;<■..:*'.■:/ •> 
 
 I 
 
LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 University of California. 
 
 OOCWMENTS 
 Class DEPT. 
 

 OLD-AGE PENSIONS 
 
 ACT, 1908. 
 
 TOGETHER WITH 
 
 THE TEXT OF THE REGDLATIONS MADE THEREUNDER 
 
 Dated i^th October^ 1908, 
 
 AND 
 
 Official Circulars and Instructions for the 
 
 Guidance of Pension Authorities by the 
 
 Local Government Boards 
 
 OF 
 
 ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, AND IRELAND; 
 
 Annotated, and Explained, with Historical Introduction. 
 
 BY 
 
 WII^T^IAM A. CASSON, 
 
 Barrister-at-Laiv^ of the South-Eastern Circuity author of various 
 
 luorks on Local Government , including the Education Act, 1902, 
 
 Model Byelaivs under the Public Health Acts, etc. 
 
 THIRD EDITION. 
 
 ONE SHILLING NET. 
 Strongly bound Cloth Edition, 2/- net. 
 
 UonDon : 
 
 ClIAS. KNIGHT & CO., Ltd., Local Government Publishers, 
 
 227-239, TOOLEY STREET, S.E. 
 
 1908. 
 
Messrs. CHAS. KNIGHT & CO., Ltd., 
 
 HAVE THE FOLLOWING 
 
 BOOKS AND FORMS 
 
 in Stock. For full details and prices see separate list. These Forms 
 will be required in addition to those supplied by the Government. 
 
 Placard setting out the Provisions 
 
 of the Act, 
 
 l.—The Local Pension Committee, 
 
 REGISTER OF ATTENDANCE OF MEMBERS. 
 MINUTE BOOK. 
 ROUGH MINUTE BOOK. 
 
 2.— Business Records, 
 
 RUBBER STAMP for fining in Heading of Official 
 Forms, of the size prescribed by the Regulations. 
 (See Circ. , par. i6. ) 
 
 CASES FOR FILING CLAIMS and all accessory 
 documents for ready reference, printed on face, with 
 spaces for name of Committee and name and number 
 of Claimant. 
 
 ALPHABETICAL INDEX TO REGISTER OF 
 CLAIMS AND QUESTIONS, with Sub-Index 
 for Vowels. (See Regulation 23 (3).) 
 
 ALPHABETICAL INDEX of Pensioners. 
 
 3,— Finance. 
 
 CASH BOOK. PETTY CASH BOOK. 
 
 GENERAL LEDGER. 
 
 London : 
 
 CHAS. KNIGHT & CO., Ltd., 
 
 227-239, TOOLEY STREET, S.E. 
 
av 
 
 ,< 
 
 OLD-AGE PENSIONS 
 
 ACT, 1908. 
 
 TOGETHER WITH 
 
 THE TEXT OF THE REGULATICNS MADE THEREUNDER 
 
 Dated \^th October, 1908, 
 
 AND 
 
 Official Circulars and Instructions for the 
 
 Guidance of Pension Authorities by the 
 
 Local Government Boards 
 
 OF 
 
 ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, AND IRELAND; 
 
 Annotated and Explained, with Historical Introduction. 
 
 BY 
 
 Barrister-at-Law, of the Soiith-Eastern Circuit, autltor of various 
 
 works oil Local Government, includins^ tJie Education Act, 1902, 
 
 Alodel Byelaws tinder the Public Health Acts, etc. 
 
 THIRD EDITION. 
 
 ONE SHILLING NET 
 I \\ Stpong-ly bound Cloth Edition, 2/- net. 
 
 Xon^on : 
 
 CHAS. KNIGHT & CO., Ltd., Local Government Publishers 
 227-239, TOOLEY STREET, S.E. 
 1908. 
 
GENERAi 
 
 V) 
 
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 .0 
 
 £RAL 
 
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c o isr T E isr T s . 
 
 :o: 
 
 Preface to Third Edition 
 
 Preface to Second Edition 
 
 Introduction 
 
 Order of Proceedings . . . 
 
 Old- Age Pensions Act, 1908 
 
 Old- Age Pensions Regulations 
 
 APPENDIX A.— Circulars : 
 
 Local Government Board (England), 4th August, 1908 
 
 4th August, 1908 
 
 2 1st August, 1908 
 
 loth October, 1908 ... 
 
 27th October, 1908 ... 
 
 Local Government Board (Scotland), 22nd August, 1908 ... 
 
 14th October, 1908 ... 
 
 29th October, 190S ... 
 
 Local Government Board (Ireland), 8th August, 1908 
 
 22nd August, 1908 ... 
 
 8th September, 1908... 
 
 8th October, 1908 
 
 APPENDIX B : 
 
 Financial Instructions for Pension Committees and Sub- 
 Committees ... 
 
 APPENDIX C : 
 
 List of Local Authorities in England, Scotland and Ireland 
 by whom Pension Committees will be appointed 
 
 APPENDIX D : 
 
 The Naturalization Acts, 1870, 1872 and 1895 
 
 APPENDIX E : 
 
 I'onn of Register 
 
 APPENDIX F : 
 
 Memorandum for Persons desiring to make Claims 
 
 INDEX 
 
 A 2 
 
 PAGE 
 v 
 
 viii 
 
 ix 
 
 XNX 
 
 77 
 81 
 
 98 
 
 100 
 
 102 
 
 117 
 120 
 128 
 
 '30 
 132 
 
 134 
 
 139 
 
 14.S 
 
 167 
 
 171 
 179 
 
 188062 
 
V 
 
 /FORN^^, 
 
 PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION. 
 
 The second edition having become exhausted, and the 
 Provisional Regulations made by the Treasury in conjunc- 
 tion with the Postmaster-General and with the Local Govern- 
 ment Boards of England, Scotland, and Ireland, having been 
 replaced by the permanent Regulations made on the 15th 
 October, 1908, a third edition of this book was called for. 
 
 As is explained in tlic Circular issued l)y the Local 
 Government Board on 27th October, the new Regulations are 
 for the most ])art identical Avith the Provisional Regula- 
 tions. Apart from a few alterations which arc merely 
 verbal, the following are the points on which the new Regu- 
 lations differ from the Provisional Regulations: — 
 
 No. 19. Words have been added to ])aragraph (2) 
 of this Regulation requiring that a committee on 
 receiving notice of any decision of the Local Govern- 
 ment Board on an appeal Isy a person aggrieved other 
 than the claimant or pensioner, shall send information 
 of such decision to that person as well as to the pension 
 officer and to the claimant or ])ensioner. 
 
 No. 22. This Regulation lias been slight!}- altered 
 with the object of making it clear that the right of a 
 sub-committee to the use of offices of a local authority 
 extends to any such offices in the area of ihe council 
 of the county, borough, or urban district by whom the 
 local pension committee are appointed, and is not con- 
 fined to offices within the area of the sub-committee. 
 
VI 
 
 A proviso has also been added to j^aragraph (3) of 
 the Regulation directing that, except with the sanction 
 of the Local Government Board, a committee or sub- 
 committee shall not hold a meeting on any licensed 
 premises, nor shall any such premises be used without 
 such sanction as an office of the committee or sub-com- 
 mittee, or for any purpose of or incidental to their 
 business. The sanction of the Local Government Board 
 in any such case is only to be given when no other suit- 
 able room is available, either free of charge or at a 
 cost not exceeding the scale fixed by the Treasury. 
 For the purpose of the Regulation, the expression 
 "licensed premises" is defined by paragraph (4) of the 
 Regulation to mean premises licensed for the sale of 
 intoxicating liquor, and to include any club at which 
 such liquor is supplied. 
 
 No. 24. A proviso has been added to paragraph (2) 
 of this Regulation, to enable the Local Government 
 Board, in special circumstances, to authorise a smaller 
 or a greater number of members of a sub-committee 
 than that specified in the Regulation. 
 
 No. 31. Some alteration has been made in para- 
 graph (2) of the Regulation, with respect to the disposal 
 of documents by the pension officers. 
 
 No. 36. Paragraph (1) of this Regulation has been 
 altered to bring it up to date. It requires that every 
 council by whom a local ^Dension committee has not 
 already been appointed shall forthwith hold a meeting 
 for the purpose of appointing such committee. 
 
vu 
 
 No. 38. This Regulation is new. It provides that 
 everything clone in pursuance of the Provisional Regu- 
 lations shall, notwithstanding anything contained in 
 the present Regulations, be deemed to have been 
 validly done, and have full effect accordingly. 
 
 The opportunity has been taken to amend and add to 
 the notes to the various sections with a view of elucidating 
 such points of difficulty as are likely to be raised during 
 the early stages of the application of the Act. 
 
 All important Circulars issued by the Local Government 
 Boards of England, Scotland, and Ireland since the publica- 
 tion of the second edition have been inserted in the present 
 
 edition. 
 
 W. A. C. 
 
 Temple, 
 
 2nd November, 1908. 
 
vm 
 
 PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION. 
 
 The first edition of this little book was hurried through 
 the press at such speed that some mistakes were unavoid- 
 able. The opportunity which the preparation of a second 
 edition has afforded has been taken advantage of to correct 
 any errors, and to add further matter. In view of some 
 opinions which have been eisevvhere expressed as to the mode 
 of calculating the incomes of married persons, a special note 
 has been added to section 4 (2), in whic'i it is pointed out 
 that the total income of a married couple is not to be 
 divided in every case, but is only to be divided for the 
 purpose of providing a technical minimum income for one 
 of the couple. Complete lists have been added to 
 Appendix C, giving the local authorities in Scotland and 
 Ireland by whom local pension committees are to be 
 appointed, as well as those given in the previous edition 
 for England. Additions have been made to Appendix D so 
 that it now comprises the three Naturalization Acts of 1870, 
 1872, and 1895. 
 
 W. A. C. 
 
 Temple, 
 
 15th September, 1908. 
 
IX 
 
 INTROI3XJGTIO^. 
 
 :0: 
 
 It was on Thursday, the 7th May, 1908, that the Right 
 Hon, H. H. Asquith, the Prime Minister, in introducing 
 the Budget, announced the intention of the Government 
 to deal with the question of old-age pensions. This ques- 
 tion has been made the subject of many proposals, but all 
 of them were reported on adversely by Lord Aberdare's 
 Royal Commission on the Aged Poor in 1895. Subsequently 
 to that there were other proposals, and several Bills were 
 introduced into Parliament, and these were considered by 
 various committees in 1899, 1900, and 1903. Mr. Asquith 
 told the House of Commons that whilst these inquiries had 
 been proceeding other countries had been making experi- 
 ments. The German system, which is one of compulsory 
 State-aided assurance, has been in existence since 1889. 
 Under it pensions averaging a little over £6 13s. a year 
 are paid to insured persons of the age of 70 and upwards. 
 The State contribution amounts to less than 40 per cent, 
 of the whole, and it would seem that in 1907 not more than 
 126,000 persons out of a population of over 52 millions were 
 in receipt of old-age pensions. Legislation had been 
 initiated in Denmark in 1891, in New Zealand in 1898, and 
 subsequently in New South Wales and Victoria. These 
 systems, though differing widely in their details, have several 
 important features in common. In the first place, they 
 do not depend for their application either upon voluntary 
 or compulsory contribution on the part of the pensioner. 
 In the next place, they are limited in all cases to persons 
 whose income or property is below a prescribed figure ; 
 and, thirdly, in all cases they impose some test or other 
 varying in stringency and in complexity, of character and 
 desert in regard to such matters, for instance, as past 
 criminality or pauperism. 
 
Mr. Asquith said "We have had to consider this matter 
 very carefully, and the first conclusion at which we arrived was 
 that all so-called contributory schemes must be ruled out. 
 They do not meet the necessities of the case. If the con- 
 tribution which is to be the condition of a pension were left 
 to the option of the would-be pensioner, the assistance of 
 the State might be confined to a comparatively small class, 
 and that not by any means necessarily the most necessitous 
 or the most deserving class. On the other hand, if it 
 were sought to make the contribution compulsory with no 
 practical machinery in this country by which it could be 
 worked, you would certainly have to face the hostility of 
 many other competing bodies like the trade unions, friendly 
 societies, insurance companies, and a host of others." 
 
 Mr. Asquith proceeded to say that "As regards the 
 amount of the pension, it has been generally agreed in this 
 country that 5s. a week, or £1;^ a year, should be the sum. 
 Let me assume that the 7naxi?nu77t of £1^ a year — and I 
 prefer to speak of it as so much a year instead of so much 
 a week — was to be awarded in all cases and to make no 
 allowance, as you must do, for the differential treatment 
 of married couples. The annual cost of providing pensions 
 for the total number of pensionables — and I hope I shall 
 be forgiven for that barbarous word — would work out thus. 
 For persons over 65 the cost w^ould be ;^i2, 180,000 ; and 
 for persons over 70 the cost would be ^7,440,000. To both 
 these figures you must add the cost of administration, esti- 
 mated by the Hamilton Committee at 3 per cent. ; and the 
 experience of New Zealand shows that that is an outside 
 figure. On the other hand, there are certain heads of de- 
 duction which ought to be taken into account in forming 
 the estimate of cost. In the first place, it is reasonable 
 to suppose that, through ignorance, inadvertence, and other 
 causes a substantial proportion of persons legally entitled 
 to pensions would not receive them. In the next place, 
 married couples ought, when living together, to be pen- 
 sioned at a lower rate than single people. The number 
 of husbands and wives so living together over 65 years of 
 age and upwards form about 26 per cent, of the total popu- 
 lation at that age in any year; that is, roughly speaking, 
 
XI 
 
 about a quarter, not more, of the total number of pen- 
 sioners will receive not more than 3s. Qd., instead of 5s. 
 per head, or £(^ 15s., instead of £12, a year. Then, of 
 course, there is another very important consideration. 
 There must clearly be provision for the forfeiture or sus- 
 pension of the pensions if they are shown to have been 
 obtained by fraudulent misstatements, or if the pensioner 
 is subsequently convicted of serious oifences. 
 
 THE MAIN CONSIDERATIONS. 
 
 " Now I will bring these various considerations to a head 
 in a moment. We think, first of all, the financial situation 
 admits of a substantial first step being now taken. We 
 think next that the social and economic conditions of the 
 United Kingdom are so different from those in other 
 countries, like Denmark and New Zealand, which alone 
 afford any relevant experience that has been obtained, that 
 we ought in the first place to proceed with great caution 
 upon lines which may admit of subsequent development ; 
 and we think, further, that the experimental effort which 
 we are about to make should be one of which, as far as it 
 goes, we should from the first be able to foresee — I do not 
 say with precision, but with reasonable accuracy — the 
 ultimate cost, and thus avoid committing Parliament to a 
 mortgage of indefinite amount upon the future resources 
 of the country. The proposals that we make, having regard 
 to these various considerations, are as follows : — First, the 
 income limit, apart from pension, should be fixed at ^26 
 a year, subject to reduction in the case of married couples 
 living together from £"^2 to £2^) per year. I say a year 
 because, as many of these old people are in more or less 
 casual employment, now with a job and now without one, 
 it is very much better to take the whole income for the 
 preceding year than the weekly income from time to time. 
 Secondly, we think that the age limit, having regard to 
 the figures which I quoted to the House a short time ago, 
 at which a pension should accrue should in the first instance, 
 at any rate, and for the purpose of our present proposal, 
 be fixed at 70. Thirdly, there is no substantial difference 
 of opinion, I believe, as to the amount of the pension, which 
 
xu 
 
 should be £12, a year, and in the case of married couples 
 living together £g 15s. per head. Fourthly, we think that 
 stringent conditions should be provided — and by stringent 
 I mean effective— for forfeiture or suspension, following 
 in the main those which prevail in New Zealand." 
 
 The Bill was introduced shortly after the Budget Speech, 
 and reached its Second Reading stage on the 15th June, 
 1908. On moving that the Bill be read a second time, the 
 Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr. Lloyd George) explained 
 the principles on which the Government had proceeded in 
 framing the measure, and his speech contains practically 
 all the arguments for and against the various schemes that 
 have been propounded, including that which is embodied 
 in the Bill. The Chancellor of the Exchequer said that 
 a contributory scheme was impossible in this country, 
 because it would practically exclude women from its benefits, 
 and because "the majority of working men are unable to 
 deflect from their weekly earnings a sufficient sum of money to 
 make adequate provision for old age, in addition to that 
 which they are now making for sickness, infirmity, and 
 unemployment." In this speech the Chancellor of the 
 Exchequer foreshadowed the changes which ultimately were 
 made in the Bill by the introduction of a sliding scale, and 
 he stated that the Government would not oft'er any strenuous 
 resistance to the amendment of the Bill in that direction, 
 and that he was quite prepared to give due weight to the 
 considerations in favour of such a scale. (Parliamentary 
 Debates, Vol. CXC, p. 569.) 
 
 In the Committee Stage of the Bill amendments were 
 subsequently made by which the sliding scale set forth 
 in the Schedule to the Act was adopted. (Parliamentary 
 Debates, Vol. CXC, p. 1587.) 
 
 The Bill rapidly passed through all its stages in both 
 Houses of Parliament, and received the Royal Assent on 
 ist August, 1908. 
 
 With regard to the various schemes for the provision of 
 old-age pensions, a memorandum which has been prepared 
 
Ml! 
 
 by the Local Government Board was issued as a Parlia- 
 mentary Paper in July, 1907. [Cd. 3618.] 
 
 This memorandum contains, firstly, a short account of 
 the proposals which have from time to time been considered 
 by the Royal Commission on the Aged Poor and by Par- 
 liamentary and other Committees with the object of pro- 
 viding pensions for aged persons ; secondly, a statement of 
 the effect of the scheme for this purpose put forward by 
 one of these Committees (Mr. Chaplin's) in 1899, and of 
 the examination of the financial aspects of this scheme by 
 the Departmental Committee of 1 899-1900; thirdly, an 
 estimate of the cost of providing pensions under certain 
 schemes ; fourthly, an estimate of the possibilities of a re- 
 duction in Poor Law expenditure under a scheme of old-age 
 pensions ; and, finally, some notes of the existing informa- 
 tion as to the classes of persons at present in receipt of pen- 
 sions or superannuation allowances from various sources. 
 
 In this memorandum, from which much of the following 
 matter is taken, it is stated that although various pension 
 schemes for the aged poor in this country have been pro- 
 pounded and considered between 1893 and 1903 — some of 
 a universal kind, some on a basis of insurance (with or 
 without an element of compulsion), and others involving 
 special conditions, limiting the number of possible pen- 
 sioners — there is, as yet, no scheme which has, after con- 
 sideration by a Parliamentary Committee, taken so definite 
 a shape and reached so authoritative a position as that 
 favoured by the Select Committee of 1899 (Mr. Chaplin's), 
 and virtually adopted, with modifications, by the Select 
 Committee of 1903. 
 
 It is, therefore, of moment to refer to the question of 
 the numbers which might now be pensionable under that 
 scheme, having regard to the investigations made by the 
 Departmental Committee of 1899-1900. Further, the oppor- 
 tunity is taken of making some observations on points 
 affecting the matter, such as the number and growth of the 
 aged population. 
 
XIV 
 
 The main task of the Departmental Committee of 1899- 
 1900 was to arrive at an estimate of the cost which the 
 scheme of the Chaplin Committee, if put into operation, 
 would involve. For this purpose the Departmental Com- 
 mittee took the means set out in their report to arrive, first, 
 at estimates of the total number of the aged (various age- 
 periods and dates being dealt with), and, secondly, at the 
 numbers who would be disqualified from a pension, on the 
 various grounds specified in the scheme. The residue of 
 the aged population would represent the possible pensioners. 
 
 Applying the estimates of the Departmental Committee 
 of 1 899-1900 to the present time, it has been calculated 
 that in the United Kingdom, out of a total population of 
 the age of 65 years and upwards probably numbering some 
 2,116,000 in 1907, there would be about 686,000 persons 
 qualified for a pension, leaving about 1,430,000 persons of 
 pensionable age who would be disqualified on one or other 
 of the grounds specified in the scheme of j\Ir. Chaplin's 
 Committee. 
 
 As regards population, tables show the number of persons 
 of 65 years and upwards as enumerated at the census of 1901, 
 and as estimated for the middle of 1907 In the enumerated 
 population of the United Kingdom (1901) the number of 
 persons 65 years of age and upwartis was 2,018,716, or about 
 5 per cent, of the total population of all ages. The popu- 
 lation at later ages decreases rapidly; the number of persons 
 70 years and upwards being but little more than one-half the 
 number over 65, viz., 1,205,000, while it was less than a 
 third at 75, viz., 600,000. Women were in excess of men, 
 their number being in the proportion of 1.27 to one man 
 for the population aged 65 years and upwards, and in the pro- 
 portion of 1.37 to one man at the age of 75 years and upwards. 
 Nearly one-third of the whole number of persons aged 65 
 years and upwards in England and Wales in 1901 were living 
 in rural districts, the number of aged persons in rural districts 
 being a larger factor in the general population of those 
 districts than is the case in urban districts. 
 
XV 
 
 AGE LIMIT. 
 
 As to age limit, it may be noted that this has been set 
 at 65 years by most of the Bills promoted in regard to pension 
 schemes and by each of the Committees which have con- 
 sidered the subject. The same age limit is fixed by the 
 statutes governing the grant of State pensions in New 
 Zealand. Lord Rothschild's Committee, indeed, remarked 
 in their report that they felt that once a scheme of old-age 
 pensions had become operative, the limit of 65 might be 
 hard to maintain. It will be obvious that any reduction 
 of the age limit would bring a largely increased number 
 of persons on the pension list. 
 
 A suggestion was made by the Select Committee on the 
 Aged Pensioners Bill, 1903, to the effect that if a pension 
 scheme with an age limit of 65 were not feasible, on account 
 of the cost of such a scheme, it would be possible at the 
 outset to raise the limit. Calculations with the object of 
 ascertaining the number qualified for pensions at later ages 
 under the proposals of Mr. Chaplin's Committee were made 
 by the Departmental Committee of 1899, and these calcu- 
 lations have been revised for the present year. It is 
 estimated that, at the present time, of the whole number 
 of 2,116,000 persons aged 65 years and upwards, 1,254,000 
 are 70 years and upwards, and 635,000 aged 75 years and 
 upwards. If the age limit were raised from 65 to 70 the 
 estimated number of possible pensioners would be reduced 
 by nearly 44 per cent., viz., to 387,000, and if raised to 
 75 the number would be reduced by about 72 per cent., 
 viz., to 190,000. 
 
 INCOME TEST, 
 
 In the case of income, the estimate was obtained by the 
 only means practicable for the Committee, i.e., a test census 
 carried out by means of a house-to-house visitation of certain 
 districts in England and Wales, and Scotland, selected as 
 approximately representative of the general population. 
 
 The statement of income given by the person visited was 
 necessarily accepted, though the Committee remarked on 
 the liability to understatement of income as affecting both 
 
XV 
 
 their own estimate and the practical working of any similar 
 investigation under a pension scheme of the kind con- 
 sidered. If it may be assumed that some material under- 
 statement of income occurred in this census, but that facts 
 as to income could be more correctly ascertained under 
 a pension schenae in operation, there should be some re- 
 duction on this account in the estimate of the numbers 
 pensionable. The facts would obviously be difficult to 
 ascertain in the case of earnings derived from casual 
 labour, which would necessarily constitute a large propor- 
 tion of the work performed by aged persons. 
 
 Women, whose numbers amounted to nearly 56 per cent, 
 of the aggregate number of persons visited in the English 
 districts selected, were treated as independent persons in 
 respect of income, but the numbers who were married were 
 separately tabulated. Out of 3,282 women aged 65 and 
 upAvards who were found to have incomes of los. a week 
 or less and not to be in receipt of poor relief, 1,213, or 
 37 per cent., were returned as married. Many of these 
 would possibly be wives of men who had incomes of more 
 than los. a week. In this connection it must be noticed 
 that the Aged Pensioners Bill, 1903, provided that to qualify 
 for a pension, in the case of a married couple, the joint 
 income of a husband and wife must not be in excess of 
 15s. a week, and there can be little doubt that had the 
 census taken by the Committee of 1899 been framed on 
 this basis, the results would have shown a considerably 
 higher number as disqualified for pensions. The census 
 of 1901 (England and Wales) showed that out of the whole 
 number of 1,518,000 persons aged 65 and upwards, 398,686, 
 or 26 per cent. (199,343 couples, both husband and wife 
 in each case being over 65 years of age), were returned as 
 married couples living together. It may be noticed that 
 under the New Zealand scheme there were, in 1905, 1,035 
 married couples (2,070 persons) out of an aggregate of 
 11,138 pensioners 65 years of age and over, or 19 per cent, 
 of the latter number. The position of women generally 
 as regards the income test and the pension allowance would 
 probably deserve separate attention if any scheme of pen- 
 sions were put in operation. 
 
XVll 
 
 It is not clear how far or in what manner the Committee 
 considered^ under the head of income, benefits distinct from 
 cash receipts, though in taking their census they en- 
 deavoured to obtain information on the subject. The value 
 of a cottage in the free occupation of an applicant, whether 
 belonging to him or not, should under a pension scheme 
 imposing a limit of income doubtless be taken into account. 
 The value of property, as well as income, possessed by 
 an applicant is required to be considered under the Danish 
 and New Zealand systems of old-age pensions. 
 
 A suggestion was made by the Committee on the Aged 
 Pensioners Bill, 1903, that if the scheme embodied in that 
 Bill were not immediately practicable on account of the 
 cost involved, it would be possible in the first instance to 
 reduce the amount of weekly income, the possession of which 
 should disqualify for a pension. The results, as regards 
 England and Wales, of the test census, undertaken by the 
 Departmental Committee of 1899, show that a large number 
 of persons were returned as having incomes verging on the 
 limit of los. a week, and that, had the income limit been 
 fixed at 7s. 6d. a week instead of los., the effect would 
 have been to exclude about 45 per cent, of the aged popu- 
 lation from the receipt of pensions, instead of y] per cent., 
 as estimated by the Committee. 
 
 POOR LAW RELIEF TEST. 
 
 The Departmental Committee estimated that nearly 26 per 
 cent, of the population 65 years of age and upwards in the 
 United Kingdom, and 27 per cent, in England and Wales, 
 might be taken as having at some time in the previous 20 
 years received poor relief, other than medical relief. The 
 estimate was based partly on the results of the test census 
 above referred to, and partly on returns relating to the 
 number of persons relieved in the course of a whole year. 
 No attempt was made to distinguish the number of persons 
 who might have had relief under exceptional circumstances. 
 This class was, under the proposals of Mr. Chaplin's Com- 
 mittee, exempted from the disqualification attaching to the 
 receipt of poor relief, but the report of that Committee 
 
will 
 
 contained no definite suggestions as to the "circumstances" 
 whicli, for this purpose, might be regarded as "excep- 
 tional." The Select Committee on the Aged Pensioners 
 Bill, 1903, recommended that a definition of the expression 
 should be inserted in the Bill, though they did not state 
 what it should be. Such a definition might be difficult 
 to frame ; but it is clear that, if one were put in operation, 
 It might lead to a distinct increase in the numbers pension- 
 able. 
 
