"SHOWER OF GOLD''

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 233, 2 November 1929, Page 5

"SHOWER OF GOLD''

United Press Assn.

LABOUR'S NEW PENSION POLICY. Stringent Criticism By Conserva= tives.

Electric Gable Copyright!

LONDON, Oct. 31. Mr Arthur Greenwood, in moving the second reading of the Widows and Orphans Old Age Contributory Pensions Bill in the House of • Commons, said it was merely an instalment of a larger policy. A Cabinet committee was suveyi-ng the complete problem. The present bill would remove several hardships and would provide pensions for altogetber balf a million widows. Mr Chamberlain had attacked the measure because, he said, it would cost £8r, 000.000 per year, hut if they had been asked for £8,000.000 for battleships tlie Conservatives would have giveu it. 4 Mr Neville Chamberlain sajd tbat during the election Mr Henderson had promised pensions to every widow ifi the land and an increase of old-age pensions to £1 though he must have known his promise could not be kept. The Labourites were beginning to tfiink about finance but when tbey came to raise the money they would learn that there was no bottomiess pit about finance. Mr D. W. Gunston said this was not a pensions bill, but was a shower of gold from the State. He did not see why spin«ters should not share in the shower of gold. Sir Kingsley Wood said the bill was a hetrayal of all election pledges given hy the Labour Party. It was a most) uniust measure. Miss Lawrence, summing. up 011 befialf of tlie Government, said no one had any right to expect that this bill would carry out all ihe Labour Party's pledges. It was merely an instalment, hut Tt doubled the numher of widows' pensions. , The bill was read tlie second time without a divosion.