H.—lB.

Weekly Rates at which Allowances granted.

Numbers according to Size of Family.

Weekly Incomes of Families.

Cost of Administration. The cost of administration for the year amounted to £71,346, the principal items of expenditure being £34,849 for salaries of officers of the Department, who numbered 194 as at 31st March, 1936; £19,734 and £3,676 paid to the Postal Department for payment of pensions and postage and telegrams respectively; £4,674 for salaries and other expenses of the War Pensions Appeal Board ; and £2,224 for salaries of the War Pensions Board. The percentage of cost of administration to the total pension payments made of £3,883,010 (including £223,346 paid on behalf of other Governments) was 1-83, or 4-4 d. in the pound. LEGISLATION. Civil Pensions. In terms of the provisions of the Finance Act, 1935, legislation was passed to restore, as from the Ist August, 1935, the rates of civil pensions to those obtaining prior to the reductions brought about by the operation of the National Expenditure Adjustment Act, 1932. This affected the various classes of pensions as follows : — Olcl-age Pensions. Section 13 provided for the maximum rate of old-age pensions to be increased from £43 to £45 10s. per annum. The income exemption was increased from £41 to £52, and the limiting amount of income and pension for married couples from £127 to £143 per annum. Section 14 increased the income and pension limit of those South African War veterans in receipt of a pension additional to the old-age pension under the provisions of section 45 of the Pensions Act, 1926, from £84 to £97 10s. per annum. Widows' Pensions. Section 15 repealed the provisions of the National Expenditure Adjustment Act, 1932, whereby widows' pensions were reduced by 10 per cent., and restored same to the full rates formerly payable— that is, £1 weekly to a widow with one child under the age of fifteen years, increased by 10s. weekly for each additional child, with a maximum pension of £4 weekly. The rate of the income exemption was also restored to the previous rate of £78 per annum. Miners' Pensions. Section 16 increased the rate of miners' pensions to that payable prior to the passing of the National Expenditure Adjustment Act, 1932 —that is, 255. weekly to a single or widowed miner, 255. weekly to a married miner, plus 10s. weekly on behalf of his wife, plus 10s. weekly in respect of each child under the age of fifteen years, with a maximum pension of £4 ss. weekly, and 17s. 6d. weekly to the widow of the miner. War Pensions. Under the provisions of the War Pensions Amendment Act, 1935, the definition of a dependant was widened to include the wives and widows of members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force whose marriage took place within seven years of their discharge from the Forces and the children of such marriages, provided that, in the event of the death of the soldier occurring within one year of the date of marriage, the War Pensions Board was satisfied that at the date of marriage the member had a reasonable expectation of surviving for at least one year thereafter. Provision was also made for dependants of members of the New Zealand Motor-boat Patrol to be placed on the same footing as dependants of members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force so far as their qualification for dependency is concerned.

4

Weekly Rate. Is. 2s. 3s. 4s. 5s. 6s. 7s. 8s. 10s. 12s. 13s. 14s. a jl li s | ' Slpl 1 . 1 I Number granted .. 13 997 1 405 3 167 2 92 j 26 19 1 4 ! |

Number of Children , 0 0 a x a n o n • ™ o m 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. o. 7. 8. 9. in Excess of Two. Number of families .. 983 406 186 97 29 22 4 3

Weekly Income. £1 and under. 0ver^^ ld U P 0ver^ nd U P Up Over £3 5 S . ~i Number of families .. 122 752 515 315 26