 The suggestion made by the Committee on the Aged 
 Pensioners Bill, 1903, that persons qualified by age for 
 the receipt of pensions who were in receipt of Poor Law 
 relief at the rime of the passing of the Act, but who had 
 not received any such relief for 20 years before reaching 
 the age of 65, should be exempted from disqualification, 
 would also reduce, perhaps considerably, the number of 
 persons estimated by the Departmental Committee to be 
 disqualified by the receipt of relief. 
 
 THRIFT TEST. 
 
 The estimate of the number of aged persons who would 
 fail to satisfy the pension authority that they had exercised 
 thrift was also entirely hypothetical. The Departmental 
 Committee considered that "when all persons who have been 
 or are, partly or wholly, constantly or casually dependent 
 on the rates, are rejected as ineligible for pensions, very 
 nearly full account will have been taken of those who would 
 fail " in one way or another to secure this qualification. 
 
 In regard to these estimates, generally, it is obvious that, 
 under a scheme involving elaborate investigation into the 
 character and past history of applicants, any calculation 
 of the number of persons who might at the outset have to 
 be provided for would be liable to be gravely affected by 
 the degree of accuracy in its inquiries that the pension 
 authority was able to secure. 
 
MX 
 
 ESTIMATES OF COST OF SCHEMES. 
 
 In estimating the cost of schemes for the provision of old- 
 age pensions regard must be had not only to the immediate 
 cost, but also to the expenditure which will probably be 
 involved at a more remote date, subsequent to the inception 
 of the scheme. 
 
 UNIVERSAL OLD-AGE PENSIONS. 
 
 The total number of persons aged 65 and upwards in 
 1907 being estimated at 2,116,000, the cost of granting a 
 pension of 5s. a week to all persons of this age without 
 distinction, would, at the outset, amount for the United 
 Kingdom to ^£27, 508,000, apart from the cost of adminis- 
 tration. This amount would be equivalent to a poll-tax of 
 about I2S. 6d. per head on the total estimated population 
 (1907) of the United Kingdom. The cost of pensions 
 granted universally to persons of 70 years and upwards 
 would amount to £16,302,000, the estimated numbers at 
 that age being 1,254,000. 
 
 The cost at a later date, after the scheme had become 
 operative, would be affected only by the natural growth of 
 the aged section of the population, and in 1921 might be 
 estimated at _£3o,632,ooo for all persons 65 years of age and 
 upwards. 
 
 SCHEME OF MR. CHAPLIN'S COMMITTEE. 
 
 The immediate cost of the scheme framed by Mr- 
 Chaplin's Committee of 1899, on the estimates arrived at 
 by the Departmental Committee of the same year, would 
 be for 1907, assuming the age limit to be 65 years, 
 ;^8,o29,ooo for England and Wales, and ;i^ 10,780,000 for the 
 United Kingdom. Raising the age limit to 70 years, the 
 cost works out at £4,444,000 for England and Wales, and 
 £6,119,000 for the United Kingdom. If the limit were 
 fixed at 75 years the cost would be about £2,223,000 for 
 England and Wales, and £3,033,000 for the United 
 Kingdom. 
 
 h 2 
 
XX 
 
 AMOUNT PAYABLE IN PENSIONS. 
 
 The estimates in the preceding paragraph comprise both 
 the amount to be given in pensions on the basis of the 
 numbers assumed to be pensionable and the cost of ad- 
 ministration, which, in the case of the scheme applicable 
 to persons 65 and upwards, is taken at 3 per cent, on the 
 amount of the pensions given. 
 
 In regard to the amount of actual pensions, which for 
 1907 is calculated at ;£ 10,466,000 on an age limit of 65 
 years, the Departmental Committee assumed an average pay- 
 ment of 6s. a week (;^i5 12s. a year), on the ground that 
 the pension was to range between 5s. and 7s. a week. This 
 margin was allowed by Mr. Chaplin's Committee to meet 
 differences in the cost of living in various localities, and 
 the pension scale in any given district was to be fixed by 
 the pension authority. A fixed amount of 5s. a week (£13 
 a year) has been assumed in a very large proportion of 
 the schemes and of Bills introduced in Parliament, and has 
 been recommended by resolutions of trade and friendly 
 organisations. Had this smaller fixed amount been assumed 
 in the calculations of the Departmental Committee, the 
 amount which would, on their estimate of the numbers 
 pensionable, have to be distributed by way of pensions in 
 1907 would be for the United Kingdom ^8,924,000. It 
 should, however, be noticed that the Committee on the Aged 
 Pensioners Bill, 1903, were disposed to depart from the 
 fixed scale of pensions, and recommended that it might be 
 well to intrust the pension authority with a discretion as 
 to amount, so that the pension awarded may not be so 
 reduced as to deprive applicants of the fruits of their own 
 thrift. The Committee did not, however, suggest that the 
 amount of pension should be proportionate to the needs, 
 or means, of the applicants. 
 
 The aggregate amount to be distributed in pensions 
 would be slightly reduced if a lower rate of pension were 
 
XXI 
 
 accorded to married couples as suggested in the evidence 
 taken before the Committee on the Aged Pensioners Bill, 
 1903. The number of husbands and wives, 65 years of age 
 or upwards, residing together, as ascertained for England 
 and Wales in 1901, formed 26 per cent, of the total popu- 
 lation of 65 and over ; and if the same percentage be 
 assumed to apply to the whole number of persons estimated 
 to be qualified for pensions in 1907 (viz., 686,000), and a 
 reduced allowance of 9s. a week instead of 12s. be assumed 
 for each married couple, the aggregate amount to be dis- 
 tributed in pensions in 1907 to persons 65 years and upwards 
 would be reduced by over ;^695,ooo. 
 
 The amount to be given in pensions would again be 
 reduced by the extent to w-hich the number of persons having 
 incomes above the income limit w^ere found in practice to 
 be actually higher than the estimate formed by the Depart- 
 mental Committee. The estimated cost, however, was cal- 
 culated so as not to give an unduly magnified idea of the 
 cost of the scheme. 
 
 The above estimates relate only to tue immediate cost 
 of a pension scheme. Any estimate of the cost of this 
 scheme some years after its introduction must be quite 
 hypothetical. The Departmental Committee, in their esti- 
 mate, went on the view that a progressive decrease in the 
 number receiving Poor Law relief would be the only factor 
 — beside the normal increase of the aged population — that 
 need be taken into account as tending to increase the 
 number pensionable, and the gross amount of the pensions, 
 and on this supposition the total cost in 192 1 would amount 
 to ;^i4,878,ooo, on a scheme inaugurated in 1907 at a cost 
 of £10,780,000. 
 
 SOURCES FROM WHICH COST SHOULD BE DEFRAYED. 
 
 As to the sources from which the cost of any pension 
 scheme should be defrayed, it may be pointed out that sub- 
 
XXll 
 
 vention by the State is assumed in all the schemes con- 
 sidered. Mr. Chaplin's Committee proposed an Imperial 
 grant, to be distributed among the several Poor Law unions, 
 the amount of which was not to exceed one-half of the 
 estimated cost of pensions. But the grant was to be dis- 
 tributed on the basis of population; so that the burden 
 on the rates in the case of any given union would bear 
 no necessary relation to the cost of pensions in that case. 
 
 Both the scheme to which least objection was taken by 
 Lord Rothschild's Committee, and the scheme embodied in 
 the Aged Pensioners Bill, 1903, contemplated that about 
 half the cost of each pension should fall on the local rates. 
 
 In connection with the arrangements for a grant from 
 Imperial sources, it would be necessary to bear in mind 
 the observation of the Committee on the Aged Pensioners 
 Bill, 1903, to the effect that any "temptation to relieve the 
 rates by the grant of pensions instead of Poor Law relief 
 might lead to grave abuses." The extent of any induce- 
 ment offered to the pension authority to exercise care in 
 the grant of pensions would be a matter of importance, and 
 might seriously affect the general cost of the scheme. 
 
 The probable incidence of the charge upon rates as 
 between urban and rural areas under a scheme of old-age 
 pensions deserves attention. Taking a scheme of old-age 
 pensions based on proposals under which 30.9 per cent.. of the 
 population aged 65 years and upwards in England and Wales 
 would be pensionable, and assuming one-half the cost of 
 the pensions to be met by a grant from Imperial sources, 
 the following table shows approximately the comparative 
 incidence on the rates in urban and rural areas in England 
 and Wales of the half cost assumed to be directly charged 
 to rates. The cost of administration is not included, nor 
 does the table deal with the ultimate effect on rates, of 
 
XXI !1 
 
 any possible distribution of an Imperial grant on the basis 
 of population : — 
 
 
 Numbers of 
 
 65 years an 
 
 in I 
 
 persons aged 
 d upwards 
 907. 
 
 Estimated cost of 
 pensions. 
 
 Rate in 
 the jC, 
 
 of 
 amount 
 
 in 
 
 column 
 
 5, on 
 
 (0 
 
 Estimated 
 
 total 
 numbers. 
 
 (2) 
 
 Numbers 
 assumed 
 to be pen- 
 sionable. 
 
 (3) 
 
 Amount, 
 t 
 (4 
 
 One-half to 
 be borne by 
 local rates. 
 
 (5) 
 
 aggre- 
 gate 
 
 assess- 
 able 
 
 values 
 
 (1906) 
 (6) 
 
 London and 
 p r o V i n c i :i I 
 boroughs and 
 other urban 
 districts. 
 
 Rural districts - 
 
 1,083,000 
 533.000 
 
 335.000 
 
 165,000 
 500,000 
 
 5,650,000 
 2,145,000 
 
 £ 
 2,825,000 
 
 1,072,000 
 
 d. 
 
 4-5 
 
 5'9 
 
 Total 
 
 1,616,000 
 
 7,795,000 
 
 3,897,000 4-8 
 
 * Based on the assumption that the proportions of the total population aged 65 years 
 and upwards living in urban and rural districts are the same in 1907 as in 1901, viz., 
 67 per cent, and 33 per cent, respectivelj-. 
 
 t Calculated on a pension of 5s. per week for rural districts (Cp. par. 95, Cd. 
 Paper 67, 1900), the amount shown for urban districts being the difference between 
 the amount for rural districts calculated on this basis and the total sum of ;^7, 795,000 
 estimated to be the total cost for England and Wales. 
 
 POOR LAW EXPENDITURE: POSSIBILITIES OF 
 REDUCTION UNDER A SYSTEM OF OLD-AGE 
 PENSIONS. 
 
 Some reduction in the expenditure on Poor Law relief 
 ha'-- usually been assumed, whether as an immediate, or a 
 more remote, result of schemes of old-age pensions. 
 
 INDOOR RELIEF. 
 
 There appears to be a general agreement in the reports 
 of the various Committees, who have considered the ques- 
 tion of old-age pensions, that the cost of indoor relief would 
 
XXIV 
 
 be practically unaffected by the operation of a pension 
 scheme. The Royal Commission on the Aged Poor observed 
 that "except in crowded urban areas the great majority of 
 aged poor in receipt of relief are given outdoor relief, while 
 those receiving indoor relief are usually persons for whom 
 it is necessary for substantial reasons." Mr, Chaplin's 
 Committee reported that "■ the evidence is clear that the 
 majority of the inmates of the House are in that position 
 because of sickness or infirmity, which obliges them to 
 accept the shelter of such an institution." From a return 
 obtained as to aged paupers in England and Wales on the 
 I St September, 1903, it appeared that out of nearly 96,000 
 inmates of workhouse institutions over 60 years of age, about 
 61 per cent, were, in the opinion of the medical officers, 
 unable, owing to physical or mental infirmity, to satis- 
 factorily take care of themselves. Finally, inquiries insti- 
 tuted for the Committee on the Aged Pensioners Bill, 1903, 
 in 21 Poor Law unions in England and Wales showed that 
 (apart from those who, in the opinion of the workhouse 
 medical officers, could not satisfactorily take care of them 
 selves) only 14 per cent, of the total number of inmates 
 over 65 years of age could live on a pension outside the 
 workhouse with relatives having suitable accommodation for 
 them, and only 10 per cent, were willing to do so. This 
 Committee reported that " the reduction on Poor Faw ex- 
 penditure will be considerably less than has often been repre- 
 sented, inasmuch as the proportion of the aged poor who 
 are now, or may in future be, in the workhouses, who could 
 with advantage to themselves live outside with the aid of 
 a pension will probably be found to be very small." 
 
 If of the present number of inmates aged 65 years and 
 upwards of workhouse institutions in England and Whales 
 (about 76,000) 10 per cent., or about 7,600, were assumed 
 to leave the workhouse on satisfactory terms, the result 
 would be that the workhouse population per union would 
 be reduced on an average by only 12 persons, or there- 
 abouts, the total average number per union of indoor 
 paupers (all ages) in workhouses and workhouse infirmaries 
 at the present time being about 359. The withdrawal of 
 this small number of persons would leave the expenditure 
 
XXV 
 
 on indoor relief, except in respect of actual food and 
 clothing, practically unaffected. 
 
 It may be noticed also that the proposals of Mr. Chaplin's 
 Committee which, according to their report, "must neces- 
 sarily include substantial amendments in the Poor Law," 
 comprised suggestions for the provision of separate cottages 
 in connection with the workhouse for the aged poor, and 
 it will be obvious that the provision of special accommo- 
 dation of this character would tend to increase the total 
 expenditure on indoor relief. 
 
 OUTDOOR RELIEF. 
 
 It may be assumed, therefore, that the only appreciable 
 saving in Poor Law expenditure would be in that portion 
 which relates to outdoor relief. Out of an aggregate ex- 
 penditure for England and Wales on poor relief for the 
 year 1904-5 amounting to about ;^i3,852,ooo, ^^3, 265, 000 
 represented the value of the outdoor relief distributed, and 
 ^^532,000 the salaries of officers and minor incidental ex- 
 penses connected with the administration of outdoor relief. 
 If the average amount of out-relief given to aged persons 
 in England and Wales may be taken to be about 3s. a week 
 (as mentioned in the report of the Departmental Com- 
 mittee of 1 899-1900), and if the same average number of 
 outdoor paupers aged 65 years and upwards be assumed 
 to have been in receipt of relief in England and Wales in 
 the year 1904-5 as were shown by the return of aged persons 
 in receipt of relief on the ist September, 1903, it would 
 appear that in 1904-5 about ;£i,630,ooo, or 50 per cent, of 
 the total out-relief, was distributed to poor persons aged 
 65 years and upwards. 
 
 The total amount distributed in out-relief in the United 
 Kingdom in 1904-5 was about ;£4,o 14,000, but there is no 
 means of stating precisely the proportion of this amount 
 which was distributed to aged poor. The Departmental 
 Committee of 1899 computed that about ;^i,858,ooo repre- 
 sented the annual cost of outdoor relief to paupers 65 years 
 of age and over in the United Kingdom, 
 
XXVI 
 
 The proposals of yir. Chaplin's Committee, with the 
 modification suggested by the Committee on the Aged 
 Pensioners Bill, 1903, would have excluded from pensions 
 all who were in receipt of outdoor relief, other than merely 
 medical relief, at the time of the passing of the Act, except 
 those who had not received relief between the ages of 45 
 and 65. Under this scheme probably there would be little 
 or no immediate saving in the Poor Law expenditure. Any 
 reduction of outdoor relief after the passing of the Act 
 would be effected only by the inducement offered under the 
 scheme to poor persons to avoid Poor Law relief in the 20 
 years prior to their reaching 65 years of age, and by the 
 diversion of existing charities with the object of assisting 
 persons to this end. A similar process is stated to have 
 occurred in Denmark under the pension system there in 
 operation. The Departmental Committee of 1899 estimated 
 that the number of persons who would become qualified for 
 pensions in place of receiving outdoor relief would, by 191 1, 
 be a number equivalent to one-third of the computed 
 numbers of aged outdoor paupers in 1899 {i.e., about 85,000 
 persons), and by the year 1921 a number equivalent to two- 
 thirds {i.e., 171,000 persons), and that thus a reduction in 
 the cost of out-relief would be effected, amounting for the 
 United Kingdom to ^619,000 in 191 1, and ;^i,239,ooo in 
 1 92 1. Their data, however, were admitted by them to be 
 purely hypothetical. 
 
 Under schemes of a wider scope than that proposed by 
 Mr. Chaplin's Committee, and embodied in several Bills 
 that have been submitted to Parliament — see, for instance, 
 the Old-Age Pensions Bill, 1903 — no disqualification has 
 been attached to the receipt of Poor Law relief. The saving 
 in regard to expenditure on out-relief as such would, of 
 course, under such schemes, be immediate and more con- 
 siderable than that estimated above. Thus, taking the cost 
 of relief given to aged outdoor poor in the United Kingdom 
 to be about ;i/!^ 1,858, 000, as computed by the Departmental 
 Committee of 1899-1900, it might be assumed that this 
 amount would, under such a scheme, be saved so far as 
 Poor Law expenditure was concerned. The saving in the 
 cost of relief effected under a scheme of this character would 
 
XXVll 
 
 not, of course, become progressively greater by process of 
 time, and the immediate cost of the pensions granted would 
 be greater than the saving in relief effected. 
 
 In regard to any possible saving in the cost of outdoor 
 relief caused by a scheme of old-age pensions, it must be 
 observed that some part of the cost of this relief consists 
 of medical relief, which is more particularly necessary in 
 the case of the aged, and it is unlikely that the cost to the 
 Poor Law of medical relief would be diminished. Under 
 the proposals of Mr. Chaplin's Committee, and those ap- 
 proved by the Committee on the Aged Pensioners Bill, 1903, 
 Poor Law medical relief might continue to be given without 
 involving any discjualification for a pension. 
 
 Finally, in any saving of Poor Law expenditure, urban 
 and rural unions would be somewhat differently affected. 
 The number of paupers 65 years of age and upv/ards, in 
 proportion to the total population of the same age, varies 
 greatly in different parts of the country, and the number 
 is usually higher in rural than in urban areas. Thus, in 
 50 urban unions in England the number of paupers of this 
 age on ist September, 1903, who were in receipt of relief 
 was 18 per cent, of the total population of the same age, 
 while in 50 rural unions the proportion for the same class 
 was 21 per cent. Assuming the same proportion of aged 
 paupers to become pensionable in urban as in rural districts 
 (either at the outset, or at a more remote date, according 
 to the provisions of the scheme adopted), any saving, so 
 far as Poor Law expenditure is concerned, might be ex- 
 pected to be greater in the case of agricultural districts 
 than in that of towns ; though, against this, as already 
 pointed out, there might be a heavier charge for pensions 
 in rural districts. 
 
 The foregoing particulars are mostly taken from the 
 Parliamentary Paper No. 3618 (1907), and there is much 
 additional information in that Paper in the form of tables 
 which may usefully be consulted. In particular, there are 
 the tables relating to a test census in regard to the incomes 
 of persons 65 years of age and upwards, which was insti- 
 
xxvm 
 
 tuted by the Departmental Committee on the Aged De- 
 serving Poor in 1899. 
 
 The Old-Age Pensions Regulations were signed on the 
 same date, namely, the 20th August, 1908, by the Lords 
 Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury and by the Post- 
 master-General, and they were sealed by the Local Govern- 
 ment Boards of England, Scotland, and Ireland also on that 
 date. They are, therefore, now in force throughout the 
 whole of the United Kingdom. 
 
 In conclusion, it may be well to point out the effect of 
 the Financial Instructions for Pension Committees and Sub- 
 Committees contained in the Treasurj^ Minute of 20th 
 August, 1908. Clerks to committees will be paid by fees, 
 which are to be fixed by the pension committee, and are 
 to be inclusive of out-of-pocket expenses. The fees are of 
 two kinds — (i) those for general incidental expenses, in- 
 cluding office accommodation, and (2) for claims and ques- 
 tions dealt with by the committees. Clerks will use official 
 forms which will be supplied free of charge, and 
 will be entitled to free transmission through the 
 post for the greater part of their correspondence. 
 The fees payable to clerks for incidental expenses 
 are intended to cover stationery, postages, and inci- 
 dental expenses generally. It is well to bear in mind 
 that although during the month of September there will 
 be much preliminary w^ork in organising committees and 
 sub-committees, and in making preparations for the con- 
 sideration of claims, no fee will be payable in respect of 
 any period prior to the ist October. Committees must 
 transmit to the Treasury, through the clerk of the appointing 
 council, complete schedules of the fees approved for each 
 clerk, and whenever any alteration is made in a schedule 
 of fees the whole schedule, as altered, and not merely the 
 particular alteration, must be sent to the Treasury. No 
 travelling expenses of any kind will be chargeable by 
 members of committees, and no expenses will be allowed 
 to any claimant for attending before a committee, or for 
 supplying any information to a committee, or otherwise. 
 It should be noted that the Treasurv will not consider any 
 
XXIX 
 
 correspondence except through the clerk of the appointing 
 council. It is probable that some expenses will be incurred 
 by committees which will require the special sanction of 
 the Treasury. In such cases the application for sanction 
 on the part of the committee must be made to the Treasury 
 by the clerk of the appointing council, who must himself 
 recommend what he thinks should be done in the matter. 
 The clerks to the appointing councils are required to submit 
 the claims for reimbursement of the expenses, or for sanc- 
 tion to expenditure out of moneys advanced by the Treasury, 
 of the pension committees and sub-committees in their areas 
 within one month after the end of each quarter. 
 
 It will thus be seen that clerks to appointing councils 
 will have many duties imposed upon them by the new Act, 
 for which they will not in any way be remunerated out of 
 public moneys. 
 
 The Act and the Regulations apply alike to the whole 
 of the United Kingdom, and the modifications necessary 
 in the cases of Scotland and Ireland are set out in section 1 1 
 of the Act and No. 3 of the Regulations. The Circulars 
 issued by the Local Government Boards of Scotland and 
 Ireland are set out in Appendix A. 
 
 As there will probably be cases of claimants to pensions 
 whose residence has been partly in Scotland or Ireland, 
 as well as England, and as no provision is made for referring 
 claims in such cases to the Local Government Board of 
 either of the kingdoms other than that in which the claimant 
 makes his claim, it would seem that any investigations as 
 to a claimant's life in the other kingdoms must be made 
 by the pension officer. 
 
 A list of the local authorities who will have to appoint 
 pension committees has been added in Appendix C. 
 
 Wm. a. Casson. 
 
 I, Essex Court, Temple, 
 
 25th August, 1908. 
 
XXX 
 
 ORDER OF PROCEEDINGS. 
 
 .Ml claims are in the first instance to be sent to the pension 
 officers to be investigated by them. 
 
 On receipt of any claim from a pension officer, together 
 with his report thereon, the clerk to the local pension 
 committee or sub-committee must arrange for a meeting 
 of such committee within seven days. (R. ii (i).) 
 
 Not less than three days before the meeting- -notice of 
 the time and place of meeting, giving the nanies of the 
 claimants whose claims are to be considered,,must be 
 sent to the pension officer, (R. 12, Form 3,) -■ 
 
 Where pension officer has reported that claim may be 
 allowed, and the committee agree with the report, they 
 must forthwith allow the claim, and send notice to the 
 pension officer and the claimant. (R. 13 ) 
 
 Where they adjourn the investigation of a claim they must 
 do so to an adjourned meeting to be held not more than 
 one month after the date of the original meeting, and 
 notice must be sent to the claimant. (R. 14 (3), Form 6.) 
 
 Committee must give final decision on adjourned claim, and 
 . send notice to pension officer and claimant. (R. 14 (4), 
 Forms 4 and 5.) 
 
 Within seven days after decision of committee, or of notice 
 of decision, pension officer or any person aggrieved may 
 appeal to Local Government Board. (R. 18 (i ), Form 9.) 
 
 Appellant must send appeal to Local Government Bo3rd and 
 notice to committee (Form 10), and committee must send 
 the claim and documents to Local Government Board. 
 (R. 18 (2).) 
 
 After decision of committee, or, m the event of an appeal, 
 of the Local Government Board has been given, such 
 decision becomes final and conclusive on the expiration 
 of seven days. The clerk to the committee must enter 
 record of the case in the register, and send all documents 
 relating thereto in his possession to the pension officer. 
 
OLD-AGE PENSIONS ACT, 1908. 
 
 8 Edw. VII. c. 40. 
 
 An Act to provide for Old-Age Pensions. 
 
 [1st Aug-ust, 1908.] 
 
 Be it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, 
 by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual 
 and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament 
 assembled, and by the authority of the same as follows : — 
 
 Right to Receive Old-Age Pension. 
 
 I. — ([) Every person in whose case the conditions laid 
 down by this Act for the receipt of an old-age pension 
 (in this Act referred to as statutory conditions) are ful- 
 fil led, shall be entitled to receive such a pension under 
 this Act so long as those conditions continue to be ful- 
 filled, and so long as he is not disqualified under this Act 
 for the receipt of the pension. 
 
 (2) An old-age pension under this Act shall be at the 
 rate set forth in the schedule to this Act. 
 
 (3) The sums required for the payment of old-age 
 pensions under this Act shall be paid out of moneys pro- 
 vided by Parliament. 
 
 (4) The receipt of an old-age [tension under this Act 
 shall not deprive the pensioner of any franchise, right, or 
 privilege, or subject him to any disability. 
 
 Note to section 1. 
 
 Tlie effect of tliis section is to give an inalienabie right tu a 
 pension to every person ^^ho can comply with the statutory con- 
 ditions set out in section 2, and uidess the pensioner becomes 
 disqualified under section 3, such pension will be payable until 
 death. The intention of the Government, as explained in Parlia- 
 ment, was that such pensions should continue to be payable to 
 
all persons who receive them under this Act, even though Parlia- 
 ment should in the future decide to abandon the scheme in con- 
 sequence of the great cost, or for any other reason. It was made 
 clear in the debates on the Committee Stage of the Bill that whilst 
 the scheme was an experimental one in regard to its conditions, 
 (|ualifications, and disqualifications, the part which established the 
 right of men over 70 to a pension under certain conditions which 
 might be altered from time to time was not experimental. (Par- 
 liamentary Debates, Vol. CXC, column 1544.) 
 
 The last subsection is intended to preserve the rights of every 
 pensioner as a citizen, and to prevent his being disqualified or 
 subjected to any disability by the receipt of a pension. In this 
 respect the old-age pension differs from the receipt of alms and 
 Poor Law relief. In the cases of Dix v. Kent and Edwards v. 
 Lloyd (Fox's Registration Cases) it was decided that where a person 
 was in a state of poverty, and lacked that independence >hat was 
 desirable in a voter, the receipt of alms in an almshouse 
 operated as a disqualification for the franchise. This was a 
 common law disqualification, grounded on the principle that the 
 electors ought not to be dependent either on the bounty of the 
 community or of private persons for the necessaries either for them- 
 selves or those dependent on them. This rule was extended by 
 statute to parochial relief by the Reform Act, 1832, and the Repre- 
 sentation of the People Act, 1867. These provisions, as amended 
 by section 7 of the Parliamentary, Municipal, and Registration 
 Act, 1878, have been rendered applicable to all Parliamentary 
 and local government elections by subsequent legislation, and 
 their effect is that no person is entitled to be registered as a voter 
 who shall, within a year previous to the 15th July in any year, 
 have received parochial relief or other alms which by the law of 
 Parliament operates as a disqualification. The enactment in sub- 
 section (4) of the present section excludes old-age pensions from 
 the effect of these disqualifying enactments. 
 
