries possessing 

 representative institutions the same idea has taken possession 

 of many of those who pay attentioia to social growth, and view 

 government as an evolution having in view the coming of the 

 time when the richest shall be poor, and the poorest shall be 

 able to live in abundance, as were those who dwelt in the 

 Acadian land, on the shores of the Basin of Minas, as sung 

 by Longfellow. But social reformers find that an apparent 

 advance in the direction of freedom appears to have its corre- 

 sponding disadvantages in the life-battle of humanity, which 

 means, after all, " the struggle for existence." Man makes 

 himself master of the forces of nature, and just as those 

 forces widen the possibilities of human happiness, so, too, 

 they widen the dangers of man's discomfiture in the great 

 struggle that is in progress. By the utilisation of the forces 

 of nature immense wealth has been accumulated. That 

 wealth, do what we may, is daily and hourly being controlled 



