president's address — SECTION GI. 459 



However, old age pensions are accepted as a fixed policy now 

 in many countries. It is premature yet to state whether their cost 

 is not too high, or whether they are wholly a benefit to those for 

 whom they are intended. In the United Kingdom the cost has 

 exceeded anticipations. In September 30th, 1909, 682,768 old age 

 pensions were being dispensed at an annual cost of £6,063,058. In 

 Denmark, for the financial year 1906-7, 70,445 persons were receiving 

 pensions which amounted in the aggregate to £451,000 for the 

 financial year. There, about a quarter of the population over 60 

 years of age are in receipt of pensions. In France, the Old Pensions 

 Law of April 6th, 1910, provides for all wage-earners old-age pen- 

 sions, towards which both employers and workers contribute. The 

 amount of the pension is calculated on the basis of the sum of the 

 contributions paid up to the 65th year of the worker's life. To 

 this the State adds an annuity of 60 francs, and this sum will 

 increase the pension of subscribers for the longest term contem- 

 plated to 414 francs, or about £16 lis. The cost to the nation is 

 expected to be £4,000,000 annually. 



The Commonwealth figures for old age pensions are as follows : 

 Pensions current at 30th June, 1910, numbered 65,492, viz., 31,781 

 for men and 33,711 for women ; at 30th June, 1911, the numbers 

 were: men 34,811, women 40,691, total 75,502. Claims granted 

 during the year 1910-11 numbered 16,465, viz., 10,311 for women 

 and 6,154 for men, but deductions due to deaths (5,671) and can- 

 cellations (784) reduced the net increase for the year in the number 

 of the pensioners to 10,010 persons. 



In a total of 4,455,005 persons at the census date (3rd April, 

 1911) the pensioners represent approximately 17 per cent, of the 

 population. Relating the male pensioners to the male population 

 over age 65, 35 per cent, were in receipt of old age pensions ; of 

 women, only 30 per cent, of those over age 60 were so pensioned. 



In the Statistician's Year Book one finds the heading 

 ' Pauperism " under almost every country, and the percentage of 

 paupers ranges from "52 to 3-6 of the population — or in Spain and 

 Portugal, where, out of sympathy doubtless for the feeling of a large 

 portion of the alert mendicants, no figures are given. In civilised 

 countries^ poverty is decreasing and the standard of comfort is being 

 raised. This is apparent if the condition of the working classes 

 to-day is compared, say, with Plantagenet days, when working 

 classes lived in chimneyless hovels, and had (in Norfolk) but a single 

 garment, when loathsome diseases, such as leprosy, were common, 

 and a third of the population was carried off at once by the " Black 

 Death ; " when local famines were frequent and insurrections were 

 the only voice of the people. Of the increased wealth of England 

 and other industrial countries the largest share has gone in wages, 

 and the remuneration of manual labour, as compared with that of 

 intellectual work, has steadily risen. 



How Many are Unemployed ? — What proportion of the popula" 

 tion suffers directly from unemployment ? 