 Statutory Conditions for Receipt of Old-Age 
 
 Pension. 
 
 2. The statutory conditions for the receipt of an old-age 
 pension by any person are — 
 
 (i) The person must have attained the age of seventy : ' 
 
 (2) The person must satisfy the pension authorities that 
 for at least twenty years up to the date of the 
 receipt of any sum on account of a pension he 
 has been a British subject, and has had his 
 residence, as dehned by regulations under this 
 Act, in the United Kingdom : 
 
(3) The person must satisfy the pension authorities (hat 
 his yearly means as calculated under this Act do 
 not exceed thirty-one pounds ten shillings. 
 
 Note to section 2. 
 
 The statutory conditions laid down in this section gave rise to 
 much discussion in Parliament, and they will have to be read 
 in conjunction with the regulations to be made under section lo, 
 as much will depend on the proof that is to be exacted of com- 
 pliance with the requirements of the section. 
 
 When the claim has been made and signed and delivered to the 
 postmaster, the procedure for deciding and adjudicating upon the 
 claim will begin. The three main points to be determined are : — 
 (i) Whether the claimant satisfies the statutory conditions. 
 
 (2) Whether he is subject to any of the disqualifications. 
 
 (3) Assuming that his yearly means as calculated under the 
 Act exceed £21 and are less than ^31 los., at what figure 
 they are to be taken to stand. 
 
 In the case of claimants who are not subject to any of the dis- 
 qualifications the conditions are as follows: — The applicant must 
 have attained the age of 70, he must have been a British subject 
 for at least 20 years and have had his residence in the United 
 Kingdom, and his yearly means must not exceed ^31 los. 
 
 The age of the applicant will have to be proved in the best 
 manner possible. 
 
 It will rest with the claimant in the first place to produce evidence 
 of age, and he will have to do this at his own expense. The cost 
 of a certificate of birth in England is 3s. yd., and many applicants 
 may be unable to bear this. In any such case the claimant may 
 give the exact date and place of birth, and the pension officer will 
 himself endeavour to verify it by application to the Registrar- 
 General. Such applications can only be made in respect of births 
 in England and Wales which may have been registered as having 
 occurred on or after ist July, 1837, as that is the earliest date on 
 which births were registered in England and Wales. No births 
 that occurred prior to the ist July, 1837, w^ere registered on that 
 date, and no certificates of such births can therefore be obtained. 
 There is no provision such as there is in the Education 
 Acts, under which birth certificates can be obtained at reduced fees. 
 Pension officers and pension committees are not empowered to make 
 any payment to clergymen or parish clerks or others for information 
 supplied as to the birth or baptism of claimants, and where applica- 
 tions from pension officers for information are met with demands for 
 fees no such fees can be paid. It would seem that if the pension com- 
 mittee judge from the appearance of an aged applicant that he is 
 not less than 70 years of age they would be justified in allowing 
 the claim. 
 
In Scotland, where for some time to come certificates of birth 
 of persons 70 years of age or over will not be available, the Old 
 Parochial Registers of births and baptisms in the custody of the 
 Registrar-General in Edinburgh may be searched for information 
 where necessary. In Ireland, where also certificates of birth will 
 not be available, the Baptismal Registers will probably afford the 
 necessary evidence of age, and claimants should have no difficulty 
 in obtaining certificates if proper application is made. Relieving 
 officers, rate collectors, and clerks of unions in Ireland may also 
 be in a position to give assistance on cjuestions of age and means, 
 and available census records may be made use of. 
 
 According to the instructions in the Second Schedule to the 
 Regulations, in determining the age of any person, "regard may 
 be had to any of the following documents, viz. : — 
 
 "Certificate of birth; 
 
 " Certificate of baptism ; 
 
 " Certificate of service in any of the forces of the Crown ; 
 
 "Certificate of membership of any friendly or provident society 
 or trade imion ; 
 
 " Certificate of marriage ; 
 
 "Any other evidence which appears sufficient for the purpose." 
 The applicant must prove that for at least 20 years up to the 
 receipt of a pension he has been a British subject, and he will 
 do this by producing the best evidence he can of his nationality. 
 He will answer the question No. 8 in the Claim Form No. i in 
 the affirmative, and supply the pension officer with such informa- 
 tion as he can on the point by making a declaration, in order to 
 satisfy that officer that the claimant is entitled to a pension. In 
 the instructions to pension officers as regards the investigation of 
 claims it is stated that — 
 
 "Where it appears that any person was born in the British 
 dominions and has not resided out of the British dominions during 
 the preceding twenty years, he may unless there is reason to suspect 
 the contrary, be taken as being a British subject. 
 
 "If it appears that any person was not born in the British 
 dominions^ he may prove that he is a British subject either by 
 producing a naturalisation certificate and showing that he is the 
 person referred to in the certificate or by showing that he was born 
 of a father who was a British subject. 
 
 "If a person who alleges that he was naturalised is unable to 
 produce a naturalisation certificate, inquiry may be made of the 
 Home Office as to whether the person is on the Register of 
 Naturalised Aliens. 
 
 " If any person alleges that he was born out of the British 
 dominions of a British father he should be required, if possible, 
 to show whether his father and his grandfather were bom in the 
 British dominions or not." 
 
 The question of residence gave rise to some discussion in Par- 
 liament, and an amendment was moved to alter the section so as 
 
to require that a person in receipt of an old-age pension should 
 remain in the United Kingdom. The Chancellor of the Exchequer 
 explained that the intention of the Government was that the pen- 
 sioner should receive his pension only so long as he resided in the 
 country, but if he went for a few weeks' fishing at the Dogger 
 Bank, or to the South of France for a few months, he would still 
 be a resident here according to the legal meaning of "resident." 
 This is made clear by the Regulations, rule 2g of which defines 
 "residence" for the purposes of the Act as meaning actual presence 
 in the United Kingdom uninterrupted otherwise than by temporary 
 absences. 
 
 "A person (being a claimant) shall be deemed to have been 
 temporarily absent — 
 
 "(i.) If before the absence he was living in the United 
 Kingdom and throughout the absence he was employed in the 
 service of the Crown as a soldier, sailor, or otherwise, or was 
 in the service of any one so employed : Provided that for the 
 purposes of this provision a person shall not be deemed to be 
 in the service of the Crown unless his remuneration is paid 
 out of moneys provided by the Parliament of the United 
 Kingdom ; or 
 
 "(ii.) If before the absence he was living in the United 
 Kingdom and throughout the absence he was serving on board 
 a vessel registered in the United Kingdom ; or 
 
 "(iii.) If throughout the absence his home was in the United 
 Kingdom : Provided that a person shall not be deemed for 
 the purposes of this provision to have had his home in the 
 United Kingdom during any absences (other than absences to 
 which paragraphs (i.) and (ii.) of this Regulation apply) which 
 occurred wholly or partly within the period of twenty years 
 prescribed by subsection (2) of section 2 of the Act, if the 
 aggregate of those absences since the beginning of the earliest 
 of them exceeds eight years : 
 
 "A person (being a pensioner) shall be deemed to have been 
 temporarily absent if he is absent for any period not exceeding 
 three months at any one time." 
 
 For the purposes of the Regulations, it must be imderstood that 
 residence in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man is to be con- 
 sidered as absence from the United Kingdom. 
 
 A pension will lapse if the pensioner is absent from the United 
 Kingdom for anv longer period than three months, and if he desir^ 
 to receive a pension on his return he must make a fresh claim. 
 
 It is provided by the instructions in the Second Schedule to the 
 Regulations that "for the purpose of determining whether a person 
 has been resident in the United Kingdom, he must be required 
 to give, if {)Ossible, a reference to two persons who have known 
 him, and to state what his employment, if any, has been, during 
 the last twenty years." 
 
 C 2 
 
The calculation of means will have to be effected by the pension 
 officer in the manner prescribed by rule lo of the Regulations, and 
 in accordance with the conditions prescribed in section 4 of the 
 Act. Under that section the income which the applicant may 
 reasonably be expected to receive during the succeeding year from 
 1st January to 31st December must not exceed ;^3i los., exclusive 
 of any sum receivable on account of an old-age pension. If an 
 applicant has any property, its yearly value must be taken account 
 of under subsections (b) and (c) of section 4, whether he makes 
 a profitable use of it or invests it or not. If, therefore, an appli- 
 cant has a cottage in which he lives, or has some land which is 
 capable of being used beneficially and is not so used or let, or if 
 he has any money hoarded, the yearly income which it would pro- 
 duce if used or invested would have to be taken account of. 
 Hoarding money is not a practice which is as common in this 
 country as in some others, for instance, as in France, but it is well 
 to bear in mind that if an applicant has a sum of money hoarded 
 and hidden away so that it does not produce any interest he would 
 have to disclose the fact, as otherwise he would be liable to penalties 
 under section 9 of the Act for making false statements should the 
 effect of his non-disclosure be to secure to him a pension at a higher 
 rate than he was otherwise entitled to. 
 
 It will rest with the pension officer to inquire into the means of 
 all claimants, and if he finds that a person has a cottage of valuable 
 old furniture, or is hoarding up some treasures that have been in 
 his family for many years, such as old china, old pictures, old books, 
 war medals, &c., he will have to take the value of these into 
 account. Furniture up to ^1^30 in value will not be taken into 
 account. 
 
 Under Regulation, 15 it rests with the committee to fix the 
 weekly rate of pension to which the pensioner is entitled, and 
 under Regulation 16 any claim may be made and provisionally 
 allowed at any time not exceeding four months before the date 
 on which the claimant will become entitled to receive his pension. 
 Under section 5 of the Act every pension is to be paid weekly in 
 advance, and to commence to accrue in the case of a claim pro- 
 visionally allowed on the first Friday after the day on which the 
 claimant becomes entitled to receive the pension, that is, the first 
 Fridav after the person shall have attained the age of 70. It there- 
 fore follows that as a person attains the age of 70 on the completion 
 of the day preceding his 70th birthday, and as the pension is to be 
 jtaid weekly in advance, he would be entitled to receive his book 
 of pension orders under Regulation 32, and to claim the first pay- 
 ment in respect of his pension not later than the Friday following 
 his 70th birthday. But if that birthday falls on a Friday he will 
 not be entitled to receive his first payment until the following 
 Frid;iy. (See section 5 (2).) 
 
 The svstem by which claims are to be provisionally allowed 
 permits of the investigation of claims of persons who have not 
 
actually attained the age of 70, so that such claims may be allowed 
 in time to become operative immediately after that age has been 
 reached. This provision in Regulation 16 is made in pursuance 
 of the statutory direction in section 10 (2) of the Act. 
 
 Generally speaking, on the whole of the requirements it may be 
 said that the greatest responsibility will rest on the pension officer 
 for the investigation of claims, and he will be free to make such 
 inquiries as he considers necessary to enable him to certify that 
 any claim should be allowed, or otherwise. He will be in a position 
 to put any question that he thinks proper and necessary to a 
 claimant, and it is provided by instruction (5) in the Second Schedule 
 to the Act that "In any case in which the pension officer thinks 
 it desirable so to do, he may reduce to writing any question which 
 he desires to put to any person and the answer given by that 
 person to the question, and may require that person to sign the 
 answer, or may require any person to fill up and sign any form." 
 
 It is further provided by instruction (6) that "the pension officer 
 shall in every case take all reasonable steps to obtain the best 
 evndence and information which it is reasonably possible to obtain, 
 and make all such inquiries as appear to him necessary having 
 regard to the circumstances of the case." 
 
 Note to section 2 (2). 
 
 In view of the difficulties that are likely to arise in determining 
 whether a person is a British subject or not, it may be well to 
 draw attention to the rules which govern the status of nationality. 
 By the common law, which has always followed the feudal prin- 
 ciple that the child belongs to the land in which it is born, every 
 child born within the British dominions, whether of English or 
 alien parents, is a British subject, but by Statutes 7 Anne, c. 5, 
 and 4 Geo. II., c. 21, all the children born of British subjects 
 out of the kingdom were declared to be British subjects. This 
 privilege was further extended by the Statute 13 Geo. III., c. 21, 
 to the grandchildren of every natural born male British subject, 
 provided that the father of such children was himself entitled to 
 all the rights and privileges of a natural born subject, though not 
 himself being one. These rules apply to legitimate children only, 
 and the illegitimate issue born of English women abroad will take 
 the nationality of their place of birth. By the same rule illegitimate 
 children born of foreign mothers in England are British subjects, 
 as also are foundlings. 
 
 By the accession of Queen Victoria to the Throne of England, 
 in 1837, the Kingdom of Hanover passed away from the British 
 Crown, and there may be still living persons whose fathers were 
 Hanoverians and subjects of King William IV. Such persons 
 would not be British subjects themselves unless born within the 
 British dominions, and even if they complied with the condition 
 as to 20 years' residence they would not be entitled to receive 
 pensions. In the case of the Stepney Election Petition, Isaacson 
 
8 
 
 (petitioner), Durant (respondent), L. R. 17 Q. B. D. 54, persons 
 born in the Kingdom of Hanover before the accession of Queen 
 Victoria, and not naturalised in the United Kingdom, and persons 
 born in the Kingdom of Hanover after the accession of Queen 
 Victoria of parents born in Hanover before that date were held to 
 be aliens. The rules of the common law and statute law stated 
 above apply to all persons born within any jiart of the British 
 dominions, so that persons born in the Colonies, or the children 
 of Colonial subjects, whether natural born or naturalised, would 
 be British subjects if born in any foreign country. Persons born 
 on the high seas in British ships are British subjects. There may 
 be cases in which natural born British subjects have in their early 
 life resided in some foreign country and become naturalised there. 
 By section 6 of the Naturalisation Act, 1S70, any British subject 
 who becomes naturalised in a foreign State ceases to be a British 
 subject, and becomes an alien. If such a person had returned to 
 England, and even if he had resided there for 20 years, he would 
 not be entitled to a pension because he would not have been a 
 British subject. 
 
 There is an exception in section 6 of the Naturalisation Act, 
 1870, in favour of persons who had, prior to the passing of that 
 Act, become naturalised in any foreign Stnte retaining their British 
 nationality by making a declaration. This declaration must have 
 been made before 12th May, 1872. Any person, therefore, who 
 had become a naturalised subject of a foreign State, but who 
 made such a declaration, would be a British subject. A person 
 who had become naturalised as an alien may be re-admitted to 
 British nationality on obtaining from one of the principal Secretaries 
 of State, or from the Governor of anv British possession, a certi- 
 ficate of re-admission to British nationality, re-adniitting him to 
 the status of a British subject. There is no reference to this class 
 of naturalised British subject in the Instructions to Pension 
 Officers in the Second Schedule to the Regulations, and it would 
 appear that where a claim to British nationality is made on this 
 ground a copy of the certificate would have to be obtained through 
 the Colonial Ofhce from the Governor of the British possession, 
 unless it has been deposited in the United Kingdom in pursuance 
 of regulations made under section 11 of the Act. The case of 
 women is specially dealt with in section 10 of the Naturalisation 
 Act, 1870. Provision is there made for widows, who, being natural 
 born British subjects, had become aliens by or in conse;]uence of 
 marriage, obtaining certificates of re-admission to British nationality. 
 
 It should be borne in mind that persons who have not been born 
 within the British dominions, but who have beconie naturalised 
 as British subjects under the laws of any British colony, cannot 
 be regarded as British subjects unless they have become naturalised 
 in the United Kingdom under English law. Such persons, there- 
 fore, would not be entitled to pensions. 
 
Note to section 2 (8). 
 
 In the Bill as originally introduced into Parliament it was pro- 
 posed to give a pension of 5s. a week to all persons whose incomes 
 entitled them to it, and this sum was to be reduced to 3s. gd. in 
 the case of married couples living together. During the Committee 
 stage of the Bill in the House of Commons a strong feeling was 
 exhibited in favour of a sliding scale, and in deference to these 
 views the Chancellor of the Exchequer stated the willingness of 
 the Government to adopt such a scale. He said that "his own 
 opinion was strongly in favour of a sliding scale. He was, at the 
 same time, fully alive to the objections to a sliding scale. There 
 was the objection that it would interfere with simplicity of adminis- 
 tration. It would add a good deal of perplexity in that regard, 
 and it would add something in the way of cost ; but he did not 
 think those considerations were sufficiently strong to outweigh the 
 reasons in favour of a sliding scale. Every scheme of non-con- 
 tribuforv old-age pension had been a scheme with a sliding scale. 
 The New Zealand, Victoria, and Queensland schemes, and the new 
 scheme of the Commonwealth, had all a sliding scale. They were 
 all so fully alive to the injustice and irritation which might be 
 caused by a rigid scale that they had come to the conclusion that 
 the sliding scale was, on the whole, fairer in spite of its cost and 
 the difficulty in administration." 
 
 Disquaiification for Old-Age Pension. 
 
 3. — (i) A person shall be disqualified for receiving or 
 continuing to receive an old-age pension under this Act, 
 notwithstanding the fulfilment of the statutory condi- 
 tions : — 
 
 (a) While he is in receipt of any poor relief (other than 
 relief excepted under this provision), and, until 
 the thirty-first day of December nineteen 
 hundred and ten unless Parliament otherwise 
 determines, if he has at any time . since the 
 first day of January nineteen hundred and eight 
 received, or hereafter receives, any such relief : 
 Provided that for the purposes of this pro- 
 vision — 
 
 (i) any medical or surgical assistance (in- 
 cluding food or comforts) su})plied by or on 
 the recommendation of a medical officer ; or 
 
10 
 
 (ii) any relief given to any person by means 
 of the maintenance of any dependant of that 
 person in any lunatic asylum, infirmary, or 
 hospital, or the payment of any expenses of 
 the burial of a dependant ; or 
 
 (iii) any relief (other than medical or 
 surgical assistance, or relief herein-before 
 specifically exempted) which by law is ex- 
 pressly declared not to be a disqualification 
 for registration as a parliamentary elector, or 
 a reason for depriving any person of any 
 franchise, right, or privilege ; 
 shall not be considered as poor relief : 
 
 (b) If, before he becomes entitled to a pension, he has 
 
 habitually failed to work according to his ability, 
 opportunity, and need, for the maintenance or 
 benefit of himself and those legally dependent 
 upon him : 
 
 Provided that a person shall not be disquali- 
 fied under this paragraph if he has continuously 
 for ten years up to attaining the age of sixty, by 
 means of payments to friendly, provident, or 
 other societies, or trade unions, or other ap- 
 proved steps, made such provision against old 
 age, sickness, infirmity, or want or loss of 
 employment as may be recognised as proper pro- 
 vision for the purpose by regulations under this 
 Act, and any such provision, when made by the 
 husband in the case of a married couple living 
 together, shall as respects any right of the wife 
 to a pension, be treated as provision made by 
 the wife as well as by the husband : 
 
 (c) While he is detained in any asylum within the 
 
 meaning of the Lunacy Act, 1890, or while he 
 is being maintained in any place as a pauper or 
 criminal lunatic : 
 
 t ' 
 
 }. 
 
II 
 
 (d) During the continuance of any period of disquali- 
 fication arising or imposed in pursuance of this 
 section in consequence of conviction for an 
 offence. 
 
 (2) Where a person has been before the passing of this 
 Act, or is after the passing of this Act, convicted of any 
 offence, and ordered to be imprisoned without the option 
 of a fine or to suffer any greater punishment, he shall be 
 disqualified for receiving or continuing to receive an old- 
 age pension under this Act while he is detained in prison 
 in consequence of the order, and for a further period of 
 ten years after the date on which he is released from 
 prison. 
 
 (3) Where a person of sixty years of age or upwards 
 having been convicted before any court is liable to have 
 a detention order made against him under the Inebriates 
 Act, 1898, and is not necessarily, by virtue of the pro- 
 visions of this Act, disqualified for receiving or continuing 
 to receive an old-age pension under this Act, the court 
 may, if they think fit, order that the person convicted be 
 so disqualified for such period, not exceeding ten years, 
 as the court direct. 
 
 Note to section 3. 
 
 This section deals with the disqualifications for receiving or 
 continuing to receive old-age pensions, and these disqualifications 
 are five in number, namely: — (i) The receipt of poor relief; (2) 
 having habitually failed to w^ork according to the ability, oppor- 
 tunity, and need of the applicant for the maintenance or benefit 
 of himself and those legally dependent upon him ; (3) detention 
 in any lunatic asylum or maintenance as a pauper or criminal 
 lunatic; (4) having been vi^ithin the last 10 years imprisoned without 
 the option of a fine, or in penal servitude ; (5) having been dis- 
 qualified by an order of any court. The claims will be reported 
 on by the pension officer and considered by the local pension com- 
 mittee under Regulations 10-16. Any question that may subse- 
 quently arise as to the continuance of the qualification of a pen- 
 sioner will be determined under Regulation 17. 
 
12 
 
 Note to section 3 (1, a). 
 
 As this subsection stood in the Bill as originally introduced into 
 the House of Commons, its opening words were "while he is in 
 receipt of any such parochial or other relief as disqualifies for 
 registration for a Parliamentary elector." These words were omitted 
 on the motion of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, because it had 
 been suggested that they might apply to charity or alms, owing 
 tD the use of the term "relief." The subsection was finally adopted 
 in the form in which it now stands after a very exhaustive dis- 
 cussion in the House of Commons. (Parliamentary Debates, 
 Vol. CXCI., columns 381-435.) This discussion brought out very 
 strongly the distinction that was being made between those of the 
 aged poor who had been compelled to obtain poor relief and those 
 who would receive old-age pensions. It will be remembered that 
 the circular issued by Mr. Chaplin, as President of the Local 
 Government Board, on 4th August, 1900, to boards of guardians 
 stated that "The Board consider that aged deserving persons should 
 not be urged to enter the workhouse at all, unless there is some 
 cause which renders such a course necessary, such as infirmity of 
 mind or body, or absence of house accommodation, or of a suitable 
 person to care for them, or some similar cause, but that they should 
 be relieved by having adequate outdoor relief granted to them." 
 This policy has, no doubt, been largely acted on, and there are, 
 doubtless, at the present moment large numbers of persons in 
 receipt of poor relief whose circumstances are indistinguishable 
 from those who will become entitled to old-age pensions. As the 
 Bill originally stood the disqualification by receipt of relief was 
 to continue "until Parliament otherwise determines," but on the 
 suggestion of the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Parliamentary De- 
 bates, Vol. CXCI., column 398) these words were withdrawn, and 
 the words "until the 31st December, 1910, unless Parliament other- 
 wise determines " were substituted. The Chancellor of the Ex- 
 chequer said that it would be imperative that the problem should 
 be dealt with at the earliest possible moment "because the guar- 
 dians necessarily will in future do their very best to keep men ofi 
 the poor rate in order to transfer them to the pension fund. Not 
 only that, but there would be a conspiracy with the poor person 
 himself and his relatives to get on to the Exchequer Fund, and 
 gradually the number of outdoor paupers must necessarily diminish 
 by the automatic operation of this disqualification." The date fixed 
 for the poor relief disqualification (31st December, 1910) was 
 specially selected so as to give an opportunity to deal with the 
 whole question in a comprehensive manner. The Chancellor of 
 the Exchequer said "we are awaiting the report of the Poor Law 
 Commission with a view of dealing with it in a thoroughly com- 
 prehensive fashion, and we have given the best guarantee by saying 
 that next year we confidently hope to be able to make financial 
 arrangements to deal with it, and before December, 1910, the whole 
 operation will have been comj)leted." 
 
13 
 
 The words "other than relief excepted under this provision" 
 and certain consequential amendments were inserted with a view 
 of making it quite clear that the only relief which should disqualify 
 was that which was given through the agency of the relieving 
 officer to a person for the maintenance of himself or any dependant. 
 With this abject in view, the clause has been framed on the prin- 
 ciple of specifically excluding certain forms of relief from the dis- 
 qualification condition. These excluded forms are set out in sub- 
 paragraphs (i.), (ii.), and (iii.). Taking these in order it would 
 appear that a person receiving medical or surgical assistance, with 
 relief in kind, on the recommendation of a medical oflEicer was not 
 disqualified, but if he received any relief in money he would be 
 disqualified. It seems, therefore, to be imperative that relieving 
 officers and Poor Law medical officers should be instructed not 
 to recommend, and boards of guardians should make it a rule not 
 to give, any relief in money to a person who is in receipt of or who 
 is eligible for an old-age pension. Sub-clause (ii.) is intended to 
 deal with the cases of the lunatic wife and the crippled child main- 
 tained in an asylum, infirmary, or hospital, and it also permits the 
 payment by the Poor Law authorities of the expenses of the burial 
 of a wife or child. By the Poor Law Amendment Act, 1834, s. 56, 
 it is enacted that all relief given to or on account of the vnfe, or 
 to or on account of any child or children under the age of 16 shall 
 be considered as given to the husband, and it therefore follows 
 that if a person who is otherwise eligible for an old-age pension 
 permits any child of his under 16 years of age to be in receipt of 
 poor relief, or is ordered by the justices to maintain a grandchild 
 that has become chargeable on the poor rate, he would be dis- 
 qualified for receiving or continuing to receive an old-age pension. 
 It would seem, however, that if in the case of any young child 
 an arrangement was made under the Boarding-Out Orders by which 
 the grandparent became a foster-parent to the child — an arrange- 
 ment which the Local Government Board have in recent years 
 assented to — there would be no disqualification, as the amount 
 paid would not be relief to the foster-j^arent. A possibly curious 
 result of the application of section 56 of the Act of 1834 (under 
 which relief to a wife is declared to be relief to her husband) is 
 tfiat the wife of a man who is in receipt of relief may not herself 
 be deemed to be in receipt of relief, and mav conceivably be 
 eligible for a pension on her own account. 
 
 If any person who has become a claimant for an old-age pension 
 has been in receipt of poor relief for however short a time since 
 1st January, 1908, he is disqualified from receiving a pension, and 
 he cannot get rid of that disqualification by repaying the amount 
 or value of such relief to the Poor Law authorities. 
 
 Sub-clause (iii.) deals with those cases where Acts of Parliament 
 have specifically declared that certain forms of assistance given 
 from the rates shall not operate as a disqualification for registra- 
 tion as an elector. From some pomts of view this enactment in 
 
 
14 
 
 its present form might be regarded as unnecessary, but it was in- 
 serted in order to avoid any inference that the exceptions which 
 had been made in other Acts were not to be regarded as exceptions 
 under this Act. Such cases are the provision in section 26 of the 
 Vaccination Act, 1867, to the effect that vaccination should not 
 be considered to be parochial relief, and the enactment in the 
 Education (Provision of Meals) Act, 1906, that the provision of any 
 meal to a child, or the failure of the parent to pay any sum 
 demanded under the Act in respect of a meal, shall not deprive 
 the parent of any franchise. 
 
