The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-04-07
England Studying Results
Achieved in Australasia.
NOT REGARDED AS A CHARITY
Australians and New ZeaIanders
Think OLD People Have Right to
sueh Rewards Standard Unit
There Is $3.50 Per WeeE-EngIand
Thinks This Is Too Large.

iSn chancellor OF the t&IHelutI, MI. AZ
qulth. in the House of Commons. speak
ing FOR the government repeated the as
suranee that the cabinet, and especially
the premier, ardently desired to establish
old-age pensions; only they could not tee
where the money was coming from. Tins
prime minister was particularly emphatic
in his first official utterances about it in
condemnation of all contributory or in
quisitoriaI schemes by which pensions
would be conditioned upon certain contri-
buttons through previous years. His great
rival for the favor and support of the
British middle classes, Mr.. Chamberlain,
had from the first harnessed up old-age
pensions into his protection team, gays
"E. II. c." in the Boston Transcript. Ia
consequence the curious turn in party
politics has been witnessed of the free
trade contingent of Mr.. Chamberlain S
jingo following, depIoring the pensions on
the ground that they are Of the very es-
sence Of socialism and socialism Is the
antithesis OF free trade. while the Pro-
tectionist Chamberlaiuites are saying that
the Liberal government, ayowedly free
trade, cannot grant old-age pensions IN
consistency with the principles of Cob
denite finance The best living scientific
authority on humanitarian questions from
the socio-eeonomic point of view, Mr.
Charles Booth, has reaffirmed his esti-
mate OF two years ago that for eadow-
ing half a million old men with pensions
Of about a hundred dollars a year 500.
10000 win be necessary. and he boldly
declares that he knows Of no way IN
which an expenditure OF up to sl0e.0c0101
a year could be so well applied for the
welfare Of the whole people.
Speculate on Asquith's Plans.
of late Mr.. Asqulth's intentions have
been the subject of a good deal Of spe.u-
latiou and inquiries have been posed y
him in and out Of Parliament by trade
unions, befriending societies, and poor-laW
authorities. Nobody yet seems TO have
been able TO discover whether be has Decu
actually at work upon & p,actical project
of legislation or not. Meanwhile the eX-
periences Of the Australian communities
which have established old-age tensions,
New South Wales Victoria. and New
Zealand. are being freshly studied. espe-
cially as these colonies, one and ALL seem
TO be determined 20 90 further in the "a
rection they have started and TO 90 al
once. Their present programme Is "a
have a system OF Oid-age pensions apply
ing 10 the whole commonwealth, making
it Impossible for any deserving person 90
suffer the pangs OF povea Gy owing solely
10 advancing age or inhrmlty. Not con-
tent with what has already been done IN
that line a joint commission was appoint
ed two years ago for all australasia 10
consider the working of the existing pub
lie pensions for the aged, and the report
Of that commission is very timely 1t
appears that New South Wales pension
Is $3.50 a week for a single person and for
married persons S1-S1 week each. Other
resources Go not bar the eligibility TO a
pension, provided the total income does
not exceed $3.50 year, 4 pension may
be claimed at sixty-fiye. and physical un-
fitness justihes an earlier application. In
New Zealand the amount of pension Is
the same. and the conditions are pTac.
tically identical
Victoria Not So Liberal.
Victoria is not quite so liberal, the max
imum pension there is g a week. Ia New
South Wales and New Zealand the pen
SION Is = aAA-In AfDAA4 IeAA ~ gNftAr A4t ia
Victoria once and for ali. In New South
Wales there is a penalty for supplying
an old-age pensioner with drink The
commission concludes that the pensions
have been well bestowed and have ac-
cOmplished their end in making more
comfortable, as they deserve, IN their
declining years persons VINO have become
destitute through no fault OF their own
The most important defect the commits
sion seeks to remedy is that through local
laws some deserving persons may lave
failed TO be able to SNOW the length Of
residence in a particular. colony to enutle
them to the benefits % the pensions, and
it would therefore put the Old-age pen
sion system under the control OF the com
monwealth, so avoidias conflict Of regu-
latiOns of the various States.
The only aim app ears 10 be TO extend
the beneVOlence Of the state. That the
root of the matter is IN the Antipodes IS
shown by the emphasis with which this
commission declares, as a Fundamental
principle, that 'old-Sge pensions should
be granted as q right and not as Il . har-
ity." The main purpose OF the c0mmis-
sion seems to be to persuade tie COM
monwealth to take over the systems OF
the various States, placing ali in chGrE2
of a commissioner responsible To a min
lister of State. with a deputy commission
er for each State.
Total 0atIay $1,000, 200.
The total outlay for the cuInncHH ealth
is estimated at about S7500,000, from
which considerable reduction would be
made by the INDECENT allowances" or
appropriations for paUosrtsIn now given.
The report has been before the Australian
public for some time now, but the com
monwealth parliament has not yet ven
turcd into the realm Of practical iegisla-
ton upon it, although the suggestions
made are clearly in line with the general
tendencies of Australian public opinion
and feeling.
The difference Of attitude between Aus
tralil and Great Britain toward yhis sub
jcct may be measured in the Inci 1ertal
showing ;hat $3.50 "a week is considered
in the commonwealth he standard unit OF
the pension, white IN England no respon-
sihie person has had the courage TO pro-
iuse pcaSiar OF n.u.. ;ndn $l.1l Il week
However, that the thing IS talked of at
an in England, and especially that it is
in the programme of the party in power
IN principle, az least. is sufficiently re-
markable among the signs of the times
Judicial Assumption.
From the Philadelphia Ledger.
DO 1 understand, your honor, that
commission of lunacy is TO pass on
this defendant
Such is the decision of the court"
Then, your honor. l move a second