110 ASPECTS OF OLD AGE PENSIONS. 



figures to show liow many millions of women there are 

 living on half that sum." Mr. Ptogers goes on to add: — 

 "It is a cruel mockery to talk about thrift to classes like 

 these.'' .... ''The problem of how to treat the deserving 

 poor was the subject of a special committee's report to the 

 Stockton Guardians." .... "Mr. Andrews, in moving the 

 adoption of the report, stated that of the 783 persons in 

 the workhouse over 64 years of age, 370, or 47.88 

 per cent., were deserving poor w^ho ha,d been well-behaved 

 and self-supporting. The cause of 370 persons entering 

 the workhouse was the smallness of the wages they had re- 

 ceived, not drink." 



"Thrift is in the last result of making the best " . . . . 

 "that can be got out of existing circumstances." .... It 

 has often happened that the duties lying nearest to hand 

 have rendered it impossible for the man or woman to make 

 jDrovision for their old age, as they have been the keeping 

 of aged parents for a long period of life. But no theory 

 of thrift could ever excuse a human being for neglecting 

 his or her duties to their family for the sake of providing 

 .... for an old age that he is not sure he will ever live to." 

 .... "It would be a form of human selfishness that would 

 win for its practiser the wholesome contempt of their fel- 

 lows of society." Mr. Rogers concludes with the statement 

 .... that "common-sense indicates that a young man is not 

 likely to refuse to make provision for the mishaps and mis- 

 fortunes of his younger years, because he is likely to get a 

 joension from the State when he is old." 



THE EFFECT OF THE ADOPTION OF OLD AGE 

 PENSIONS ON THE LINES OF NEW ZEALAND 

 IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA. 



There are at present in the Commonwealth of Australia 

 a population (exclusive of aborigines) of 3,984,376 persons, 

 of which it is estimated that 159,375, or 4 per cent., are 

 of the age of 65 and over. By the seven years' experience 

 of New Zealand it may be safely reckoned, under the con- 

 ditions prescribed for old age pensions, that about 55,781 

 persons, or about 35 per cent, of the old age group, 65 and 

 over, would become pensioners. 



This, at the average pension of £17 per pensioner, would 

 represent a cost to tho State of £948,177 per annum, and a 

 tax of 4s. 9d. per head. 