 See Regulation 35, under which information is to be supplied 
 to the pension officer as to persons who are, or have been, in receipt 
 of poor relief. 
 
 Note to section 3 (1, b). 
 
 This enactment has been inserted more as a precaution than 
 for any other reason, and it is doubtful whether any proof short 
 of a conviction under the Vagrancy Acts would be sufficient 
 evidence that a man had "habitually failed to work according 
 to his ability, opportunity, and need." The proviso to this clause 
 must be read in connection with the Regulations, under rule 30 
 of which it' is provided that a person shall be regarded as having 
 made proper provision against old age, sickness, infirmity, or want 
 or loss of employment, if he has continuously for 10 years up to 
 attaining the age of 60, by means of payments to friendly, provident, 
 or other societies or trade unions, or other approved steps, made 
 provision to secure for himself, free from any deductions or encum- 
 brances, any of the following advantages : — 
 
 "(i) The right to receive during any period of sickness, not less 
 than seven shillings and sixpence a week during the first 
 twenty-six weeks (or alternatively not less than fifteen shillings 
 a week for the first thirteen weeks) of the period, and not 
 less than two shillings a week for the remainder of the 
 period : 
 
 " (2) The right to receive not less than five shillings a week during 
 want or loss of employment : 
 
 " (3) The right to receive not less than three shillings a week 
 for life either on becoming permanently incapacitated or 
 upon the attainment of any specified age not exceeding 
 seventy : 
 
 "(4) The right to receive not less than five shillings a week upon 
 the attainment of any age not exceeding sixty-five until the 
 attainment of the age of seventy : 
 
 " (5) The right to receive not less than two shillings a week upon 
 the attainment of any age not exceeding sixty until the attain- 
 ment of the age of seventy : 
 
15 
 
 " (6) The right to receive a capital sum of not less than fifty 
 pounds upon the attainment of any specified age not exceed- 
 ing seventy : 
 
 " (7) The possession, upon the attainment of the age of sixty, of 
 accumulated savings, or of property purchased out of accumu- 
 lated savings, to the value of not less than fifty pounds." 
 
 It vvrill be observed that the provision contemplated by the Regu- 
 lations which the claimant must have made may be of two kinds, 
 (a) rights to receive money acquired in pursuance of payments to 
 a society or trade union or other approved steps, and (b) the 
 possession of accumulated savings or of property. In anv case 
 where a man has made this provision he will be exempt from 
 disqualification under section 3 (i) (b), even though he may have 
 habitually failed to work according to his ability, opportunity, and 
 need. It would have been well if the Regulations had been ampli- 
 fied so as to indicate what the "other approved steps" are. As 
 Regulation 30 is framed it is not made clear that a person would 
 come within its conditions if he made the necessary provision by 
 purchasing an annuity or taking out an endowment policy in an 
 ordinary life in-;urance company or through the Post Office, and it 
 would seem that provision made in this way would have to be 
 specially approved by the pension authorities. 
 
 Note to section 3 (1, d). 
 
 The disqualification referred to under this section is of two kinds, 
 namely, that arising under subsection (2), which is a statutory dis- 
 qualification which a person cannot avoid or be released from, 
 and that imposed by a court under subsection (3). It will be ob- 
 served that in both cases the disqualification arises after conviction 
 for an offence. At present no provision is made for the notification 
 of convictions to the pension authorities by the officers of the courts, 
 but probably m course of time some arrangements of this kind 
 will have to be made. It will rest with the pension officer and 
 with the pension committee to explain the nature of the disqualify- 
 ing circumstances to claimants, and to rely on the answers to any 
 questions put to them. 
 
 Calculation of Means. 
 
 4. — (i) In calculating the means of a person for the 
 purpose of this Act account shall be taken of — 
 
 (a) the income which that person may reasonably expect 
 to receive during the succeeding year in cash, 
 
i6 
 
 excluding any sums receivable on account of an 
 old-age pension under this Act, that income, in 
 the absence of other means for ascertaining the 
 income, being taken to be the income actually 
 received during the preceding year ; 
 
 (b) the yearly value of any advantage accruing to that 
 
 person from the use or enjoyment of any pro- 
 perty belonging to him which is personally used 
 or enjoyed by him ; 
 
 (c) the yearly income which might be expected to be 
 
 derived from any property belonging to that 
 person which, though capable of investment or 
 profitable use, is not so invested or profitably 
 used by him ; and 
 
 (d) the yearly value of any benefit or privilege enjoyed 
 
 by that person. 
 
 (2) In calculating the means of a person being one of a 
 married couple living together in the same house, the 
 means shall not in any case be taken to be a less amount 
 than half the total means of the couple. 
 
 (3) If it appears that any person has directly or in- 
 directly deprived himself of any income or property in 
 order to qualify himself for the receipt of an old-age 
 pension, or for the receipt of an old-age pension at a 
 higher rate than that to which he would otherwise be 
 entitled under this Act, that income or the yearly value of 
 that property shall, for the purposes of this section, be 
 taken to be fjart of the means of that person. 
 
 Note to section 4>. 
 
 The application of this section to the case of each claimant is 
 likely to occasion considerable difficulty to the pension authorities, 
 and the questions which have to be answered by the claimant in 
 making the "claim to pension" on Form i will probably, in most 
 
17 
 
 cases, have to be supplemented by other inquiries. It is to be 
 observed that the income for the purposes of section 4 has to be 
 estimated for the "succeeding year" in cash, and any sum receiv- 
 able in respect of an old-age pension will be excluded. The "year" 
 will be from ist January to 31st - December. In the case of a 
 married couple living together in the same house, the total means 
 must be divided by two, and the amount credited to the income 
 of any claimant must not in any case be less than half the total 
 means. In the estimation of means the yearly value of any benefit 
 or privilege enjoyed by the claimant, as well as of any advantage 
 which he gets from any property which he enjoys, and the yearly 
 income from any property which is not invested or profitably used 
 must be considered. The rateable value of any land, house, or 
 other building, as shown in the valuation list, would be the best 
 criterion of the yearly value of the property. In the case of married 
 claimants who are not living together, the income of both cannot 
 be added together for the purpose of ascertaining the income of 
 either, and in such cases the income of a married claimant living 
 apart from his or her spouse would be calculated as if the claimant 
 were single. The Regulations do not pro\nde for any inquiries 
 as to whether a man who is a claimant for a pension is living apart 
 from his wife by arrangement or has deserted her, and it seems 
 probable that the pension authorities will find it necessary to 
 supplement the information contained on the claim form by more 
 precise inquiries on these points. By Regulation 26 the pension 
 committee, for the purpose of determining any claim, may avail 
 themselves of any evidence or information which, in their opinion, 
 is sufficient for the purpose, and is the best evidence or information 
 which it is reasonably possible to obtain. They are not bound 
 by the ordinary rules of evidence applicable to matters coming for 
 decision before courts of law. 
 
 Not© to section * (1). 
 
 Considerable discussion has arisen as to the position of claimants 
 who have been in receipt of allowances from their children, and 
 it has been suggested that these allowances, being purely voluntary, 
 need not be taken into account as income. 
 
 This view is erroneous, and so long as a claimant is in receipt 
 of such allowances he must include them as part of his income. 
 If, however, the children have ceased to make any such contri- 
 butions, and have intimated that they will not do so in future, 
 the claimant would be entitled to exclude any such sums, and would 
 not be bound to base his income for the coming year on the 
 amount which he had received during the preceding year, as he 
 would otherwise be bound to do under subsection (i, a). 
 
 On the 28th October, 1908, in the House of Commons, Mr. 
 J. D. White asked tlie Chancellor of the Exchequer whether steps 
 would be taken to issue Instructions that for the purposes of the 
 
t8 
 
 Old-xVge Pensions Act, 190S, allowances made voluntarily to parents 
 over 70 years of age by their children shall not be taken into 
 account in calculating the means of such parents, and that allow- 
 ances made voluntarily to parents by their children shall, for the 
 purposes of that Act, be placed on the same basis as allowances 
 made to them by persons who are under no Poor Law obligation 
 to contribute to their support. — Mr. Lloyd George said : The 
 Instructions to Pension Officers are that all money income received 
 by claimants to old-age pensions, whether from voluntary allow- 
 ances or otherwise, is to be taken into account in estimating their 
 means for the purposes of the Act; and, as at present advised, I 
 see no reason for modifying those Instructions or discriminating 
 between different kinds of allowances. 
 
 Note to section 4 (2). 
 
 The effect of this subsection is that where two persons are 
 " living together in the same house " and either of them applies 
 for a pension, the means of the applicant shall not be taken at 
 a less sum than half the total means of both. Thus, if a man has 
 an income of j£^o a year and his wife has an income of £10, the 
 wife, if 70 years of age, must place her income at not less than 
 ;^25 a year, which would give her a pension of 3s. a week. In 
 the same case, assuming that the man was 70 years of age also, 
 he would not be entitled to divide his income by two, and to state 
 it at ;^25, but would have to state it at £^^0, and thus would not 
 be entitled to any pension at all. In the converse case if a man 
 and woman are living together and the woman has a cottage, the 
 rental value of which is ^8 a year, and an allowance of ^^26 u 
 year from any source, such as a legacy from a former employer, 
 she would have to return her income at £^4 a year, and could 
 not claim a pension. But her husband, if 70 years of age, would 
 have to state his income at not less than half the joint 
 income, and if his earnings did not amount to more 
 than ^8 a year, he could return his income at £21, and 
 claim a ])ension of 5s. a week. Thus, the income of a 
 claimant, being one of a married couple living together in 
 the same house, must in every case be stated at the actual amount 
 which he or she receives for the purpose of making a claim, but 
 if one of the couple has an income and the other has none the 
 income of that other must be stated at not less than half the total 
 income of both. It will accordingly happen that in some cases 
 the husband, and in other cases the wife, will be entitled to a pension, 
 where the other partner is disentitled by reason of his or her 
 income being in excess of the statutory limit of ;^3i los., or is 
 entitled to a pension of less than the maximum of 5s. a week. 
 This provision will not apply in the case of any married person 
 living apart from his or her husband or wife, and accordingly 
 a woman who had left her husband, or who had been deserted by 
 
19 
 
 him and was not In receipt of any allowance from him, would be 
 entitled to claim a pension without returning any part of his income 
 as her own, even though he was in receipt of such an income as 
 would be greatly in excess of ;i^3i los. a year. 
 
 Mode of Paying Pensions. 
 
 5, — (i) An old-age pension under this Act, subject to 
 any directions of the Treasury in special cases, shall be 
 paid weekly in advance in such manner and subject to 
 such conditions as to identification or otherwise as the 
 Treasury direct. 
 
 (2) A pension shall commence to accrue on the first 
 Friday after the claim for the pension has been allowed, 
 or, in the case of a claim provisionally allowed, on the 
 first Friday after the day on which the claimant becomes 
 entitled to receive the pension. 
 
 Note to section 5. 
 
 Under this section power is given to the Treasury to direct that 
 pensions may in special cases be paid in arrear, or at greater or 
 less intervals of time than a week, but in ordinary cases all pensions 
 will be paid weekly. Under section 12 (i) of the Act it is provided 
 that a person shall not be entitled to the receipt of an old-age 
 pension under this Act until the ist January, 1909, and no such 
 pension shall begin to accrue until that day. In the Instructions 
 issued to Excise Ofhcers by the Commissioners of Inland Revenue 
 it is explained that the payment of pensions will be made by means 
 of pension orders of the denominations of 5s., 4s., 3s., 2s., and 
 IS., bound in books, each containing 25 orders, payable weekly 
 at the specified post ofhce. The books of orders will be obtainable 
 through the pension officers only. Where the local committees 
 have provisionally allowed pensions which are to commence on 
 Friday, ist January, 1909, the officer may deliver the books of 
 orders to pensioners as soon after the loth December, 1908, as 
 may be convenient. The pensioner must, unless incapacitated by 
 illness, present in person the book of orders at the i)ost office of 
 payment, when the postmaster will pay the amount due. If unable 
 t'J. attend personally, provision is made for authorising another 
 person to receive payment on his or her behalf. 
 
 Old-Age Pension to be Inalienable. 
 
 6. Every assignment of or charge on and every agree- 
 ment to assign or charge an old-age pension under this 
 
 D 
 
20 
 
 Act shall be void, and, on the bankruptcy of a person 
 entitled to an old-age pension, the pension shall not pass 
 to any trustee or other person acting on behalf of the 
 creditors. 
 
 Determination of Claims and Questions. 
 
 7. — (i) All claims for old-age pensions under this Act 
 and all questions whether the statutory conditions are 
 fulfilled in the case of any person claiming such a pen- 
 sion, or whether those conditions continue to be fulfilled 
 in the case of a person in receipt of such a pension, or 
 whether a person is disqualified for receiving or con- 
 tinuing to receive a pension, shall be considered and 
 determined as follows : — 
 
 (a) Any such claim or question shall stand referred to 
 
 the local pension committee, and the committee 
 shall (except in the case of a question which has 
 been originated by the pension officer and on 
 which the committee have alreadv received his 
 report), before considering the claim or ques- 
 tion, refer it for report and inquiry to the 
 pension officer : 
 
 (b) The pension officer shall inquire into and report 
 
 upon any claim or question so referred to him, 
 and the local pension committee shall, on the 
 receipt of the report of the pension officer and 
 after obtaining from him or from any other 
 source if necessary any further information as 
 to the claim or question, consider the case and 
 give their decision upon the claim or question : 
 
 (r:) The pension officer, and any person aggrieved, may 
 appeal to the central pension authority against 
 a decision of the local pension committee allow- 
 
21 
 
 ing or refusing a claim for pension or deter- 
 mining any question referred to them within the 
 time and in the manner prescribed by regulations 
 under this Act, and any claim or question in 
 respect of which an appeal is so brought shall 
 stand referred to the central pension authority, 
 and shall be considered and determined by 
 them : 
 
 (d) If any person is aggrieved by the refusal or neglect 
 of a local pension committee to consider a claim 
 for a pension, or to determine any question 
 referred to them, that person may apply in the 
 prescribed manner to the central pension 
 •authority, and that authority may, if they con- 
 sider that the local pension committee have 
 refused or neglected to consider and determine 
 the claim or question within a reasonable time, 
 themselves consider and determine the claim or 
 question in the same manner as on an appeal 
 from the decision of the local pension committee. 
 
 (2) The decision of the local pension committee on any 
 claim or question which is not referred to the central 
 pension authority, and the decision of the central pension 
 authority on any claim or question which is so referred to 
 them, shall be linal and conclusive. 
 
 Note to section 7. 
 
 As to this section, see Regulation 17 and paragraphs 45 and 46 
 of the Local Government Board circular of 21st August, 1908. 
 Decisions of the local pension committee on claims, and on ques- 
 tions that may arise as to whether the statutory conditions are 
 fulfilled in the case of a claimant, or continue to be fulfilled in 
 the case of a pensioner, must be arrived at in the manner prescribed 
 by this section and by Regulation 17, and they may be appealed 
 against by the pension officer or by any person aggrieved vv'ithin 
 seven days after the date of ihe decision or notice, as provided by Regu- 
 lation 18. The appeal must be on Form 9, and must be sent 
 to the Local Government Board, Whitehall, London, S.W., within 
 
 D 2 
 
2i 
 
 seven days, so that if the decision of the committee is given on the 
 1st December the appeal must he dispatched to the Local Government 
 Board not later than the 8th December. ^See par, 37 of Local 
 Government^Board circularjof 21st August, 1908, set out posL) It is 
 provided by Regulation 19 that the Local Government Board may hold 
 a^-jlocal inquiry in regard to any appeal. They are not compelled to do 
 so. It is not clear what the powers of the inspector or other officer 
 who holds an inquiry will be, as neither the enactments governing 
 inquiries under the Poor Laws nor those under the Public Health 
 Acts are made applicable, and it is, therefore, doubtful whether 
 any evidence could be taken on oath. 
 
 Note to section 7 (1, a). 
 
 The subsection directs that all claims shall stand referred to the 
 local pension committee, but this will not give the committee any- 
 thing more than a technical control over claims in the first instance, 
 as it is provided by Article 7 (2) of the Regulations that in all cases 
 the claim shall be sent to the pension officer, even though the 
 committee has directed the postmaster to send all claims to them 
 instead of direct to the pension officer. 
 
 Note to section 7 (1, b). 
 
 This subsection requires the local pension committee to consider 
 the case and give their decision where any claim or question is 
 submitted to them, and they will be guided in their action by the 
 rules in Regulations 13, 14, 15, and 16, in dealing with claims, and 
 Regulation 17 in dealing with questions. Where the committee 
 receive a report from a pension officer that a claim may properly 
 be allowed, and they agree with the report, they must forthwith 
 allow the claim (Regulation 13). It is important to note that in 
 certain cases where a claim is disallowed the committee must give 
 the claimant an opportunity of being heard (Regulation 14). The 
 Instructions to Pension Officers state that in making investigations 
 with regard to claims, officers are warned to be cautious in accept- 
 ing the uncorroborated statements of claimants and their relatives. 
 Wherever possible it is recommended that some documentary 
 corroboration of all statements should be obtained, and inc^uiries 
 should be made from those likely to be able to give information 
 respecting the claimant. It is suggested that officers or persons 
 acting in the administration of the Poor Law, ministers of religion, 
 clerks to justices, petty sessions clerks, collectors of rates, police 
 officials, shopkeepers, or officials connected with friendly and other 
 provident societies or with trade unions, may be able and willing 
 to assist the officer in his inquiries. It is to be hoped that every 
 official of any local authority or anyone who is in any way in a 
 j)osition to assist the pension officers in their inquiries will render 
 all possible aid, without exacting payment of fees to which they 
 might deem themselves entitled. Local authorities might well pass 
 resolutions directing their officers to allow the pension officers and 
 
^2> 
 
 persons acting on behalf of local pension committees to have free 
 inspection of all books of record which are likely to assist in ascer- 
 taining the facts about any claimant to a pension. 
 
 Note to section 7 (1, c and d). 
 
 Under these subsections there are two classes of persons who 
 may appeal to the Local Government Board, as the Central Pension 
 Authority, and these are (i) pension officers, and (2) persons 
 aggrieved. There may be some doubt as to who are the latter 
 class, for whilst the claimant to a pension whose claim has been 
 disallowed is a person aggrieved in one case, he would not be where 
 his claim had been allowed, unless he considered himself entitled 
 to a pension at a higher rate than had been granted to him. But 
 where a pension has been allowed, and there are grounds for 
 believing that the claimant is not entitled to it, the proper course 
 for any person who wishes to raise the question is to lay the 
 matter before the pension officer, who will be obliged to take notice 
 of any information tendered to him under Regulation 17 (2). It 
 is probable that the Local Government Board will refuse to enter- 
 tain an appeal from any person, other than the pension officer, 
 who is not either a pensioner or a claimant to a pension. 
 
 Local Pension Committee, Central Pension 
 • Authority, and Pension Officers. 
 
 8. — (i) The local pension committee shall be a com- 
 mittee appointed for every borough and urban district, 
 having a population according to the last published census 
 for the time being of twenty thousand or over, and for 
 every county (excluding the area of any such borough or 
 district), by the council of the borough, district, or county. 
 
 The persons appointed to be members of a local pension 
 committee need not be members of the council by which 
 they are appointed. 
 
 (2) A local pension committee may appoint such and so 
 many sub-committees, consisting either wholly or partly of 
 the members of the committee as the committee think fit, 
 and a local pension committee may delegate, either abso- 
 
24 
 
 lutely or under such conditions as they think fit, to any 
 such sub-committee any powers and duties of the local 
 pension committee under this Act. 
 
 (3) The central pension authority shall be the Local 
 Government Board, and the Board may act through such 
 committee, persons, or person appointed by them as they 
 think fit. 
 
 (4) Pension officers shall be appointed by the Treasury, 
 and the Treasury may appoint such number of those 
 otHcers as they think fit to act for such areas as they 
 direct. 
 
 (5) Any reference in this Act to pension authorities 
 shall be construed as a reference to the pension officer, 
 the local pension committee, and the central pension 
 authority, or to any one of them, as the case requires. 
 
 Note to ssetion 8. 
 
 With regard to the mode in which this section is to be carried 
 out, see Regulations 21, 22, 23, and 24, and paragraphs 8-16 of 
 the Local Government Board circular, 21st August, 1908. Under 
 subsection (2) of this section a local pension committee may appoint 
 sub-committees, and may delegate any of their powers and duties 
 to any such sub-committees " either absolutely or under such con- 
 ditions as they think fit." In view of the fact that subsection (2), 
 whilst giving power to delegate powers and duties "absolutely,'' 
 does not give power at any time afterwards to review suc'n 
 delegation, it seems to be very undesirable that any pension com- 
 mittee should do anything which might appear to permanently 
 divest itself of its powers by "absolute" delegation to any sub- 
 committee. Of course, the delegation could be put an end to by 
 the dissolution of the sub-committee, or it might be resumed by 
 the local pension committee in accordance with the general rules 
 as to delegation, were it not for the doubt which arises from the 
 use of the term "absolutely" in subsection (2) of this section. In 
 the case of Iluth v. Clarke, L. R. 25 Q. B. D. 391, Lord Coleridge 
 said "the word 'delegation' im])lies that powers are committed 
 to another person or body which are, as a rule, always subject to 
 resumption by the power delegating, and many examples of this 
 might be given. Unless, therefore, it is controlled by statute the 
 delegating power can at any time resume its authority." In the 
 same case Mr. Justice Wills said " delegation as the word is gener- 
 
25 
 
 ally used does not imply a parting with powers by the person who 
 grants the delegation, but points rather to the conferring of an 
 authority to do things which otherwise that person would have to 
 do himself." Probably the best reading of the subsection is one 
 in which the word "absolutely" is read as meaning "uncondition- 
 ally." Some meaning must be attached to the term in the Act, 
 and if this meaning is adopted there would be no doubt as to the 
 power of the local pension committee to resume the powers 
 delegated. 
 
 Lists of the counties, boroughs, and urban districts by which 
 local pension committees are to be appointed will be found in 
 Appendix Q.^ post, p. 139. 
 
 The Treasury have appointed all persons for the time being 
 holding the appointments of supervisor or officer of Excise in the 
 servnce of the Board of Inland Revenue to be pension officers, 
 such and so many of those officers as may for the time being, by 
 order of the Board of Inland Revenue, be stationed within each 
 Excise district, to act, subject to the instructions of that Board, 
 as pension officers for the area comprised in each such district. 
 These appointments have eflfect as from September i, 1908. 
 
 Penalty for False Statements, &c., and Repay- 
 ment where Pensioner Is Found Not to have 
 been Entitled to Pension. 
 
 9. — (i) If for the purpose of obtaining or continuing 
 an old-age pen.sion under this Act, either for himself or 
 for any other person, or for the purpose of obtaining or 
 continuing an old-age pension under this Act for himself 
 or for any other person at a higher rate than that appro- 
 priate to the case, any person knowingly makes any false 
 statement or false representation, he shall be liable on 
 summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not ex- 
 ceeding six months, with hard labour. 
 
 (2) If it is found at any time that a person has been 
 in receipt of an old-age pension under this Act while the 
 statutory conditions were not fulfilled in his case or while 
 he was disqualified for receiving the pension, he or, in 
 the case of his death, his personal representative, shall be 
 
26 
 
 liable to repay to the Treasury any sums paid to him in 
 respect of the pension while the statutory conditions were 
 not fulfilled or while he was disqualified for receiving the 
 pension, and the amount of those sums may be recovered 
 as a debt due to the Crown. 
 
 Regulations and Expenses. 
 
 lo. — (i) The Treasury in conjunction with the Local 
 Government Board and with the Postmaster- General (so 
 far as relates to the Post Office) may make regulations for 
 carrying this Act into effect, and in particular — 
 
 (a) for prescribing the evidence to be required as to the 
 
 fulfilment of statutory conditions and for defin- 
 ing the meaning of residence for the purposes of 
 this Act ; and 
 
 (b) for prescribing the manner in which claims to pen- 
 
 sions may be made, and the procedure to be 
 followed on the consideration and determination 
 of claims and questions to be considered and 
 determined by pension officers and local pension 
 committees or by the central pension authority, 
 and the mode in which any question may be 
 raised as to the continuance, in the case of a 
 pensioner, of the fulfilment of the statutory con- 
 ditions, and as to the disqualification of a 
 pensioner ; and 
 
 (c) as to the number, quorum, term of office, and pro- 
 
 ceedings generally of the local pension com- 
 mittee and the use by the committee, with or 
 without payment, of any oflfices of a local 
 authority, and the provision to be made for the 
 immediate payment of any expenses of the com- 
 
27 
 
 mittee which are ultimately to be paid by 
 the Treasury. 
 
 (2) The regulations shall provide for enabling claimants 
 for pensions to make their claims and obtain information 
 as respects old-age pensions under this Act through the 
 Post Office, and for provisionally allowing claims to 
 pensions before the date on which the claimant will 
 become actually entitled to the pension, and for notice 
 being given by registrars of births and deaths to the 
 pension officers or local pension committees of every death 
 of a person over seventy registered by them, in such 
 manner and subject to such conditions as may be laid 
 down by the regulations, and for making the procedure 
 for considering and determining on any claim for a 
 pension or question with respect to an old-age pension 
 under this Act as simple as possible. 
 
 (3) Every regulation under this Act shall be laid before 
 each House of Parliament forthwith, and, if an address 
 is presented to His Majesty by either House of Parliament 
 within the next subsequent twenty-one days on which that 
 House has sat next after any such regulation is laid before 
 it, praying that the regulation may be annulled, His 
 Majesty in Council may annul the regulation, and it shall 
 thenceforth be void, but without prejudice to the validity 
 of anything previously done thereunder. 
 
 (4) Any expenses incurred by the Treasury in carrying 
 this Act into effect, and the expenses of the Local Govern- 
 ment Board and the local pension committees under this 
 Act up to an amount approved by the Treasury, shall be 
 defrayed out of moneys provided by Parliament. 
 
 Note to section 10. 
 
 The Regulations made under this section are set out post^ as 
 well as the financial instructions for pension committees and sub- 
 committees made by the Treasury alone. It would appear that 
 
2 
 
 R 
 
 tliese Regulations are only provisional, and that others will probably 
 be issued at a later date. One of the most important of these 
 Regulations is No. 37, which enables the Local Government Board 
 and the Treasury to dispense with compliance with any of the 
 Regulations, or make any Orders, or give any directions otherwise 
 necessary for the purpose of bringing the Act into effect. 
 
 The pension committee will have nothing whatever to do with 
 the payment of pensions, as this will be carried out by the officials 
 of the Government alone. Having once given their decision as 
 to the eligibility of a claimant for a pension, the local pension 
 committee will not have to concern themselves with any question 
 which might arise under section 3 of the Act as to whether a 
 pensioner has become disqualified for continuing to receive an 
 old-age pension, unless any such question is raised by the pension 
 officer under Regulation 17 (2), and is submitted to the committee 
 for their consideration and determination. 
 
 Expenses incurred by local pension committees will be defrayed 
 out of funds to be supplied by the Treasury, and the " Financial 
 Instructions," set out ^osi, at page 134, show what expenses can 
 be legitimately incurred. It is understood to be the intention of 
 the Government to provide almost everything which pension com- 
 mittees are likely to require in the way of books and forms ; as 
 registers, minute books, and forms for reports and corre- 
 spondence will be supplied by His Majesty's Stationery 
 Office on application. The local pension committee, although 
 appointed by the county council, borough council, or urban district 
 council, is not itself a local authority, but is an entirely new body 
 acting as the local agent of the Crown. Its position is somewhat 
 similar to that of the local income tax commissioners. Its accounts 
 will not be subject to audit by the district auditors of the Local 
 Government Board, but will be rendered to the Treasury under 
 paragraph 9 of the Financial Instructions. Under Regulation 25 of 
 the "Old-Age Pensions Regulations," the council by whom any 
 committee is appointed is required from time to time to advance 
 such sums as may be necessary to provide for the payment of the 
 expenses properly incurred by any committee and sub-committee. 
 The sums so advanced are to be repaid to the council at such 
 time and in such manner as the Treasury think fit (Regu- 
 lation 25 (2)). No provision is made for defraying any expenses 
 that may have been inadvertently incurred by a committee and 
 are not repaid by the Treasury. It is probable that in any such 
 case the council which has advanced moneys to a committee, and 
 cannot recover the whole of them, would have to apply to the 
 Local (Government Board for sanction, under the Local Authorities 
 (Expenses) Act, 1887, to charge the deficiency in their accounts. 
 This, however, would not have to be done by a municipal cor- 
 poration, as the advances would be made out of the borough fund, 
 the accounts of which are not subject to Government audit. 
 
29 
 
 Application to Scotland, Ireland, and the Sciily 
 
 Isles. 
 
 II. — (i) In the application of this Act to Scotland, the 
 expression '' Local Government Board " means the Local 
 Government Board for Scotland ; the expression 
 "borough" means royal or parliamentary burgh; the 
 expression " urban district " means police burgh; the 
 population limit for boroughs and urban districts shall 
 not apply; and the expression '' I-unacy Act, 1890," 
 means the Lunacy (Scotland) Acts, 1857 to 1900. 
 
 (2) In the application of this Act to Ireland, the ex- 
 pression " Local Government Board " means the Local 
 Government Board for Ireland ; ten thousand shall be 
 substituted for twenty thousand as the population limit 
 for boroughs and urban districts ; and the expression 
 " asylum within the m.eaning of the Lunacy Act, 1890," 
 means a lunatic asylum within the meaning of the Local 
 Government (Ireland) Act, 1898. 
 
 (3) In the application of this Act to the Isles of Sciily, 
 those isles shall be deemed to be a county and the council 
 of those isles the council of a county . 
 
 Note to section 11. 
 
 Scotland. — The Central Pension Authority is the Local Govern- 
 ment Board for Scotland, and the local authorities by whom pension 
 committees are to be appointed are the councils of counties and 
 the councils of Royal or Parliamentary burghs, and police burghs. 
 There are no urban districts as such in Scotland. As the popula- 
 tion limit does not apply, every burgh in Scotland will appoint a 
 pension committee. A list of counties and burghs is given in the 
 Appendix, /(3i/, p. 143. 
 
 Ireland. — The Central Pension Authority is the Local Govern- 
 ment Board for Ireland, and the local authorities bv whom pension 
 committees are to be appointed are the councils of counties and 
 
."o 
 
 of boroughs and urban districts having populations of 10,000 and 
 upwards. A list of counties, boroughs, and urban districts is given 
 in the Appendix, post, p. 147. 
 
 Isles of Scilly. — There is a local Council for these Isles which 
 was constituted under an Order of the Local Government Board, 
 and that Council will be the authority to appoint the pension 
 committee. 
 
 Commencement and Short Title. 
 
 12. — (i) A person shall not be entitled to the receipt of 
 an old-age pension under this Act until the first day of 
 January nineteen hundred and nine and no such pension 
 shall begin to accrue until that day. 
 
 (2) This Act may be cited as the Old-Age Pensions Act, 
 
 3Q08. 
 
 SCHEDULE. 
 
 Means of Pensioner. 
 
 Rate of Pension 
 per Week. 
 
 Where the yearly means of the Pensioner as calculated 
 under this Act — 
 
 S. d. 
 
 Do not exceed £21 - 
 
 5 
 
 Exceed £21, but do not exceed £2^^ 12s. 6d. 
 
 4 
 
 Exceed ^23 12s. 6d., but do not exceed £2^ 5s.- 
 
 3 
 
 P^xceed £2(i 5s., but do not exceed £2'^ 17s. 6d. - 
 
 2 
 
 Exceed ^"28 17s. 6d., but do not exceed ^31 los.- 
 
 I 
 
 Exceed £t^\ los. 
 
 No pension 
 
31 
 
 OLD-AGE PENSIONS REGULATIONS, 
 
 Dated October 15, 1908. 
 
 In pursuance of section ten ot the Old-Age Pensions 
 Act, 1908, the Lords Commissioners of His N^ajesty's 
 Treasury, in conjunction with the Local Government 
 Board and the Postmaster-General, hereby make the 
 following Regulations : — 
 
 General Provisions. 
 
 Short Title. 
 
 I. These Regulations may be cited as the Old-Age 
 Pensions Regulations, 1908. 
 
 Interpretation. 
 
 2. — (i) In these Regulations, unless the context other- 
 wise requires — 
 
 " The Act " means the Old-Age Pensions Act, 1908 : 
 
 '' The committee " means the local pension committee 
 under the Act, and includes, with regard to any 
 matter delegated to a sub-committee under sub- 
 section (2) of section eight of the Act, the sub- 
 committee to which the matter is delegated : 
 
 " The pension officer " means the pension officer to 
 whom any claim or question is referred : 
 
 " District " means the area for which any pensic 
 officer is appointed to act : 
 
 " Pension " means an old-age pension under the Act : 
 
 " Claim " means a claim to a pension : 
 
 " Claimant " means a person by whom a claim has 
 been made : 
 
 '' Pensioner " means a person in receipt of a pension. 
 
32 
 
 (z) The Interpretation Act, 1889, applies for the pur- 
 pose of the interpretation of these Regulations as it 
 applies for the purpose of the interpretation of an Act of 
 Parliament. 
 
 Note. 
 
 The following are the enactments in the Interpretation Act, 1889, 
 which are here rendered applicable to the interpretation of the 
 Regulations. It must be remembered that they also apply to the 
 interpretation of the Act itself : — 
 
 I. Unless the contrary intention appears — 
 
 (a) words importing the masculine gender shall include females; 
 
 and 
 
 [b) words in the singular shall include the plural, and words 
 
 in the plural shall include the singular. 
 3. The expression "month" shall mean calendar month. 
 
 20. Expressions referring to writing shall, unless the contrary 
 intention appears, be construed as including references to printing, 
 lithography, photography, and other modes of representing or re- 
 producing words in a visible form. 
 
 26. Where an Act passed after the commencement of this Act 
 authorises or requires any document to be served by post, whether 
 the expression "serve," or the expression "give" or "send," or 
 any other expression is used, then, unless the contrary intention 
 appears, the service shall be deemeel to be effected by properly 
 addressing, prepaying, and posting a letter containing the docu- 
 ment, and unless the contrary is proved to ha\e been effected at 
 the time at which the letter would be deli^ere^l in the ordinary 
 course of post. 
 
 30. In this Act and in every other Act, whether passed l)efore 
 or after the commencement of this Act, references to the Sovereign 
 reigning at the time of the passing of the Act or to the Crown 
 shall, unless the contrary intention appears, be construed as refer- 
 ences to the Sovereign for the time being, and this Act shall be 
 binding on the Crown. 
 
 31. Where arry Act, whether passed before or after the com- 
 mencement of this Act, confers power to make, grant, or issue 
 any instrument, that is to say, any Order in Council, order, warrant, 
 scheme, letters patent, rules, regulations, or bye-laws, expressions 
 used in the instrument, if it is made after the commencement of 
 this Act, shall, unless the contrary intention appears, have the same 
 respective meanings as in the Act conferring the power. 
 
 32. — (i) Where an Act passed after the commencement of this 
 Act confers a power or imposes a duty, then, unless the contrary 
 intention appears, the power may be exercised and the duty shall 
 be performed from time to time as occasion requires. 
 
33 
 
 (2) Where an Act passed after the commencement of this Act 
 confers a power or imposes a duty on the holder of an office, as 
 such, then, unless the contrary intention appears, the power may 
 be exercised and the duty shall be performed by the holder for the 
 time being of the office. 
 
 (3) Where an Act passed after the commencement of this Act 
 confers a power to make any rules, regulations, or bye-laws, the 
 power shall, unless the contrary intention appears, be construed 
 as including a power exercisable in the like manner and subject 
 to the like consent and conditions, if any, to rescind, revoke, amend, 
 or vary the rules, regulations, or bye-laws. 
 
 Application to Scotland and Ireland. 
 
 3. — (i) In the application of these Regulations to 
 Scotland — 
 
 The expression " Local Government Board " means 
 the Local Government Board for Scotland ; the 
 expression " Registrar- General of Births, Deaths, 
 and Marriages ni England " means the registrar- 
 general of births, deaths, and marriages in Scot- 
 land, appointed under the Registration of Births, 
 Deaths, and Marriages (Scotland) Act, 1854, and 
 the Acts amending the same ; and the expression 
 ■ " sub-district " means " registration district,'^ 
 and the reference to an urban district council shall 
 not apply ; 
 
 The expression " county fund " means '' the county 
 general purposes rate "; the expression " borough 
 council ' ' means * ' town council ' ' ; the expression 
 " borough fund " means " the burgh general 
 improvement or other assessment." 
 
 (2) \i\ the application of these Regulations to Ireland — 
 The expression '' Local Government Board " means 
 the Local Government Board for Ireland ; and the 
 expression " Registrar- General of Births, Deaths, 
 and Marriages in England " means the registrar- 
 :.-_. general of births and deaths in Ireland appointed 
 
 under the Registration of Births and Deaths 
 (Ireland) Act. 
 
34 
 
 Provisions as to Sending of Notices. 
 
 4. — (i) Any notice or other document required 01 
 authorised to be sent for the purpose of these Regulations 
 shall be in writing. 
 
 (2) Any notice or other document required or author- 
 ised to be sent to any person for the purpose of these 
 Regulations shall be deemed to be duly sent if sent by 
 post addressed to that person at his ordinary address or, 
 in the case of a committee or sub-committee, addressed to 
 the clerk of the committee or sub-committee at his usual 
 office. 
 
 Use of Scheduled Forms. 
 
 5. The forms set out in the First Schedule to these 
 Regulations, or forms to the like effect, shall be used in 
 all cases to which those forms are applicable. 
 
 Making of Claims. 
 
 Method of Making Claim. 
 
 6. — (i) Every person who desires to make a claim must 
 fill up a form of claim, and deliver the form when filled 
 up either to the postmaster of the post office at which he 
 desires that the pension should be payable or to the 
 pension officer. 
 
 (2) The Postmaster-General shall furnish to every post- 
 master printed forms of claims, and every postmaster 
 shall, on application being made to him for the purpose, 
 supply a form of claim gratis to any person who desires 
 to make a claim. 
 
 (3) Every postmaster shall, if any person who desires 
 ,,,.. to make a claim requests him so to do, give to that person 
 "?;^'isuch information and such assistance in filling up the 
 
 m 
 
35 
 
 form of claim as it is in his power to give and as may be 
 necessary to enable that person to fill up the form pro- 
 perly. [Form No. i.] 
 
 Transmission of Claims to Pension Officer or to 
 
 Committee. 
 
 7. — (i) Every postmaster upon delivery to him of a 
 claim to a pension shall, unless he has received from the 
 committee appointed for the area in which the claimant 
 resides directions that claims shall be sent to the com- 
 mittee, forthwith send the claim to the pension officer : 
 
 Provided that if the committee give any such direction 
 as aforesaid, the postmaster shall instead of sending the 
 claim to the pension officer send it to the committee, or 
 where the committee have appointed a sub-committee for 
 the area in which the claimant resides, and the committee 
 have sent notice to the postmaster requiring him so to do, 
 shall send the claim to the sub-committee instead of to the 
 committee. 
 
 (2) As soon as may be after the receipt thereof, any 
 claim so sent to a committee or sub-committee shall be 
 transmitted by the clerk of the committee or sub-committee 
 to the pension officer. 
 
 Investigation and Determination of Claims by 
 Pension Officers and Committees. 
 
 Register of Claims. 
 
 8. — ( I ) The pension officer shall keep a register of all claims 
 referred to him, and on receiving any claim shall, subject 
 to these Regulations, forthwith cause the claim to be 
 registered in such manner as the Treasury prescribe, and 
 shall number all claims consecutively in the order in which 
 they are entered in the register. 
 
 (2) The pension officer shall also enter in the register of 
 claims such particulars as the Treasury prescribe of every 
 
36 
 
 decision of the committee or of the Local Government 
 Board on or in reference to any claim entered in his 
 register, or on or in reference to any question raised in 
 connection with any pension allowed on any such claim. 
 
 Investigation of Claim by Pension Oificer. 
 
 9. — (i) As soon as may be after receiving any claim, 
 the pension officer shall take all necessary steps for inves- 
 tigating the claim for the purpose of ascertaining whether 
 the claimant is entitled to a pension, and if he is so 
 entitled, to what rate of pension : 
 
 Provided that — 
 
 (a) where a claim previously made by the claimant 
 
 within four months of his present claim has 
 been disallowed, and the claimant does not 
 satisfy the pension officer that there is prima 
 facie reason to believe that the ground on 
 which the former claim was disallowed is no 
 longer in operation ; or 
 
 (b) where a claim on the face of it discloses that the 
 
 claimant does not fulfil the statutory condi- 
 tions ; 
 
 the pension officer shall not be bound to investigate the 
 claim, but in any case in which the pension officer decides 
 under this provision not to investigate a claim he shall 
 make a special report to the committee stating his reasons 
 for not investigating the claim. 
 
 (2) Subject to compliance with the instructions set out 
 in the Second Schedule to these Regulations and to any 
 further instructions issued for the guidance of pension 
 officers, the pension officer shall investigate the claim in 
 such manner as he thinks best fitted for the purpose. 
 
 Re-port of Pension Oificer. 
 
 10. The pension officer shall send to the committee his 
 reports on any claims investigated by him, and any special 
 reports on any claims which he has decided not to inves- 
 
37 
 
 tigate, on such date or dates in each month as the Treasury 
 may direct for the purpose, and shall annex to every 
 report sent by him to the committee the original claim and 
 (except in the case of a special report) a statement of the 
 inquiries made by him in reference to the claim and of 
 the result of those inquiries, and, unless he is satisfied that 
 the yearly means of the claimant do not exceed ;£2i, and 
 so states in the report, a sum.mary of the income, property, 
 and other yearly means of the claimant. [Form No. 2.] 
 
 Meetings for Consideration of Claims. 
 
 II. — (i) Not later than seven days after the receipt of 
 the report of the pension officer on any claim a meeting of 
 the committee shall be held for the purpose of considering 
 the claim. 
 
 (2) At the meeting held for the consideration of a claim 
 the committee shall consider the claim together with the 
 report of the pension officer, and any other evidence or 
 information laid before them, and the committee may at 
 any time, if they think necessary, require the pension 
 officer to procure any further information which it is in 
 his power to procure in reference to any matter to be con- 
 sidered by the committee. 
 
 (3) The pension officer shall be entitled to attend any 
 
 meeting held for considering any claim and to speak but 
 
 not to vote thereat. 
 
 Note. 
 
 The pension officer is entitled to attend meetings of coniinittees, 
 but as he is not an officer of the committee he cannot be required 
 to attend any meeting of a committee. 
 
 Notice of Meetings for Considering Claims. 
 
 12. Not less than three clear days before the day of the 
 meeting at which any claims are to be considered, the 
 committee shall send to the pension officer a notice stating 
 that a meeting for the consideration of claims will be held 
 on that day, and specifying the claims which will be con- 
 sidered at that meeting. [Form No. 3.] 
 
 E 2 
 
38 
 
 Determination of Claim where Committee agree with 
 Pejision Officer that Claim should he allowed. 
 
 13. In any case in which the pension officer has reported 
 that the claim may properly be allowed and the committee 
 after considering the claim agree with the report of the 
 pension officer, the committee shall forthwith allow the 
 claim and send notice of their decision to the pension 
 officer and the claimant. [Form No. 4.] 
 
 Procedure for Determination of Claim in other Cases. 
 
 14. — (i) In any case in which the pension officer has 
 reported that the claim cannot properly be allowed, and 
 the committee, after considering the claim, agree with the 
 report of the pension officer, the committee shall not give 
 their final decision on the claim without giving the 
 claimant an opportunity of being heard. 
 
 (2) If on considering any claim the committee disagree 
 as respects any matter with the report of the pension 
 officer, or if thev consider that for any other reason the 
 claim requires further consideration, the committee shall 
 not proceed to give their final decision on the claim with- 
 out making such further investigation as the committee 
 think necessary, and also, if the case is one in which the 
 committee think the matter ought to be decided adversely 
 to the claimant, without giving the claimant an oppor- 
 tunity of being heard. 
 
 (3) The committee may, if necessary for the })urpose of 
 making any further investigation or of giving a claimant 
 the opportunity of being heard, adjourn the consideration 
 of any claim, and where the consideration of any claim 
 is so adjourned, an adjourned meeting for the furthei 
 consideration of the claim shall be held not more than 
 one month after the date of the original meeting, and the 
 committee shall send notice to the claimant of the ad- 
 jojrnment of the consideration of the claim, and of the 
 
39 
 
 day fixed for the further consideration of the claim. 
 [Form No. 6.] 
 
 (4) The claimant shall be entitled to attend and be 
 heard at any such adjourned meeting, and the committee 
 after hearing the claimant (if he desires to be heard), and, 
 after considering any other evidence or information which 
 they have been able to obtain, shall give their decision on 
 the claim, and shall forthwith send notice of the decision 
 to the pension officer and the claimant. [Forms Nos. 4 
 and 5.] 
 
 (5) In any case where a claim is disallowed, the notice 
 to be sent to the claimant under this Regulation shall 
 state the grounds upon which the claim has been dis- 
 allowed and that the claimant is entitled to appeal to the 
 Local Government Board against the decision of the 
 committee. 
 
 Committee to iix and specify rate of Pension. 
 
 15. In any case where a claim is allowed, the com- 
 mittee must fix the weekly rate of pension to which the 
 pensioner is entitled and specify the rate in the notice of 
 their decision. 
 
 Provisional Allowance of Claims. 
 
 16. A claim may be made and provisionally allowed at 
 any time not exceeding four months before the date on 
 which the claimant will become entitled to receive his 
 pension. 
 
 Raising and Deternnination of Questions. 
 
 Raising and determination of Questions as to continuance 
 of fulfilment of Statutory Conditions, d^c. 
 
 17. — (i) If any pensioner desires to raise any question 
 as to the weekly rate of pension to which he is entitled, 
 
4P 
 
 he may send a statement of the question together with a 
 summary of any evidence in support of his allegations to 
 the pension officer of the district in which the pension is 
 payable, and the pension officer shall investigate and 
 (subject to the provisions of this Regulation) report on the 
 question in the same manner mutatis mutandis as he is by 
 these Regulations required to do in the case of a claim : 
 
 Provided that if in any case the pension officer is satis- 
 fied that there is no evidence in support of the allegations 
 made bv the pensioner, the pension officer shall not be 
 bound to make any report on the question. 
 
 (2) If the pension officer of the district in which any 
 pension is payable himself desires to raise any question as 
 to the continuance in the case of the pensioner of the ful- 
 filment of the statutory conditions, or as to the disquali- 
 fication of the pensioner, or any question as to the weekly 
 rate of pension to which the pensioner is entitled, he may 
 do so by submitting the question together wdth his report 
 thereon for consideration and determination by the com- 
 mittee. 
 
 The pension officer shall take into consideration any 
 representation which may be made by any person that any 
 such question as aforesaid ought to be investigated, and 
 shall, if he considers it necessary so to do, investigate and 
 report on the question accordingly. 
 
 (3) Where a committee receive a report from the pen- 
 sion officer as respects any such question as aforesaid they 
 shall consider and determine the question in the same 
 manner mutatis mutandis as they are by these Regulations 
 required to do in the case of a claim. [Forms Nos. 7 
 and 8.] 
 
41 
 
 Appeals. 
 
 Provisions as to time and manner of A-pfeal, &•'€. 
 
 18. — (i) The pension officer or any person aggrieved 
 who desires to appeal to the Local Government Board 
 against a decision of the committee may do so by sending 
 to the Board notice of appeal within seven days after the 
 date of the decision, or, if the appellant is a person to 
 whom notice of the decision is required to be sent under 
 these Regulations, within seven days after the receipt of 
 the notice by him. [Form No. 9.] 
 
 (2) The person appealing must at the time of sending 
 his notice of appeal to the Local Government Board, also 
 send to the committee a notification that he has so ap- 
 pealed, and the committee shall forthwith after receiving 
 the notification send to the Board the claim or question in 
 respect of which the appeal is brought, the report of the 
 pension officer upon the claim or question, a statement of 
 the decision of the committee thereon, and all other 
 documents in the possession of the committee relating 
 thereto. [Form No. lo.] 
 
 (3) Except where the appeal is brought by a claimant 
 or a pensioner, the committee shall send notice to the 
 claimant or pensioner informing him that the appeal has 
 been brought. [Form No. 11.] 
 
 (4) The clerk of the committee shall supply gratis to any 
 person desiring to appeal a form of notice of appeal and 
 a form of notification to the committee of an appeal 
 having been made. 
 
 Procedure of Local Government Board on A-ppeals. 
 
 19 — (i) In the case of any appeal to the Local Govern- 
 ment Board the Board shall cause such inquiry to be held, 
 or take such other steps as they think necessary for the 
 purpose of enabling them to come to a proper decision in 
 the case. 
 
42 
 
 (2) Notice of every decision of the Board shall forth- 
 with be sent to the committee, and the committee shall on 
 receiving any such notice send information thereof to the 
 pension officer and to the claimant or pensioner, and like- 
 wise (if the appellant is a person aggrieved other than 
 the claimant or pensioner) to the appellant. [Forms 
 Nos. 12 and 13.] 
 
 Applications to Local Government Board where 
 Committee Refuse or Neglect to Determine 
 Matter. 
 
 Applications to Local Government Board by persons 
 aggrieved by refusal or neglect of Committee to 
 consider claim, &'c. 
 
 20. — (i) An application to the Local Government Board 
 under paragraph (d) of subsection (i) of section seven of 
 the Act by a person aggrieved by the refusal or neglect of 
 a committee to consider a claim, or determine any ques- 
 tion, may be made by sending to the Board a notice in 
 wiiting stating that the applicant is so aggrieved, and 
 specifying the date on which the claim was made or the 
 question referred to the committee, as the case may be. 
 
 (2) If the Board do not consider that the committee 
 have refused or neglected to consider and determine the 
 claim or question within a reasonable time, the Board shall . 
 inform the applicant accordingly. 
 
 (3) The provisions of these regulations relating to the 
 procedure of the Local Government Board on appeals 
 shall apply in the case of applications to the Board under 
 the above-mentioned provision of the Act as they apply in 
 the case of appeals to the Board. 
 
 Local Pension Committees and Sub-Committees. 
 
 Constitution, Chairman, and Proceedings of Local 
 Pension Committee. 
 
 21. — (i) A local pension committee shall consist of such 
 
43 
 
 number of persons, not being less than seven nor more 
 than the number of the council by whom the committee is 
 appointed, as the council may determine. 
 
 (2) The council by whom a committee is appointed may 
 make regulations as to the quorum, proceedings, and place 
 of meeting of the committee, but subject to any such regu- 
 lations, the quorum, proceedings, and place of meeting of 
 the committee shall be such as the committee determine : 
 
 Provided that the quorum shall in no case be less than 
 three. 
 
 (3) The term of office of a person appointed to be a 
 member of a committee shall be three years or such less 
 term as may be fixed by the appointing council at the time 
 of the appointment, and any person on ceasing to be a 
 member of a committee may be re-appointed : 
 
 Provided that — 
 
 (a) if any person so appointed is a member of the 
 
 appointing council, he shall cease to be a 
 member of the committee if he ceases to be a 
 member of that council ; and 
 
 (b) a member of the committee may resign by send- 
 
 ing to the clerk of the appointing council 
 notice of his desire so to do ; and 
 
 (c) a member whose office expires by effluxion of time 
 
 shall continue to hold office until his successor 
 is appointed ; and 
 
 (d) the appointing council may, if they think fit, at 
 
 any time remove any member of a committee 
 and appoint another person to be a member of 
 the committee in his place ; and 
 
 (e) if a member of the committee is absent from 
 
 meetings of the committee for more than six 
 months consecutively, except in case of illness 
 or for some reason approved by the committee, 
 his office shall on the expiration of those 
 months become vacant. 
 
44 
 
 (4) If any vacancy ' occurs in a committee by death, 
 resignation, or otherwise, the clerk of the committee shall 
 forthwith send notice of the vacancy to the clerk of the 
 appointing council, and that council shall as soon as 
 possible fill up the vacancy. 
 
 (5) A committee shall appoint- some member of the 
 committee to be chairman of the committee, and the person 
 so appointed shall, if he so long remains a member of the 
 committee, hold office as chairman for such period, not 
 being less than twelve months, as may be specified in the 
 resolution of the committee under which he is so 
 appointed. 
 
 (6) Every question at a meeting of the committee shall 
 be determined by a majority of the votes of the members 
 of the committee present and voting on the question, and, 
 in case of an equal division of votes, the chairman of the 
 meeting shall have a second or casting vote. 
 
 (7) The proceedings of a committee shall not be in- 
 validated by any vacancy in their number or by any defect 
 in the appointment of any member of the committee. 
 
 Use by Committees of Offices of Local Authorities, and 
 provisions in case there are no such Offices available. 
 
 22. — (i) A committee shall, for the purpose of any of 
 the meetings of the committee under these Regulations, be 
 entitled to use free of charge (except such charge as may 
 be approved by the Treasury for heating, lighting, or 
 cleaning), at all reasonable times, and after reasonable 
 notice, any offices of any local authority situate in the 
 area of the council by which the committee is appointed. 
 
 (2) If any question arises under this Regulation as to 
 what is reasonable, it may be determined by the Local 
 Government Board. 
 
 (3) If in any case there are no offices of any local 
 
45 
 
 authority available for use by a committee and the com- 
 mittee are unable to obtain the use of any room free of 
 charge, the committee may hire such room as may be 
 required for the purpose of any meeting of the committee : 
 
 Provided that; — 
 
 (a) the cost of hiring any such room shall not exceed 
 
 the scale fixed for the purpose by the Treasury ; 
 and 
 
 (b) except with the sanction of the Local Government 
 
 Board (which sanction shall only be given when 
 no other suitable room is available either free 
 of charge or at a cost not exceeding such scale 
 as aforesaid) a committee shall not hold a 
 meeting on any licensed premises, nor shall 
 any such premises be used, without such sanc- 
 tion, as an ofifi.ce of the committee or for any 
 purpose of or incidental to the business of the 
 committee. 
 (4) In this Regulation the expression " committee " 
 (except where the context otherwise requires) includes a 
 sub-committee, and the expression " licensed premises " 
 means premises licensed for the sale of intoxicating liquor, 
 and includes any club at which such liquor is supplied. 
 
 Appointment of Clerk of Committee. 
 
 23. — (i) Every committee shall appoint some fit person 
 to be clerk of the committee, to hold office during the 
 pleasure of the committee. 
 
 (2) The committee may assign to the clerk such remu- 
 neration as the committee think fit, not being in excess of 
 the scale fixed for the purpose by the Treasury. 
 
 (3) The clerk of every committee shall keep a record in 
 such form and containing such particulars as the Local 
 Government Board direct of all claims and questions in 
 respect of which a report is sent to the committee by the 
 pension ofificer, and of the decision of the committee 
 thereon. 
 
46 
 
 (4) The clerk of every committee shall immediately 
 upon his appointment notify the appointment, together 
 with his name and address, to the Local Government 
 Board. [P'orm No. 14.] 
 
 (5) In this Regulation the expression " committee " 
 includes a sub-committee, except that in the case of the 
 clerk to a sub-committee the remuneration shall be 
 assigned by the committee. 
 
 Provisions as to Suh-Committees. 
 24. — (i) Every committee by whom a sub-committee is 
 appointed under the Act shall .send notice of the appoint- 
 ment to the Local Government Board and to such pension 
 ofBcer as the Board direct, and the notice so sent shall 
 specify the area for which the sub-committee is appointed 
 to act, and shall state which of the powers and duties of 
 the committee have been delegated to the sub-committee. 
 [Form No. 15.] 
 
 (2) A sub-committee shall consist of such number of 
 members, not being less than five nor more than nine, as 
 the committee may determine. 
 
 Provided that the Local Government Board may in 
 special circumstances authorise a smaller or a greater 
 number. 
 
 (3) Subject as aforesaid, the provisions of these Regu- 
 lations relating to the constitution, chairman, and pro- 
 ceedings of committees shall apply to sub-committees as 
 they apply to committees, with the substitution of the 
 committee for the appointing council, and of the sub- 
 committee for the committee. 
 
 Miscellaneous. 
 
 Provision for immediate payment of Expenses of 
 
 Committees. 
 25. — (i) For the purpose of providing for the imme- 
 diate payment of any expenses properly incurred by any 
 committee (including any expenses properly incurred by 
 
47 
 
 any sub-committees appointed by the committee) the 
 council by whom the committee was appointed shall from 
 time to time advance such sums as may be necessary to 
 provide for the payment of those expenses. 
 
 (2) Any sums so advanced by a council shall, notwith- 
 standing any statutory provision to the contrary, be pro- 
 vided, in the case of a count v council out of the count v 
 fund, in the case of a borough council out of the borough 
 fund, and in the case of any other urban district council 
 out of any fund out of which expenses incurred in the 
 execution of the Public Health Acts may be paid, and 
 shall be repaid to the council at such time and otherwise 
 in such manner as the Treasury think fit. 
 
 (3) The Treasury may, for the purpose of providing 
 for the payment by any such council of any such expenses, 
 if they think fit so to do, advance to the council such sums 
 as the Treasury think proper for the purpose, and the 
 council shall apply the sums so advanced accordingly. 
 
 (4) Every council to whom any sums are so advanced 
 by the Treasury shall render to the Treasury such accounts 
 in respect of the sums advanced as the Treasury may 
 require. 
 
 Note. 
 
 It is provided by section 10 (3) of the Act that if an address is 
 presented to His Majesty by either House of Parliament a Reguhi- 
 tion may be annulled. 
 
 On the 29th October, 1908, the House of Lords, on the motion 
 of the Earl of Camperdown, resolved: "That a humble address 
 be presented to His Majesty, prapng that His Majesty will annul 
 Regulation No. 25, which has been laid before Parliament in pur- 
 suance of the Old-Age Pensions Act, 1908." The part of the 
 Regulation which the noble Earl objected to is as follows : " For 
 the purpose of providing for the immediate payment of any expenses 
 properly incurred by any co'mmittee, the council by whom the 
 committee was appointed shall from time to time advance such 
 sums as may be necessary to provide for the payment of such 
 expenses." The Treasury and the Local Government Board, said 
 the noble Earl, seemed to impose on the county councils a charge 
 which there was no legal authority to impose. In fact, there was 
 
48 
 
 an attempt on the i)art of the Government Departments to dispense 
 with the statute, such action being in his view, and in that of the 
 Earl of Halsbury, who unfortunately could not be present, illegal 
 and unconstitutional. The county council and its old-age pension 
 committee had no power to advance any money, and the words 
 of the Treasury Regulation — which later declared "any statutory 
 provision to the contrary notwithstanding " — showed that the 
 Department was arrogating to itself the powers of Parliament. 
 
 Up to the date of this book going to press no action had been 
 taken in the matter, and as the Lord Chancellor did not agree with 
 the view embodied in the resolution it is probable that nothing 
 further will be done. 
 
 Provisioji as to Evidence on Determination of Claim. 
 
 26. The Local Government Board or any committee 
 may for the purpose of determining any claim or question 
 which is to be determined by the Board or the committee, 
 have rega''d to any such evidence or information as in the 
 opinion of the Board or committee is sufficient for the 
 purpose, and is the best evidence or information which it 
 is reasonably possible to obtain. 
 
 Provision as to Dates being Directory. 
 
 27. Any failure on the part of any pension officer or 
 any committee to comply with any requirements of these 
 Regulations or of any directions given by virtue of these 
 Regulations as to the time within which any proceedings 
 are to be taken, or any things are to be done, or as to the 
 notice to be given of meetings for the consideration of 
 claims, shall not of itself render invalid the decision of 
 the committee on any claim or question. 
 
 Returns by Registrars of Births and Deaths. 
 
 28. — (i) The registrar of births and deaths of every 
 sub-district shall once in every week send to such pension 
 officer or pension officers in his sub-district as the Treasury 
 may through the Registrar- General of Births, Deaths, and 
 Marriages in England direct, a return in respect of all 
 
49 
 
 deaths of persons of the age of seventy years or upwards 
 which have I'een registered by him in the week imme- 
 diately preceding the date of the return. 
 
 (2) The registrar shall be entitled to a fee of twopence 
 for every return sent by him under this regulation, whether 
 the return contains any entry of any death or not, and in 
 addition to a fee of twopence for every death entered in 
 a return. 
 
 (3) The return under this Regulation shall be in such 
 form as the Registrar- General, with the consent of the 
 Treasury, prescribes, and in prescribing the form, regard 
 shall be had to the desirability of the form following so 
 far as possible the form of a certificate of death. 
 
 (4) Forms necessary for the purpose of the return shall 
 be supplied by the Registrar -General to every registrar of 
 births and deaths. 
 
 (5) The first return under this Regulation shall be made 
 in respect of the week ending the fifth day of December 
 nineteen hundred and eight. 
 
 Definition of Residence. 
 
 29. For the purpose of the statutory condition relating 
 to residence, the expression " residence " shall mean 
 actual presence in the United Kingdom, uninterrupted 
 otherwise than by temporary absences, and 
 
 (a) A person (being a claimant) shall be deemed to have 
 been temporarily absent — 
 
 (i) If before the absence he was living in 
 the United Kingdom and throughout the ab- 
 sence he was employed in the service of the 
 Crown as a soldier, sailor, or otherwise, or was 
 in the service of anyone so employed : Pro- 
 vided that for the purposes of this provision a 
 person shall not be deemed to be in the service 
 
50 
 
 of the Crown unless his remuneration is paid 
 out of moneys provided by the Parliament of 
 the United Kingdom ; or 
 
 (ii) If before the absence he was living in 
 the United Kingdom and throughout the ab- 
 sence he was serving on board a vessel regis- 
 tered in the United Kingdom ; or 
 
 (iii) If throughout the absence his home 
 was in the United Kingdom : Provided that a 
 person shall not be deemed for the purposes of 
 this provision to have had his home in the 
 United Kingdom during any absences (other 
 than absences to which paragraphs (i) and 
 (ii) of this Regulation apply) which occurred 
 Avholly or partly within the period of twenty 
 years prescribed by subsection (2) of section 2 
 of the Act, if the aggregate of those absences 
 since the beginning of the earliest of them 
 exceeds eight years : 
 
 (b) A person (being a pensioner) shall be deemed to 
 have been temporarily absent if he is absent for 
 any period not exceeding three months at any one 
 time. 
 
 Definition of " f roper -provision " for the purpose of 
 s. 3 (i) (b) of the Act. 
 
 30. A person shall be regarded for the purpose of the 
 proviso to paragraph (b) of subsection (i) of section three 
 of the Act as having made proper provision against old 
 age, sickness, infirmity, or want or loss of employment, 
 if he has continuously for ten years up to attaining the 
 age of sixty, by means of payments to friendly, provident, 
 or other societies, or trade unions, or other approved 
 steps, made provision to secure for himself free from any 
 
51 
 
 deductions or incumbrances any of the following benefits 
 or advantages : — 
 
 (i) The right to receive during any period of sickness, 
 not less than seven shillings and sixpence a week 
 during the lirst twenty-six weeks (or alterna- 
 tively not less than fifteen shillings a week for 
 the first thirteen weeks) of the period, and not 
 less than two shillings a week for the remainder 
 of the period : 
 
 (2) The right to receive not less than five shillings a 
 
 week during want or loss of employment : 
 
 (3) The right to receive not less than three shillings a 
 
 week for life either on becoming permanently 
 incapacitated or upon the attainment of any 
 specified age not exceeding seventy : 
 
 (4) The right to receive not less than five shillings a 
 
 week upon the attainment of any age not ex- 
 ceeding sixty-five until the attainment of the age 
 of seventy : 
 
 (5) The right to receive not less than two shillings a 
 
 week upon the attainment of any age not exceed- 
 ing sixty until the attainment of the age of 
 seventy : 
 
 (6) The right to receive a capital sum of not less than 
 
 fifty pounds upon the attainment of any specified 
 age not exceeding seventy : 
 
 (7) The possession, upon the attainment of the age of 
 
 sixty, of accumulated savings, or of property 
 purchased out of accumulated savings, to the 
 value of not less than fifty pounds. 
 
 Disposal of Documents. 
 31. — (i) As soon as may be after the Local Govern- 
 ment Board have given their decision on any claim or 
 question, or after the decision of the committee on any 
 
 F 
 
52 
 
 claim or question has become final, the Board or the com- 
 mittee, as the case may be, shall return the claim or ques- 
 tion and all documents relating thereto in their possession 
 to the pension officer. 
 
 (2) Subject as herein-after provided, the pension officer 
 shall preserve all such documents for such period after 
 the date of the decision on the claim or question, as the 
 Treasury may determine, and on the expiration of that 
 period they shall be destroyed or otherwise disposed of 
 in such manner as the Treasury' may direct. 
 
 (3) If a pensioner removes from the district of one 
 pension officer to the district of another pension officer, 
 the first-named pension officer shall transmit to the other 
 pension officer all documents in his possession relating to 
 the pensioner or to his claim, together with a copy of the 
 entries in the register of claims relating thereto. 
 
 Issue of Boohs of Pension Orders. 
 
 32. — (i) It shall be the duty of the pension officer, in 
 every case in which there is a final decision allowing a 
 claim, to issue to the claimant a book of pension orders 
 not later than the date on which the first payment in 
 respect of the pension is to be made. 
 
 (2) On every issue to a pensioner of a fresh book of 
 pension orders the pension officer shall require the pen- 
 sioner to sign a statement in writing to the effect that to 
 the best of his belief his yearly means have not increased 
 so as to disentitle him to receive a pension at the weekly 
 rate at which he was previously receiving the pension, and 
 that to the best of his belief he is not disqualified for con- 
 tinuing to receive a pension. [Form No. 16.] 
 
 Instructions by Postmaster-General to Postmasters, 
 
 33. The Postmaster-General shall issue to all post- 
 masters such instructions as he thinks necessary for the 
 purpose of giving effect to these Regulations. 
 
53 
 
 Periston Officers to obey directions of Commissioners 
 
 of Inland Revenue. 
 
 34. Subject to the provisions of the Act and of these 
 Regulations, every person appointed as a pension officer 
 shall in the execution of his office observe and follow the 
 orders, instructions, and directions of the Commissioners 
 of Inland Revenue. 
 
 Information to he supplied by Poor Laiv Officers. 
 
 35. For the purpose of enabling a pension officer to 
 ascertain whether any person is disqualified by reason of 
 the receipt of poor relief for receiving or continuing to 
 receive a pension, every officer or person acting in the 
 administration of the relief of the poor shall, if so re- 
 quested to do by the pension officer, supply to the pension 
 officer such information as it is in his power to give as 
 respects any person who is or has been in receipt of poor 
 relief. 
 
 Temporary Provisions. 
 
 Provisions as to First A-p-pointment and First Meetings 
 
 of Committees. 
 
 ^6. — (i) Every council by whom a local }jension com- 
 mittee has not been appointed before the date of these Regu- 
 lations shall forthwith hold a meeting for the purpose of 
 appointing the committee, and the council shall have full 
 power to appoint the committee at that meeting or any 
 adjournment thereof, notwithstanding that any standing 
 orders or regulations relating to the notices to be given 
 of business to be transacted at meetings of the council 
 have not been complied with. 
 
 (2) The first meeting of the committee shall be con- 
 vened by the clerk of the council as soon as may be after 
 the committee has been appointed. 
 
 (3) If the appointing council so direct, the first meeting 
 nf the committee may subject as herein-after provided be 
 held without any notice immediately after the appoint 
 ment of the committee : 
 
 F 2 
 
54 
 
 Provided that where any persons other than members 
 of the appointing council are appointed as members of the 
 (XDmmittee, the meeting shall not be held unless all those 
 persons have been informed of their appointment and 
 given an opportunity of attending the meeting. 
 
 (4) The appointing council shall forthwith after ap- 
 pointing the committee send notice thereof to the Local 
 Government Board. 
 
 Power of Local Government Board and Treasury to 
 
 remove difjiculties. 
 
 37. In order to enable all claims made during the year 
 nineteen hundred and eight to be investigated and deter- 
 mined, whenever possible, before the first day of January 
 nineteen hundred and nine, the Local Government Board 
 and the Treasury may, if they think fit, make orders 
 declaring the appointment of any committee to be valid 
 notwithstanding any defect in the appointment thereof, 
 or dispensing with compliance with any of these Regula- 
 tions, or may make any orders or give any directions 
 otherwise necessary for the purpose of bringing the Act 
 into effect. 
 
 Saving of things done under Provisional Regulations. 
 
 38. These Regulations shall be deemed to have had 
 effect as from the 20th day of August, 1908. 
 
 Provided that anything done in pursuance of the pro- 
 visional Regulations made under the Act on the 20th day 
 of August, 1908, shall, notwithstanding anything in these 
 Regulations, be deemed to have been validly done and have 
 full effect accordingly. 
 
 Dated this 15th day of October, 1908. 
 
 J. HERBERT LEWIS, 
 CECIL NORTON, 
 
 Two of the Lords Commissioners 
 of His Majesty's Treasury. 
 
 SYDNEY CHARLES BUXTON, 
 
 His Majesty's Postmaster-General. 
 
55 
 
 Given under the Seal of Office of the Local Govern- 
 ment Board this fifteenth day of October, in the 
 year One thousand nine hundred and eight. 
 
 (L.S.) JOHN BURNS, 
 
 President. 
 
 S. B. PROVIS, 
 
 Secretary. 
 
 Given under the Seal of Office ot the Local Govern- 
 ment Board for Scotland this fifteenth day of October, 
 in the year One thousand nine hundred and eight. 
 
 (L.S.) JOHN SINCLAIR, 
 
 President. 
 G. FALCONAR-STEWART, 
 
 Secretary. 
 
 Given under the Seal of Office of the Local Govern- 
 ment Board for Ireland this fifteenth day of October, 
 in the year One thousand nine hundred and eight. 
 
 AUGUSTINE BIRRELL, 
 (l.s.) H. a. ROBINSON. 
 
56 
 
 SCHEDULES 
 
 FIRST SCHEDULE. 
 
 FORMS. 
 
 FORM 1. 
 
 The Old-Age Pensions Act, 1908. 
 
 Claim to Pension. 
 
 Note. — Claims should not be made more than four 
 months before the date on which the claimant will attain 
 the age of seventy. 
 
 N ote. — " If for the purpose of obtaining or continuing an 
 old-age pension under this Act, either for himself or any 
 other person, or for the purpose of obtaining or continuing 
 an old-age pension under this Act for himself or for any 
 other person at a higher rate than that appropriate to the 
 case, any person knowingly makes any false statement or 
 false representation, he shall be liable on summary con- 
 viction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six 
 months, with hard labour." (Old-Age Pensions Act, 1908, 
 section 9 (i).) 
 
 1. Full name of claimant. 
 
 2. *Home address. 
 
 3. Occupation. 
 
 4. Sex. 
 
 5. Are you single .'' 
 
 or married ? 
 
 or a widower or widow ? 
 
 If a married woman or widow, what was your 
 maiden name "i 
 
 * The postal address in full of the claimant must be given- 
 
;7 
 
 6. Age . Date of Birth. 
 
 7. tPlace where born. 
 
 8. Are you a British subject ? 
 
 9. JHave you lived in the United Kingdom for the whole 
 
 of the last twenty years ? 
 
 At what place or places did you live during those 
 years .? 
 
 10. How much have you coming in per week in money? 
 
 What are your other means of subsistence (if any) ? 
 
 Do you pay rent for the house or lodging in which 
 you live ? 
 
 Note. — Vou will subseqiiently have to furnish any 
 -further -particulars whicli the -pension officer may require, 
 in order to satisfy Jtimself tfiat you are entitled to a 
 pension. 
 
 I have clearly understood the above questions, and to the 
 best of my knowledge and belief all the statements made 
 by me in this claim are correct, and so far as I know I am 
 not disqualified for the receipt of a pension.* 
 
 If my claim is allowed I desire that my pension should 
 be payable at the Post Office at§ 
 
 Signature (or Mark) of Claimant. 
 
 Date. 
 
 (Date.) Witness to signature, or (wJiere claimant is 
 
 unable to write) to mark, of claimant. 
 
 Address of Witness. 
 
 t Give exact address if possible. 
 
 X If the claimant answers the question in the negative, he will not necessarily be 
 disentitled to a pension. 
 § The full address of the post office must be given. 
 
 * Under section 3 of the Act, a person is disqualified for 
 the receipt of a pension in the following (among other) 
 cases : — 
 
 I. While he is in receipt of poor relief (other than 
 medical and certain other kinds of relief excepted 
 under the Act), or if he has been in receipt of any 
 such relief at any time since the ist January, 1908. 
 
S8 
 
 2. If he has habitually failed to work according to his 
 
 ability, opportunity, and need for the maintenance 
 or benefit of himself and those legally dependent 
 upon him, unless he can show that from the age of 
 fifty to sixty he made proper provision against old 
 age, sickness, infirmity, or want or loss of employ- 
 ment. 
 
 3. If within the last ten years he has been in prison 
 
 under a sentence of imprisonment without the option 
 of a fine, or of penal servitude. 
 
 4. If an order of a court disqualifying him is in force. 
 
 To he filled, in only ivhen the claimant has heeyt assisted 
 
 by a Sub-Postmaster. 
 
 I have assisted the claimant to fill up this 
 form. 
 
 Signature. 
 
 Sub-Postmaster of 
 
 FORM 2. 
 
 The Old- Age Pensions Act, 1908. 
 
 Report of Pension Officer on Claim. 
 
 District Station 
 
 No. in Pension Officer's Register 
 
 Name of Claimant 
 
 To the Local Pension Committee of the County [or 
 Borough] [or Urban District] of 
 
 A* I have investigated the claim of the above-named 
 claimant and in my opinion the claim may properly be 
 allowed, and the claimant is entitled to receive a pension 
 at the weekly rate of 
 
 * To be used where report in favour of allowance of claim. 
 
59 
 
 Bt I have investigated the claim of the above-named 
 claimant and in my opinion the claimant is at the present 
 date not entitled to receive, [or disqualified for receiving] 
 a pension, but the claim may properly be allowed pro- 
 visionally, and the claimant will become entitled on the 
 day of to a pension at the weekly rate 
 
 of 
 
 C§ I have investigated the claim of the above-named 
 claimant, and in my opinion the claim cannot properly 
 be allowed for che following leasons, namely : — 
 
 The claimant does not fulfil the statutory conditions by 
 reason of not being a British subject [or, as the ca<;", 
 may be]. 
 
 [or, The claimant is disqualified under section 3 (i) (d) 
 of the Act [or, as the case may he] ]. 
 
 t [I am satisfied that the yearly means of the claimant 
 do not exceed £'2.1.] 
 
 t [The annexed statement contains a summary of the 
 income, property, and other means of the claimant.] 
 
 Statement as to inquiries made. 
 
 (Signature of Pension Officer.) 
 
 (Address of Pension Officer.) 
 
 (Date.) 
 
 t To be used where report in favour of provisional allowance of claim. 
 § To be used where report in favour of disallowance of claim. 
 
 t Strike out both these if C is used ; otherwise strike out alternative which is not 
 appropriate. 
 
 FORM 3. 
 
 The Old-Age Pensions Act, 1908. 
 Notice of Meeting of Committee for Considering 
 Claims or Questions. 
 County [or Borough] [or Urban District] of 
 To the Pension Officer. 
 You are hereby informed that a meeting of the Local 
 
6o 
 
 Pension Committee of the County [or Borough] [or Urban 
 District] of will be held at on the* 
 
 day of at o'clock for the purpose of 
 
 considering the claims [or questions] specified in the sub- 
 joined list. 
 
 List of Claitns. 
 
 Name of Claimant. 
 
 Address of Claimant. 
 
 Number of Claim in Pension 
 Officer's Report. 
 
 (Signature of Clerk of Co7ninittee.) 
 
 (Address of Clerk of Committee.) 
 (Date.) 
 
 * This must be a day not less than three days after the date of notice. 
 
 FORM 4. 
 A. — Form of Notice to Claimant. 
 The Old-Age Pensions Act, 1908. 
 Notice of Decision of Committee Allowing Claim. 
 District Station 
 
 No. in Pension Officer's Register 
 Name of Claimant 
 
 To the above-named Claimant. 
 
 You are hereby informed that by their decision dated 
 the day of , the Local Pension Committee 
 
 have [provisionally] allowed your claim to a pension, and 
 that you will be entitled [on the day of ] 
 
 tc a pension at the weekly rate of , the first pay- 
 
 ment in respect of which will be made on Friday, the 
 day of 
 
 The Pension Officer will in due course issue to you a 
 book of pension orders enabling you to obtain payment of 
 the pension at the post office at 
 
6i 
 
 The pension will continue so long only as you continue 
 to fulfil the statutory conditions and do not incur any 
 disqualification. 
 
 This decision is subject to appeal, but if an appeal is 
 brought you will be informed of the fact. 
 
 (Signature of Clerk of Committee.) 
 
 (Address of Clerk of Co772mittee.) 
 (Date.) 
 
 B.— Form of Notice to Pension Officer. 
 
 The Old-Age Pensions Act, 1908. 
 
 Notice of Decision of Committee Allowing Claim. 
 
 District Station 
 
 No. in Pension Officer's Register 
 
 Name of Claimant 
 
 To the Pension Officer. 
 
 You are hereby informed that by their decision dated the 
 
 day of , the Local Pension Committee 
 
 have [provisionally] allowed the claim of the above-named 
 
 claimant, and that the claimant will be entitled [on the 
 
 day of ] to a pension at the weekly rate 
 
 of 
 
 Should you desire to appeal to the Local Government 
 Board against this decision, you may do so by sending 
 notice of appeal to the Local Government Board not later 
 than seven days after the receipt of this notice, and send- 
 ing at the same time to me notification that you have so 
 appealed. 
 
 (Sigyiature of Clerk of Committee.) 
 
 (Address of Clerk of Committee.] 
 (Date.) 
 
62 
 
 FORM 5. 
 
 A.— Form of Notice to Cl'^imant. 
 
 The Old-Age Pensions Act, 1908. 
 
 Notice of Decision of Committee Disallowing Claim. 
 
 District Station 
 
 No. in Pension Officer's Register 
 
 To A.B. of 
 
 You are hereby informed that by their decision dated 
 the day of the Local Pension Committee 
 
 have disallowed your claim to a pension on the grounds 
 that [state the gro7ind,s\ 
 
 Should you desire to appeal to the Local Government 
 Board against this decision, you may do so by sending 
 notice of appeal to the Local Government Board not later 
 than seven days after the receipt of this notice, and sending 
 at the same time to me notification that you have so 
 appealed. A form of notice of appeal and a form of notifi- 
 cation may be obtained on application to me. 
 
 (Signature of Clerk of Committee.) 
 
 (Address of Clerk of Cominittee.) 
 (Date.) 
 
 B. — Form of Notice to Pension Officer. 
 The Old-Age Pensions Act, 1908. 
 Notice of Decision of Committee Disallowing Claim. 
 District Station 
 
 No. in Pension Officer's Register 
 Name of Claimant 
 
 To the Pension Officer. 
 
 You are hereby informed that by their decision dated the 
 day of the Local Pension Committee have 
 
 disallowed the claim of the above-named claimant on the 
 grounds that \_state the grounds\ 
 
 (Signature of Clerk of Committee.) 
 
 (Address of Clerk of Committee.) 
 (Date.) 
 
63 
 
 FORM 6. 
 
 The Old-Age Pensions Act, 1908. 
 
 Notice of Adjourned Consideration of Claim. 
 
 District Station 
 
 No. in Pension Officer's Register 
 
 Name of Claimant 
 
 To the above-named Claimant. 
 
 You are hereby informed that the consideration of your 
 claim has been adjourned, and that a meeting for the 
 further consideration of it will be held at on the 
 
 dav of 
 
 You are entitled to attend and be heard at the meeting 
 if you so desire. 
 
 (Signature of Clerk of Committee.) 
 
 (Address of Clerk of Committee.) 
 (Date.) 
 
 FORM 7. 
 The Old-Age Pensions Act, 1908. 
 
 Report of Pension Officer on Question. 
 
 District Station 
 
 No. in Pension Officer's Register 
 
 Name of Pensioner 
 
 To the Local Pension Committee of the County [or 
 Borough] [or Urban District] of 
 
 I desire to raise the following question in reference to 
 the pension of the above-named pensioner, namely [state 
 the question\ [or The above-named pensioner has raised 
 the question that he is entitled to a pension at the weekly 
 rate of s. instead of at the weekly rate of s.\ 
 
64 
 
 I have investigated the above-mentioned question, and 
 in my opinion the pensioner [state whether the pensioner 
 does or does not coiithiue to fulfil the statutory conditions, 
 or is or is not disqualified, or is entitled to a ^pension at a 
 higher or a lower rate]. 
 
 Statement as to i?iquiries made. 
 (Signature of Pension Officer.) 
 
 (Address of Pension Officer. ) 
 (Date.) 
 
 FORM 8. 
 
 A. — Form of Notice to Pensioner. 
 
 The Old-Age Pensions Act, 1908. 
 
 Notice of Decision of Committee on Question. 
 
 District Station 
 
 No. in Pension Officer's Register 
 
 Name of Pensioner 
 
 To the above-named Pensioner. 
 
 You are hereby informed that by their decision dated the 
 day of the Local Pension Committee have 
 
 decided the question whether [state the question'] 
 as follows : — 
 
 The consequence of this decision is that [state whether 
 the 'position of the pensioner is or is not altered by the 
 decision, and if so, how]. 
 
 Should you desire to appeal to the Local Government 
 Board against this decision, you may do so by sending 
 notice of appeal to the Local Government Board not later 
 than seven days after the receipt of this notice, and sending 
 at the same time to me notification that you have so 
 appealed. A form of notice of appeal and a form of notifi- 
 cation may be obtained on application to me. 
 
 (Signature of Clerk of Committee.) 
 
 (Address of Clerk of Coyntnittee.) 
 
 (Date.) 
 
65 
 
 B. — Form of Notice to Pension Officer. 
 
 The Old- Age Pensions Act, 1908. 
 
 Notice of Decision of Committee on Question. 
 
 District Station 
 
 No. in Pension Officer's Register 
 
 Name of Pensioner 
 
 To the Pension Officer. 
 
 You are hereby informed that by their decision dated the 
 day of , the Local Pension Committee 
 
 have decided the question whether [state the qiiestioii] 
 as follows : — 
 
 The consequence of this decision is that [state whether 
 the 'position of the pensioner is or is not altered by the 
 decision, and if so, how']. 
 
 Should you desire to appeal to the Local Government 
 Board against this decision, you may do so by sending 
 notice of appeal to the Local Government Board not later 
 than seven days after the receipt of this notice, and sending 
 at the same time to me notification that you have so 
 appealed. 
 
 (Signature of Clerk of Committee.) 
 
 {Address of Clerk of C omynitte e .) 
 
 (Date.) 
 
 FORM 9. 
 
 The Old-Age Pensions Act, 1908. 
 Notice of Appeal. 
 District Station 
 
 No. in Pension Officer's Register 
 Name of Claimant {or Pensioner] 
 
 To the Local Government Board. 
 I, the undersigned, being {state whether 
 
66 
 
 pension officer or person aggrieved] hereby appeal against 
 the decision of the Local Pension Committee of the County 
 [^or Borough] \_or Urban District] of given the 
 
 day of 19 ) being a decision that {^state 
 
 tJie decision']. 
 
 (Signature of Appellant.) 
 
 (Address of Appellant.) 
 
 (Date.) 
 
 Note. — An appeal must be made within seven days of 
 the date of receipt of notice of the decision to be appealed 
 against., or if no notice is required to be given to the Appel- 
 lant., within seven days of the date of the decision. 
 
 FORM 10. 
 The Old-Age Pensions Act, 1908. 
 
 Notification to Committee of Appeal having been made. 
 
 District Station 
 
 No. in Pension Officer's Register 
 
 Name of Claimant \_or Pensioner] 
 
 To the Local Pension Committee of the County [or 
 Borough] [or Urban District] of 
 
 I hereby give you notice that I have appealed to the 
 Local Government Board against your decision given the 
 day of 19 , being a decision that [state 
 
 the decision']. 
 
 The decision was wrong for the following reasons [state 
 the reaso7is]. 
 
 (Sig7iature of Appellant.) 
 
 (Address of Appellant.) 
 
 (Date.) 
 
6? 
 
 FORM II. 
 
 The Old-Age Pensions Act, 1908. 
 
 Notification to Claimant or Pensioner of Appeal 
 having been brought. 
 
 District Station 
 
 No. in Pension Officer's Register 
 
 Name of Claimant [or Pensioner] 
 
 To the above-named Claimant [or Pensioner]. 
 
 Take notice that an appeal has been brought against the 
 decision of the Local Pension Committee that you are 
 entitled to a pension at the weekly rate of s. The 
 
 question will now have to be finally determined by the 
 Local Government Board. 
 
 (Signature of Clerk of Comrnittee.) 
 
 (Address of Clerk of Committee.) 
 
 (Date.) 
 
 FORM 12. 
 
 The Old-Age Pensions Act, igoS. 
 
 Notice of the Decision of the Local Government 
 
 Board. 
 
 District Station 
 
 No. in Pension Officer's Register 
 
 Name of Claimant [or Pensioner] 
 
 To the Local Pension Committee of the County [or 
 Borough] [or Urban District] of 
 
 You are hereby informed that the decision of the Local 
 Government Board upon the claim of the above-mentioned 
 claimant [or the question raised in reference to the pension 
 
 G 
 
68 
 
 of the above-mentioned Pensioner] in respect of which an 
 
 appeal was made to them by against your 
 
 decision thereon, given on the day of , is 
 as follows [state the decision^ 
 
 You are forthwith to communicate this decision to the 
 Claimant {or Pensioner] and to the Pension Officer of the 
 District. 
 
 (Signed,) 
 
 Secretary [or an Assistant Secretary^ 
 of the Board. 
 
 Or a -person appointed by the Board 
 to act on their behalf. 
 
 (Date.) 
 
 FORM 13. 
 
 The Old-Age Pensions Act, 1908. 
 
 Notification by Committee of Decision of Local 
 Government Board, 
 
 District Station 
 
 No. in Pension Officer's Register 
 
 Name of Claimant \_or Pensioner] 
 
 To the above-named Claimant [or Pensioner] [or to the 
 Pension Officer.] 
 
 You are hereby informed that the decision of the Local 
 Government Board upon the claim of the above-mentioned 
 Claimant [or the question raised in reference to your pen- 
 sion] [or the question raised in reference to the pension of 
 the above-mentioned Pensioner] in respect of which an 
 appeal was made to the Board by against the 
 
 decision of the Local Pension Committee thereon, given on 
 the day of , is as follows [state the 
 
 decisioii]. 
 
 (Signature of Clerk of Committee.) 
 
 (Address of Clerk of Committee.) 
 
 (Date.) 
 
69 
 
 FORM 14. 
 
 The Old-Age Pensions Act, igo8. 
 
 Notification of Appointment of Clerk of Committee 
 
 [Sub-Committee]. 
 
 County \_or Borough] [or Urban District] of 
 
 To the Local Government Board. 
 
 [The Sub-Committee of] the Local Pension 
 
 Committee of the above-named County [or Borough] [or 
 Urban District] have appointed me, the undersigned, to be 
 Clerk of the Committee [Sub-Committee]. 
 
 (Signature of Clerk of Committee 
 \Sub-C ommittee\) 
 
 (Address of Clerk of Committee [Sub-C ommittee]. ) 
 
 (Date.) 
 
 FORM 15. 
 
 77z^ Old-Age Peiisions Act, 1908. 
 
 Notice of Appointment of Sub-Committee. 
 
 County [or Borough] [or Urban District] of 
 
 To the Local Government Board. 
 
 The Local Pension Committee have appointed Sub- 
 Committees to act for the following- areas, viz. : — 
 
 [give -particulars of the composition of the areas and 
 the name by which each of tlie Sub-C om^nittees 
 will be described.'] 
 
 The following powers and duties of the Committee have 
 been delegated to the Sub-Committees, viz. : — 
 
 (Signature of Clerk of Committee.) 
 
 (Address of Clerk of Committee.) 
 (Date.) 
 
 G 2 
 
70 
 
 FORM i6. 
 
 The Old-Age Pensions Act, 1908. 
 Statement by Pensioner on Issue of fresh Book of 
 
 Pension Orders. 
 
 District Station 
 
 No. in Pension Officer's Register 
 
 Name of Pensioner 
 
 I, the above-named Pensioner, hereby state that to the 
 
 best of my belief my means have not increased so as to 
 
 disentitle me to receive a pension at the weekly rate of 
 
 shillings, and that I am not disqualified for 
 
 continuing to receive a pension. 
 
 (Signature (or mark) of Pettsioner.) 
 (Date.) 
 
 Note. — The Pensiofi Officer is to see that the Pensioner 
 fully understands the meaning of this statetnent before he 
 signs it and is to draw his attention to section 9 (i) of the 
 Act. 
 
 SECOND SCHEDULE. 
 
 Instructions to Pension Officer as to Investigation of 
 
 Claims. 
 
 (i) For the purpose of determining the age of any 
 person, regard may be had to any of the following docu- 
 ments, viz. : — 
 
 Certificate of birth ; 
 
 Certificate of baptism ; 
 
 Certificate of service in any of the forces of the Crown ; 
 
 Certificate of membership of any friendly or provident 
 society or trade union. 
 
 Certificate of marriage. 
 
 Kny other evidence which appears sufficient for the 
 purpose. 
 
71 
 
 (2) Where it appears that any person was born in the 
 British dominions and has not resided out of the British 
 dominions during the preceding twenty years, he may, 
 unless there is reason to suspect the contrary, be taken as 
 being a British subject. 
 
 (3) If it appears that any person was not born in the 
 British dominions, he may prove that he is a British sub- 
 ject either by producing a naturalisation certificate and 
 showing that he is the person referred to in the certificate 
 or by showing that his father was a British subject. 
 
 If a person who alleges that he was naturalised is unable 
 to produce a naturalisation certificate, inquiry may be 
 made of the Home Office as to whether the person is on 
 the Register of Naturalised Aliens. 
 
 If any person alleges that though born out of the British 
 dominions he was the child of a British father, he should 
 be required, if possible, to show whether his father and 
 his grandfather were born in the British dominions or not. 
 
 (4) For the purpose of determining whether a person has 
 been resident in the United Kingdom, he must be required 
 to give, if possible, a reference to two persons who have 
 known him, and to state what his employment, if any, has 
 been, during the last twenty years. 
 
 (5) In any case in which the Pension Officer thinks it 
 desirable so to do, he may reduce to writing any question 
 which he desires to put to any person and the answer given 
 by that person to the question, and may require that person 
 to sign the answer, or may require any person to fill up 
 and sign any form. 
 
 (6) The Pension Officer shall in every case take all 
 reasonable steps to obtain the best evidence and informa- 
 tion which it is reasonably possible to obtain, and make 
 all such inquiries as appear to him necessary having 
 regard to the circumstances of the case. 
 
72 
 
 APPENDIX A. 
 
 CIRCULAR-COUNTY COUNCILS. 
 
 OLD-AGE PENSIONS ACT, 1908. 
 
 Local Government Board, Whitehall, S.W., 
 4th August, 1908. 
 
 Sir, 
 
 I am directed by the Local Government Board to call 
 the attention of the County Council to the Old-Age 
 Pensions Act, 1908, which has just received the Royal 
 Assent. 
 
 The Board propose in a subsequent Circular to deal 
 more fully with the procedure to be followed in pursuance 
 of the Act and the Regulations which have to be made 
 under it in connection with the determination of claims 
 and questions, and as to the part which is assigned to local 
 authorities. For the present they confine themselves to 
 indicating the steps which require to be taken immediately 
 by the County Council in order to provide the machinery 
 necessary to carry the measure into effect. 
 
 The Act contemplates the setting up of local pension 
 committees for the consideration and determination of 
 claims for old-age pensions and questions arising in con- 
 nection therewith. Subsections (i) and (2) of section 8 of 
 
73 
 
 the Act deal with the appointment of local pension com- 
 mittees and sub-committees. They are as follows : — 
 
 "8. (t) The local pension committee shall be a 
 committee appointed for every borough and 
 urban district having a population, according to 
 the last published census for the time being, of 
 twenty thousand or over, and for every county 
 (excluding the area of any such borough or dis- 
 trict) by the council of the borough, district, or 
 county. 
 
 '' The persons appointed to be members of a local 
 pension committee need not be members of the 
 council by w^hich they are appointed. 
 
 " (2) A local pension committee may appoint such 
 and so many sub-committees, consisting either 
 wholly or partly of the members of the com- 
 mittee as the committee think fit, and a local 
 pension committee may delegate, either abso- 
 lutely or under such conditions as they think fit, 
 to any such sub-committee any powers and duties 
 of the local pension committee under this Act. 
 
 J J 
 
 As a very large number of persons will become entitled 
 to pensions at the beginning of January next, it is im- 
 portant that the local pension committees and sub-com- 
 mittees should be appointed at the earliest date practicable 
 so that the longest possible time prior to the ist January 
 may be allowed for dealing with applications which will 
 be made in anticipation of that date. 
 
 The Board are anxious therefore that the matter should 
 be brought before the County Council as soon as this can 
 be done. 
 
 The Regulations to be made under the Act will pro- 
 bably require a meeting of every council who have to 
 
74 
 
 appoint a local pension committee to be held during the 
 month of August, and there can be no doubt that the 
 earlier in the month that the pension committee can be 
 appointed the better. If a meeting will not in the 
 ordinary course take place before the end of the month, 
 it will be desirable that a special meeting should at once 
 be called for the purpose. 
 
 It will be noticed that the area for which the committee 
 will act will be that of the administrative county exclusive 
 of any borough or urban district containing, according to 
 the census of 1901, a population of 20,000 or over, and 
 that the persons appointed to be members of the committee 
 need not be members of the County Council. The number 
 of the committee will be fixed by the Regulations to be 
 issued under the Act at not less than seven nor more than 
 the total number of members of the Council. 
 
 As soon as the local pension committee are appointed, 
 the immediate questions for them to consider wdll be — 
 
 (i) The appointment of sub-committees. 
 
 (2) If sub-committees are to be appointed, in what 
 
 areas they should act. 
 
 (3) What powers and duties of the pension com- 
 
 mittee should be delegated to them. 
 
 The duties of the committee involve the consideration 
 of all individual claims, and it is intended that claimants 
 shall have an opportunity of appearing before them. It 
 seems to the Board, therefore, that in the case of such 
 an area as a county it will be necessary for the committee 
 to delegate their powers and duties generally to local sub- 
 committees acting in suitable sub-divisions of the area. 
 
 The course suggested does in effect involve the placing 
 of the whole of the work of determining claims and ques- 
 
75 
 
 tions in the hands of the sub-committees ; but it seems to 
 the Board that whatever arrangement may be m.ade here- 
 after, it will be necessary, in the first instance at any rate, 
 owing to the large number of claims which will have to 
 be determined in a short period of time, to sub-divide the 
 work in such an area as a county, and their view is that if 
 sub-committees are to be appointed it would lead to diffi- 
 culties and delays, and would not conduce to efficient 
 working, if some only of the powers and duties of the 
 local pension committee were delegated to them. 
 
 When the local pension committee have decided to 
 delegate their powers and duties to sub-committees, the 
 next step to be taken will be to determine the areas in 
 which the sub-committees are to act. These sub-divisions 
 should not be more r.umerous than necessary, but at the 
 same time should be of such a size as to allow personal 
 interviews with applicants for pensions being when needed 
 readily arranged. The pension officers who are to be. 
 appointed by the Treasury will be the local officers of 
 Excise. They will have to report to the committees or 
 sub-committees on each claim and will be in close touch 
 with those bodies. It will probably be advantageous if 
 the County Council or the local pension committee put 
 themselves in communication with the local Supervisors 
 of Inland Revenue with a vie-w to ascertaining from them 
 the areas which will be assigned to individual pension 
 officers, so that the districts of the sub-committees may 
 correspond, where practicable, with the boundaries of the 
 districts allotted to the pension officers. It cannot, per- 
 haps, be expected that the pension officers' areas and those 
 of the sub-committees shall always coincide, but un- 
 necessary overlapping may in this way be avoided. 
 
 Coming to the constitution of sub-committees, it will be 
 seen from section 8 (2) of the Act that these bodies must 
 consist either wholly or partly of members of the local 
 pension committee. It will, therefore, be necessary that 
 
76 
 
 at least one member of every sub-committee should be a 
 member of the pension committee. The Regulations to be 
 issued under the Act may be expected to provide that the 
 number of members of the sub-committee shall be not less 
 than live nor more than nine. The Council or the com- 
 mittee may be able to obtain, by communication with the 
 local authorities, with local branches of trade unions, with 
 friendly societies and similar bodies, and from other 
 sources available to them, the names of suitable and repre- 
 sentative persons whose services may be utilised on the 
 sub-committees. 
 
 Even if the local pension committee cannot be at once 
 appointed, it may be possible in the interval to obtain 
 preliminary information which will be useful afterwards 
 in connection with the delimitations of sub-committees' 
 districts and the appointment of the members of those 
 bodies. 
 
 It is hoped that forms in which persons desiring to 
 obtain pensions may make their claims will be available 
 at the post offices by the ist October, and it is desirable 
 that the committees or sub-committees who will be called 
 upon to consider them should be able to set to work soon 
 after that date. The Board recognise that the time is 
 short for making all the needful arrangements, and they 
 have taken the earliest opportunity of drawing the atten- 
 tion of the County Council to the matter. They have no 
 doubt that the County Council will do all in their power 
 to organise the necessary machinery for administering the 
 Act. 
 
 I am. Sir, 
 Your obedient Servant, 
 
 S. B. PROVTS, 
 
 Secretary. 
 
 The Clerk to the County Council. 
 
77 
 
 CIRCULAR— COUNCILS OF BOROUGHS 
 
 AND URBAN DISTRICTS WITH 
 POPULATIONS OF 20,000 OR OVER. 
 
 OLD-AGE PENSIONS ACT, 1908. 
 
 Local Government Board, Whitehall, S.W., 
 4th August, 1908. 
 
 Sir, 
 
 I am directed by the Local Government Board to call the 
 attention of the Council to the Old- Age Pensions Act, 1908, 
 which has just received the Royal Assent. 
 
 The Board propose in a subsequent Circular to deal more 
 fully with the procedure to be followed in pursuance of the 
 Act and the Regulations which have to be made under it 
 in connection with the determination of claims and questions, 
 and as to the part which is assigned to local authorities. 
 For the present they confine themselves to indicating the 
 steps which require to be taken forthwith by the council in 
 order to provide the machinery necessary to carry the 
 measure into effect. 
 
 The Act contemplates the setting up of local pension 
 committees for the consideration and determination of 
 claims for old-age pensions and questions arising in 
 connection therewith. Sub-sections (i) and (2) of section 8 
 
78 
 
 of the Act deal with the appointment of local pension 
 committees and subcommittees. They are as follows: — 
 
 "8. (i) The local pension committee shall be a com- 
 mittee appointed for every borough and urban 
 district, having a population according to the 
 last published census for the time being of 
 twenty thousand or over, and for every county 
 (excluding the area of any such borough or 
 district) by the council of the borough, district, or 
 county. 
 
 " The persons appointed to be inembers of a local 
 pension committee need not be members of the 
 council by which they are appointed. 
 
 "(2) A local pension committee may appoint such and 
 so many sub-committees, consisting either wholly 
 or partly of the members of the committee as 
 the committee think fit, and a local pension 
 committee may delegate, either absolutely or 
 under such conditions as they think fit, to any 
 such sub-committee any powers and duties of the 
 local pension committee under this Act." 
 
 As a very large number of persons will become entitled 
 to pensions at the beginning of January ne<t, it is important 
 that the local pension committees and subcommittees 
 should be appointed at the earliest date practicable, so that 
 the longest possible time prior to the ist January may be 
 allowed for dealing with applications which will be made in 
 anticipation of that date. 
 
 The Regulations to be made under the Act will probably 
 require a meeting of every council who have to appoint a 
 local pension committee to be held during the month of 
 August. If a meeting will not in the ordinary course take 
 place before the end of the month, a si)ecial meeting should 
 be called for the purpose. The number of the committee 
 
79 
 
 will be fixed by the Regulations at not less than seven nor 
 more than the total number of members of the council. 
 
 As soon as the local pension committee are appointed, 
 the immediate questions for them to consider will be — 
 (i) Whether sub-committees should be appointed. 
 
 (2) If sub-committees are to be appointed, in what 
 
 areas they should act. 
 
 (3) What powers and duties of the local pension 
 
 committee should be delegated to them. 
 
 The duties of the committee involve the consideration of 
 all individual claims and it is intended that claimants shall 
 have an opportunity of appearing before them. It seems to 
 the board, therefore, that where the area of the council is so 
 populous that a single committee cannot conveniently deal 
 with all the claims and questions that may be expected to 
 come before them, it will be advisable for the committee to 
 appoint subcommittees to act in suitable subdivisions of 
 the area, to whom the whole of the work of determining 
 claims and questions may be delegated. 
 
 The areas in which the sub-committees are to act should 
 not be more numerous than necessary, but at the sam.e time 
 should be of such a size as to allow personal interviews 
 with applicants for pensions being when needed readily 
 arranged. The pension officers, who are to be appointed 
 by the Treasury, will be the local officers of excise. They 
 will have to report to the committees or sub-committees on 
 each claim and will be in close touch with those bodies. 
 If the area is to be sub-divided, it will probably be advan- 
 tageous that the council or the local pension committee 
 should put themselves in communication with the local 
 supervisors of Inland Revenue with a view to ascertaining 
 from them the areas which will be assigned to individual 
 pension officers, so that the districts of sub-committees may 
 correspond where practicable with the boundaries of the 
 
8o 
 
 districts allotted to the pension officers. It cannot, 
 perhaps, be expected that the pension officers' arears and 
 those of the sub-committees shall altogether coincide, but 
 unnecessary overlapping may in this way be avoided. 
 
 It will be seen from Section 8 (2) of the Act that the 
 sub-committees must consist wholly or partly of members 
 of the local pension committee. The Regulations to be 
 issued under the Act may be expected to provide that the 
 number of members of a sub-committee shall not be less 
 than five nor more than nine. The council will, no doubt, 
 be able without difficulty to obtain from various sources, 
 including local branches of trade unions or friendly or 
 other societies, the names of suitable and representative 
 persons whose services may be utilised if desired on the 
 local pension committee or on the sub-committees. 
 
 It is hoped that forms in which persons desiring to obtain 
 pensions may make their claims will be available at the post 
 offices by the ist October, and it is desirable that the 
 committees or sub-committees who will be called upon to 
 consider them should be able to set to work soon after that 
 date. The Board recognise that the time is limited for 
 making all the needful arrangements, and they have taken 
 the earliest opportunity of drawing the attention of the 
 council to the matter. They have no doubt that the 
 council will do all in their power to organise the necessary 
 machinery for administering the Act. 
 
 I am Sir, your obedient servant, 
 
 S. B. PROVIS, 
 
 Secretary. 
 The Town Clerk 
 
 or 
 
 The Clerk to the Urban District Council. 
 
 [The Local Government Boards of Scotland and Ireland sent 
 Circulars similar in effect to their Local Authorities.] 
 
gl 
 
 CIRCULAR-COUNCILS APPOINTING 
 LOCAL PENSION COMMITTEES. 
 
 THE OLD-AGE PENSIONS ACT, 1908. 
 
 Local Government Board, Whitehall, S.W., 
 2 1 St August, 1908. 
 
 Sir, 
 
 1. I am directed by the Local Government Board to 
 forward, for the information of the Council, advance 
 copies of the Regulations under section 10 of the Old- Age 
 Pensions Act, 1908 (8 Edw. VIL c. 40). The Board 
 take this opportunity of drawing attention to certain points 
 in connection with the Act and Regulations. 
 
 2. The general scheme of the measure is, as the council 
 are aware, to provide old-age pensions for poor persons 
 of 70 years of age and upwards. 
 
 3. Although in the Act and Regulations and in this 
 Circular the pensioner is spoken of as masculine, it will 
 be understood that according to the rules of legislative 
 interpretation the scheme applies both to men and women. 
 It also applies to them whether they are married or single. 
 
 4. The Act provides that every person in whose case 
 certain conditions are fulfilled shall be entitled to receive 
 a pension so long as those conditions continue to be ful- 
 filled and he is not disqualified under the Act. 
 
82 
 
 Statutory Conditions and Disqualifications. 
 
 5. The statutory conditions which have to be fulfilled 
 to entitle a person to a pension are the following : — 
 
 (i) He must have attained the age of 70. 
 
 (2) He must satisfy the pension authorities that for 
 
 at least 20 years up to the date of the receipt 
 of any sum on account of a pension he has 
 been a British subject, and has had his resi- 
 dence, as defined by the Regulations, in the 
 United Kingdom. 
 
 (3) He must satisfy the pension authorities that his 
 
 yearly means as calculated under the Act do 
 not exceed ^31 los. 
 
 6. Besides fulfilling the statutory conditions, the 
 claimant or pensioner must not be subject to any of the 
 disqualifications prescribed by the Act. The following 
 are the circumstances under which he will be disqualified 
 for receiving or continuing to receive an old-age pension. 
 
 (i) While he is in receipt of any poor relief (other than 
 relief of the kind mentioned in the next paragraph) and, 
 until the 31st December, 19 10, unless Parliament other- 
 wise determines, if he has at any time since the ist 
 January, 1908, received, or hereafter receives, any such 
 relief. 
 
 The classes of relief which are excepted and which will 
 not be considered as poor relief for the purposes of old- 
 age pensions are : — 
 
 (a) Any medical or surgical assistance (including 
 food or comforts) supplied by or on the recom- 
 mendation of a medical officer ; or 
 (h) any relief given to any person by means of the 
 maintenance of any dependant of that person 
 in any lunatic asylum, infirmary or hospital, 
 or the payment of any expenses of the burial 
 of a dependant ; or 
 
83 
 
 (c) any relief (other than medical or surgical assist 
 ance, or relief herein-before specifically 
 exempted) which by law is expressly declared 
 not to be a disqualification for registration as 
 a Parliamentary elector, or a reason for de- 
 priving any person of any franchise, right or 
 privilege. 
 
 (2) If, before he becomes entitled to a pension, he has 
 habitually failed to work according to his ability, oppor- 
 tunity, and need, for the maintenance or benefit of him- 
 self and those legally dependent upon him. A person 
 will not, however, be disqualified under this paragraph if 
 he has continuously for 10 years up to attaining the age 
 of 60, by means of payments to friendly, provident or 
 other societies, or trade unions, or other approved steps, 
 made such provision against old age, sickness, infirmity, 
 or want or loss of employment as is recognised as proper 
 provision for the purpose by the Regulations. Moreover, 
 any such provision, when made by the husband in the case 
 of a married couple living together, will as respects any 
 right of the wife to a pension, be treated as provision 
 made by the wife as well as by the husband. 
 
 (3) While he is detained in any asylum within the 
 meaning of the Lunacy Act, 1890, or w^hile he is being 
 maintained in any place as a pauper or criminal lunatic. 
 
 (4) During the continuance of any period of disquali- 
 fication arising or imposed in pursuance of subsections (2) 
 and (3) of section 3 of the Act in consequence of convic- 
 tion for an offence. 
 
 The subsections referred to in the last paragraph are 
 as follows : — 
 
 (2) " Where a person has been before the passing of 
 this Act, or is after the passing of this Act, 
 convicted of any offence, and ordered to be 
 imprisoned without the option of a fine or to 
 
 H 
 
84 
 
 (3) 
 
 ( ( 
 
 suffer any greater punishment, he shall be dis 
 qualified for receiving or continuing to receive 
 an old-age pension under this Act while he is 
 detained in prison in consequence of the order, 
 and for a further period of lo years after the 
 date on which he is released from prison." 
 
 Where a person of 60 years of age or upwards 
 having been convicted before any court is 
 liable to have a detention order made against 
 him under the Inebriates Act, 1898, and is not 
 necessarily, by virtue of the provisions of this 
 Act, disqualified for receiving or continuing to 
 receive an old-age pension under this Act, the 
 court may, if they think fit, order that the 
 person convicted be so disqualified for such 
 period, not exceeding 10 years, as the court 
 direct." 
 
 Amount of Pension. 
 
 7. The amount of the pension will depend upon the 
 yearly means of the pensioner as calculated under the 
 Act, and will be as shown in the following table : — 
 
 Means of Pensioner. 
 
 Rate of Pension 
 Per Week. 
 
 
 S. 
 
 d. 
 
 Where the yearly means of tlie pensioner — 
 
 
 
 Do not exceed ;(^2 1 
 
 $ 
 
 
 
 Exceed jC2i. but do not exceed ;^23 12s. 6d. ... 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 Exceed ^^23 12s. 6d., but do not exceed ^^26 5.S. 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 Exceed ;(^26 5s., but do not exceed ^^28 17s 6d. 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 Exceed /^zS 17s, 6d., but do not exceed ;^3i los. 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 A per.son whose means exceed ^^i los. will not be 
 entitled to receive a pension. 
 
8q 
 
 Constitution and Proceedings of Committees. 
 
 8. Before dealing with the procedure to be followed in 
 the making and determination of claims for pensions, it 
 may be convenient to refer briefly to provisions which are 
 contained in the Regulations as to the constitution and 
 proceedings of the local pension committees and sub- 
 committees. 
 
 9. The Board in their circular of the 4th August have 
 indicated generally the proceedings to be taken for con- 
 stituting these committees, and in many cases preliminary 
 steps will doubtless have already been taken in the matter. 
 It will be observed from Regulation 36 that the meeting 
 for the appointment of the local pension committee must 
 be held before the end of the present month or at such 
 later date as the Board may allow. The first meeting of 
 the committee will be convened by the clerk of the council 
 as soon as may be after the committee has been appointed. 
 If the appointing council so direct, the first meeting of the 
 committee may be held immediately after its appointment 
 without any notice, but where there are persons who are 
 members of the committee and are not members of the 
 council, the meeting cannot be held unless these persons 
 have been informed of their appointment and given an 
 opportunity of attending. Attention is also drawn to the 
 detailed provisions on the subject contained in section 8 of 
 the Act and in Regulations 21 to 24, inclusive. 
 
 10. Each committee and sub-committee when appointed 
 will have to appoint some fit person as their clerk and to 
 make arrangements for the holding of their meetings. 
 Immediately upon his appointment the clerk of every 
 committee and sub-committee is to notify his appointment, 
 together with his name and address, to the Board. In so 
 doing he should follow the terms of Form 14 in the First 
 Schedule to the Regulations. Under Regulation 23 the 
 committee may assign to their clerk or to the clerk of a 
 
 H 2 
 
86 
 
 sub-committee such remuneration as they think fit, not 
 being in excess of the scale fixed for the purpose by the 
 Treasury. 
 
 11. Regulation 22 entitles a committee or sub-com- 
 mittee to use free of charge (except such charge as may be 
 approved by the Treasury for heating, lighting, or clean- 
 ing) at all reasonable times and after reasonable notice 
 any ofiices of any local authority situate in the area for 
 which the committee are appointed. If a question arises 
 as to what is reasonable, it may be determined by the 
 Board. Thev have little doubt that local authorities 
 generally will be willing to facilitate the operations of the 
 committees by permitting them to use such accommodation 
 as they may have available. As soon as the committees 
 are established, the question of arranging for the holding 
 of their meetings will be one of the first matters claiming 
 attention. 
 
 12. If in any case there are no ofiices of a local 
 authority available for use by a committee, and the com- 
 mittee are unable to obtain the use of any room free of 
 charge, they may hire a room for their meetings, but the 
 cost of hiring must not exceed the scale fixed by the 
 Treasury. 
 
 Sub-Committees. 
 
 13. Except that the number of members of a sub- 
 committee must not be less than five nor more than nine, 
 and that the remuneration of the clerk will be assigned 
 by the committee, and that in the case of a sub-committee 
 Regulation 21 must be read with the substitution of the 
 committee for the appointing council and of the sub- 
 committee for the committee. Regulations 21 to 23 apply 
 equally to sub-committees as to committees. 
 
 14. As soon as sub-committees are appointed notice 
 should be given by the clerk of the local pension com- 
 
87 
 
 mittee, in accordance with Form 15 in the First Schedule 
 to the Regulations, to the Board and to each Supervisor 
 of Inland Revenue in the area of the council by whom 
 the committee are appointed. A name should be given 
 to each sub-committee's district, and the notice should 
 specify the area comprising each district (this should be 
 either the names of the parishes or sanitary districts in- 
 cluded in it), the name assigned to the district, and the 
 powers and duties which have been delegated to the sub- 
 committees. 
 
 Forms for use by Committees. 
 
 15. It will be seen that the Regulations provide a 
 number of forms for use by the committees and sub- 
 committees in dealing with claims and questions. The 
 Board are arranging for the printing of the Forms 
 number 3, 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B, 6, 7, 8a, 8b, 9, 10, 11, and 13, 
 and a supply of these forms will be sent for the use of 
 committees and sub-committees as soon as they are ready 
 Further supplies can be procured when required free of 
 charge on requisition to the Controller of His Majesty's 
 Stationery Office, Prince's Street, Storey's Gate, S.W. 
 
 16. For the purpose of the ready identification of the 
 forms used by each committee or sub-committee a space 
 will be found in the top right hand corner of each form, 
 and the Board suggest that each clerk should provide 
 himself with a rubber stamp, which should not be more 
 than I J inches high and 2| inches wide, bearing the name 
 of the committee or sub-committee, thus : — 
 
 Reading 
 
 Local Pension Committee 
 
 or 
 
 Easthampstead Sub-Committee 
 
 OF the 
 
 Berkshire 
 
 Local Pension Committee 
 
 which may be used for stamping in the space provided. 
 
^s 
 
 The words *' District " and '' Station " with which thfe 
 forms are generally headed are intended to signify the 
 district of the Supervisor of Inland Revenue, and the 
 station assigned to the local pension officer respectively. 
 
 Procedure on Making and Determination of 
 Claims for Pension. 
 
 17. The course of procedure to be taken for the purpose 
 of obtaining a pension will be as follows. 
 
 18. The claimant will in the first instance have to fill 
 up a form of claim. This form he will be able to procure 
 without charge at any post office at the end of September, 
 and the postmaster will at his request give him assistance 
 in filling it up. The form is prescribed in the First 
 Schedule to the Regulations (Form i). It is designed to 
 show primarily whether the claimant fulfils the statutory 
 conditions mentioned above. It is intended that pensions 
 should be payable at a particular post office to be desig- 
 nated by the claimant in his form of claim, and in most 
 cases no doubt this will be the post office at which he will 
 attend to receive the form. 
 
 19. Forms may also be obtained from the pension 
 officers who will be referred to later. When filled up the 
 claimant must sign the form of claim (or if he cannot 
 write must affix his mark to it) in the presence of a witness 
 who will also sign it, and the form must then be delivered 
 to the postmaster of the post office at which the claimant 
 desires that the pension if granted should be payable, or 
 to the pension officer. 
 
 20. Section 9 (i) of the Act renders any person who 
 knowingly makes a false statement or false representation 
 in connection with a claim for a pension liable to six 
 months' imprisonment with hard labour, and a copy of 
 this section will be printed on the form of claim. 
 
89 
 
 21. When the claim has been made and signed and 
 delivered to the postmaster, the procedure for deciding 
 and adjudicating upon the claim can begin. The three 
 main points to be determined are : — 
 
 (i) Whether the claimant satisfies the statutory con- 
 ditions. 
 
 (2) Whether he is subject to any of the dis- 
 
 qualifications. 
 
 (3) Assuming that his yearly means as calculated 
 
 under the Act exceed ^21 and are less than 
 £7,1 los., at what figure they are to be taken 
 to stand. 
 
 22. The authorities engaged in the determination of the 
 claims and questions arising in connection with them will 
 be the pension officers and the local pension committees, 
 or where the powers and duties of the committees in the 
 determination of claims and questions have been delegated 
 to sub-committees, those sub-committees. It will be 
 understood that in the remainder of this Circular refer- 
 ences to committees must be read as applying to sub- 
 committees where those bodies are in existence and acting 
 on behalf of the committees in this matter. The pension 
 officers will be appointed by the Treasury, and it is 
 intended to appoint for this purpose the local officers of 
 Excise. Each of these will act in a defined area. 
 
 23. Claims when made have first to be investigated by 
 the pension officer of the area in which the claimant 
 resides. After investigation he will report upon them and 
 will send the claims and his report to the committee for 
 their decision. 
 
 24. Regulation 7 provides that every postmaster upon 
 delivery to him of a claim to a pension shall, unless the 
 committee appointed for the area in which the claimant 
 resides direct that claims shall be sent to the committee, 
 forthwith send the claim to the pension officer. The 
 Board suggest that at present no such direction should be 
 
9° 
 
 given by the committee. It seems to them that it is desir- 
 able, in the first instance, when the number of claims to 
 be made will be very large, that no time should be lost 
 in the process of getting the claims into the hands of the 
 pension officers so that the work of investigation may 
 proceed at once. 
 
 25. The pension officer will make the necessary investi- 
 gations into the claims and take such other steps as he may 
 be directed or as may appear to him to be expedient to 
 elucidate any points of doubt or obscurity in the case. 
 Some instructions to him are included in the Second 
 Schedule to the Regulations, and others will no doubt be 
 given to him through the Board of Inland Revenue as 
 circumstances require. 
 
 26. The pension officer will at intervals send to the 
 committee acting for the area in which the claimants 
 reside the claims he has received, together with his reports 
 upon them, a statement of the inquiries he has made in 
 reference to them and the results of those inquiries, and 
 unless he is satisfied that the yearly means of a claimant 
 do not exceed jQ2i, in which case if the claimant is other- 
 wise qualified he would be entitled to the maximum pen- 
 sion of 5s. a week, a summary of the income, property 
 and other yearly means of the claimant, in order to guide 
 the committee in determining the amount of the pension 
 to which he may be entitled. All the documents apper- 
 taining to each claim should be filed in due order and 
 kept together. 
 
 27. If any claims are received direct by the committee 
 they must be sent at once to the pension officer within 
 whose district the claimant resides. The committee 
 should not proceed to consider or determine any claim 
 until they have before them the report of the pension 
 officer upon it. 
 
 28. On receiving from the pension officer the documents 
 
91 
 
 mentioned above, the clerk of the committee must arrange 
 for a meeting of the committee within seven days. Not 
 less than three days before the meeting notice of the time 
 and place of meeting giving the names of the claimants 
 whose claims are to be considered at the meeting (see 
 Form No. 3 in the First Schedule to the Regulations) 
 must be sent to the pension officer. Notice of the meeting 
 should also be given to each member of the committee. 
 The pension officer is entitled to attend any meeting of the 
 committee and to speak but not to vote thereat. 
 
 29. The committee will at the meeting consider the 
 claims which are before them, together with the report of 
 the pension officer and any other evidence or information 
 which they may receive, and they may if they think neces- 
 sary require the pension officer to procure any further 
 information which it is in his power to obtain in reference 
 to any matter to be considered by them. 
 
 30. Cases in which the pension officer considers that the 
 claimant is entitled to receive a pension and the committee 
 agree with him will present little or no difficulty. In all 
 cases, how^ever, in which the committee on the information 
 before them think that the matter ought to be decided 
 adversely to the claimant they are required by the regu- 
 lations to give the claimant an opportunity of being heard. 
 If the claimant, or someone on his behalf, is not in attend- 
 ance at the meeting the consideration of the matter must 
 be adjourned, and notice (Form 6) must be sent to the 
 claimant acquainting him with the fact, and stating that 
 he is entitled to attend and be heard, if he so desire, at 
 the meeting at which the matter will again come up for 
 consideration. The subsequent meeting must be held not 
 more than one month after the original meeting. 
 
 31. If in any case the committee disagree as respects 
 any matter with the report of the pension officer, the 
 Regulations require that the committee shall not give their 
 final decision on the claim without making such further 
 
92 
 
 investigation as they think necessary. In such a case it 
 will usually be desirable to give the pension officer an 
 opportunity of making any further representations that 
 he thinks fit upon the claim, and if necessary prosecuting 
 supplemental investigations upon it. 
 
 32. When the committee have come to any decision 
 upon a claim, they should annex to the file of papers 
 relating to the claim a statement of their decision, and 
 the Board will supply the committee with forms for the 
 purpose adapted to show the name and address of the 
 claimant, with the effect of the decision, e.g., claim 
 allowed or disallowed, as the case may be. Where a 
 claim is allowed the weekly rate of the pension and the 
 date from which it is to commence should be stated, and 
 where a claim is disallow^ed the grounds upon which it 
 has been disallowed should be given. The date of the 
 decision should be inserted, and the statement should be 
 authenticated by the signature of the chairman or the 
 clerk of the committee. 
 
 T^^. Notice of the decision should forthwith be given 
 l^y the clerk of the committee to the claimant and the 
 pension officer in Forms 4 a and 4B, or 5 a and 5B, as the 
 case may require, and the date on which these notices are 
 sent should be indicated upon the paper containing the 
 statement of the decision. 
 
 Appeals from Decisions of Committee. 
 
 34. Section 7 (i) (c) of the Act provides for an appeal 
 being made to the Board by the pension officer or any 
 person aggrieved against a decision of the pension com- 
 mittee. 
 
 35. Form 4B notifying to the pension officer the decision 
 of the committee allowing a claim, and Form 5A notifying 
 to a claimant the decision of the committee disallowing 
 his claim have a paragraph appended to them intimating 
 that an appeal may be made and the mode of making it. 
 
93 
 
 36. For the purpose of making an appeal Forms 9 
 and 10 must be used. A stock of these forms will be in 
 the hands of each committee, and a copy of each form 
 must be supplied by the clerk of the committee, free of 
 charge, to any person who desires to appeal. Before 
 parting with them, the clerk should stamp them in the 
 space at the right hand top corner with the name of the 
 committee, and mark them with the number assigned to 
 the case in the committee's register, and, in the case of 
 any appellant, other than the pension officer, who makes 
 a personal application for the forms, he should explain 
 generally the process by which an appeal may be made. 
 
 37. The notice of appeal (Form 9) must be filled up 
 with particulars which will be obtainable from the notice 
 of decision of the committee and must be signed by the 
 appellant or, if he cannot w^-ite, he must affix his mark 
 in the presence of a witness whose signature will be 
 appended. The date on which it is sent to the Board 
 must not be later than seven days after the day on which 
 the notice of decision of the committee was received by 
 the claimant, or, if the appellant is a person who has not 
 received a notice (that is to say a person other than the 
 claimant or the pension officer), within seven days of the 
 date of the decision. Thus, if the claimant received the 
 notice of decision on the 7th day of the month, the appeal 
 must be sent off not later than the 14th. When the form 
 has been duly filled up, signed and dated, it should be 
 folded up and posted to the Local Government Board, 
 whose address will be on the back of the form. 
 
 38. At the same time as he sends off Form 9 to the 
 Board, the appellant must send or deliver Form 10 to the 
 clerk of the committee. This form is a notification to the 
 committee of the appeal having been made and it is neces 
 sary that it should also state the grounds upon which the 
 appellant considers that the decision against which he 
 appeals was wrong. If he has any documentary evidence 
 
94 
 
 in support of his appeal, it should be annexed to Form lo. 
 The clerk of the committee on receiving from the pension 
 officer or any person other than the claimant notification 
 of an appeal having been made against the allowance of a 
 claim, must send to the claimant a notice in Form ii 
 informing him that an appeal has been brought. 
 
 39. The clerk will annex Form 10 and any document 
 that may accompany it to the file of papers relating to the 
 claim, and at once send to the Board the whole file in- 
 cluding all documents concerning the claim which may be 
 in the possession of the committee. He may append any 
 further memorandum on the subject if he thinks fit, but 
 he should not delay the dispatch of the papers on that 
 account. If the Board find it necessary to communicate 
 with the committee or the pension officer before deciding 
 the appeal they will do so. In some cases they may find 
 it expedient to direct local investigation to be made before 
 deciding the appeal. 
 
 40. The decision of the Board will be communicated to 
 the committee in a form corresponding to Form 12 in the 
 First Schedule to the Regulations. On receiving this 
 form the clerk of the committee should at once send 
 Form 13 communicating the Board's decision to the pen 
 sion officer and the claimant, and should the appellant be 
 neither of these persons, a form should be sent to him 
 also. 
 
 Proceedings on Decision becoming Final. 
 
 41. When seven days have elapsed from the date of 
 receipt by the pension officer or the claimant of the notice 
 of decision of the committee, if no appeal has been made 
 the decision of the committee will become final and con- 
 clusive. If any appeal is made the decision of the Board 
 upon it will similarly be final and conclusive. When this 
 stage has been reached the clerk of the committee, after 
 
95 
 
 first entering a due record of the case in the register 
 mentioned below, is required to send the claim and all 
 documents relating thereto, which are in the possession of 
 the committee, to the pension officer. The Board will 
 themselves, after the decision on an appeal has been 
 given, send to the pension officer the documents which 
 thev have received from the committee. 
 
 Provisional Claims. 
 
 42. The Act permits claims to be allowed provisionally, 
 that is to say, before the date at which the pension will 
 become payable. As in accordance with section 12 no 
 person will be entitled to receive a pension until the 
 ist January, 1909, all the claims allowed before that date 
 will be provisionally allowed. The Regulations, more 
 over, provide for claims being made and provisionally 
 allowed at any time not exceeding four months before the 
 date on which the claimant will become entitled to receive 
 his pension, and thus it is probable that provisional allow- 
 ance will come to be the normal practice. It will obviously 
 be convenient to the pension authorities that claims should 
 be made in good time, so that opportunity may be given 
 for their being properly investigated and determined 
 before the date when the claimant would be entitled to a 
 pension. And since, under section 5 (2) of the Act, the 
 pension will not commence to accrue until the claim has 
 been allowed, if the claimant defers making a claim until 
 he has reached the age of 70, or has otherwise become 
 entitled to receive a pension, he will have to wait until his 
 claim has been investigated and finally allowed before he 
 can begin to draw his pension, and so may lose some 
 weeks' payments which he would otherwise have received. 
 
 Provision as to Evidence. 
 
 43. In determining claims the committee will no doubt 
 be largely guided by the investigations made by the pen- 
 
96 
 
 sion officer. In some cases these may be supplemented 
 by further information which they may themselves possess, 
 but the committee will not be required to undertake inde- 
 pendent investigations. They may, however, call upon 
 the pension officer to procure further evidence if he can 
 do so. Regard may be had not only to strictly legal 
 evidence such as would be admissible in a Court of law, 
 but to any such evidence as is in the opinion of the com- 
 mittee sufficient for the purpose, and is the best informa- 
 tion which it is reasonably possible to obtain. 
 
 44. In connection with questions as to the fulfilment of 
 the statutory condition as to residence or questions arising 
 under the proviso to section 3 (i) (b) of the Act, the com- 
 mittee will take note of the special provisions on these 
 subjects contained in Regulations 29 and 30. 
 
 Determination of Questions. 
 
 45. Besides deciding upon original claims for pensions, 
 the committee will also have to adjudicate upon questions 
 of various kinds that may arise under the Act, such as 
 questions whether a pensioner is or is not disqualified for 
 continuing to receive a pension, whether a pensioner is 
 entitled to receive a pension at a higher rate than that 
 which he is at the time receiving, or whether the statutory 
 conditions continue to be fulfilled. 
 
 46. Questions of this kind may be raised by the pen- 
 sioner, or may originate w4th the pension officer, but how- 
 soever arising they will in the first instance fall to be 
 investigated by the pension officer, and the procedure for 
 determining them will generally follow that laid down 
 for the consideration of claims. The committee will 
 receive from the pension offxer a report on any such 
 question, and will deal with it generally in the same 
 manner as they deal with claims. Forms 7, 8a, and 8b, 
 in the First Schedule to the Regulations are to be used in 
 dealing with such questions. Appeals may be made 
 
97 
 
 against decisions of the committee on questions in the same 
 way as against decisions on claims. 
 
 Register of Cases Dealt with by Committee. 
 
 47. Regulation 2^ requires the clerk of every committee 
 to keep a record, in such form and containing such par- 
 ticulars as the Board direct, of all claims and questions in 
 respect of which a report is sent to the committee by the 
 pension officer and of the decision of the committee 
 thereon. The Board propose shortly to issue an Order 
 prescribing the form of register in which this record shall 
 be kept. 
 
 48. The functions of the committee do not extend to 
 supervising the payment of the pensions, nor are they 
 required to consider questions of the continuance of quali- 
 fication for pension, unless such questions are brought 
 before them by the pension officer for determination. No 
 reference is, therefore, made in this Circular to these 
 matters. 
 
 49. Various points in connection with the expenses of 
 the committees are dealt with in the Financial Instructions 
 for Pension Committees and Sub-Committees issued by 
 the Treasury, a copy of which accompanies this letter. 
 Correspondence on matters of finance should be addressed 
 to the Treasury, Whitehall, S.W. 
 
 I am, Sir, 
 
 Your obedient Servant, 
 
 S. B. PROVIS, 
 
 Secretary. 
 To 
 
 The Clerk of the County Council 
 
 or 
 The Town Clerk 
 
 or 
 The Clerk to the Urban District Council. 
 
98 
 
 CIRCULAR TO BOARDS OF GUARDIANS. 
 
 THE OLD-AGE PENSIONS ACT, 1908. 
 
 Eocal Government Board, Whitehall, S.W., 
 Toth October, 1908. 
 
 Sir, 
 
 I am directed by the Local Government Board to 
 state, for the information of the board of guardians, 
 that, under No. 35 of the Old-Age Pensions Regulations 
 which have been made under the Old-Age Pensions Act, 
 1908, by the Treasury in conjunction with the Board and 
 the Postmaster- General, it is provided that — 
 
 " for the purpose of enabling a pension officer to 
 ascertain whether any person is disqualified by 
 reason of the receipt of poor relief for receiving or 
 continuing to receive a pension, every officer or 
 person acting in the administration of the relief of 
 the poor shall, if so requested to do by the pension 
 officer, supply to the pension officer such informa- 
 tion as it is in his power to give as respects any 
 person who is or has been in receipt of poor relief. ' ' 
 
 The Board have been in communi(^ation with the Com- 
 missioners of Inland Revenue on the subject of this 
 Regulation, and they understand that the ordinary pro- 
 cedure which the pension officers will adopt under it will 
 be to send to the clerk to the guardians a list of the names 
 and addresses of any claimants for pensions as to whom 
 information is needed, with an inquiry whether any such 
 
99 
 
 claimant or any member of his family is or has been in 
 receipt of any poor relief within the meaning of section 3 
 (i) (a) of the Act. This procedure will of course not 
 prevent the pension officer from obtaining information 
 informally from relieving officers. 
 
 The Board have no doubt that the guardians and their 
 officers will be willing to co-operate with the pension 
 officers in the matter and afford them all such information 
 as they may require. If, in the opinion of the guardians, 
 the extra labour involved in so doing demands the pay- 
 ment of some small extra remuneration to any officer, it 
 will be open to them to make a payment out of their 
 funds for the purpose. It is understood that the pension 
 officers have no funds out of which such payments can be 
 made. 
 
 A copy of the Act and of the Regulations made under 
 it is enclosed for the information of the guardians. 
 
 I am, Sir, 
 
 Your obedient Servant, 
 
 S. B. PROVIS, 
 
 Secretary. 
 
 To the Clerk to the Guardians. 
 
lob 
 
 CIRCULAR TO COUNCILS APPOINTING 
 LOCAL PENSION COMMITTEES, AND TO 
 LOCAL PENSION COMMITTEES AND 
 
 SUB-COMMITTEES. 
 
 OLD-AGE PENSIONS ACT, 190S. 
 
 Local Government Board, Whitehall, S.W., 
 27th October, 1908. 
 Sir, 
 
 I am directed by the Local Government Board to 
 forward copies of the Regulations which have now been 
 made under section 10 of the Old-Age Pensions Act, 1908 
 (8 Edw. VIL, c. 40). These Regulations supersede the 
 Provisional Regulations which were issued in August last. 
 
 The Regulations now made are for the most part 
 identical with the Provisional Regulations. Apart from a 
 few alterations which are merely verbal, the following are 
 the points on which the new Regulations differ from the 
 Provisional Regulations : — 
 
 No. 19. Words have been added to paragraph (2) 
 of this Regulation requiring that a committee on 
 receiving notice of any decision of the Board on an 
 appeal by a person aggrieved other than the claimant 
 or pensioner, shall send information of such decision 
 to that person as well as to the pension officer and to 
 the claimant or pensioner. 
 
 No. 22. This Regulation has been slightly altered 
 with the object of making it clear that the right of 
 a sub-committee to the use of offices of a local 
 authority extends to any such offices in the area of 
 the council of the count}, borough, or urban district 
 by whom the local })ension committee are appointed, 
 and is not confined to offices within the area of the 
 sub-committee. 
 
 A proviso has also been added to paragraph (3) 
 of the Regulation directing that, except with the 
 sanction of the Board, a committee or sub-committee 
 shall not hold a meeting on any licensed premises. 
 
lOT 
 
 nor shall any such premises be used without such 
 sanction as an office of the committee or sub-com- 
 mittee, or for any purpose of or incidental to their 
 business. The sanction of the .Board in any such 
 case is only to be given when no other suitable room 
 is available, either free of charge or at a cost not 
 exceeding the scale fixed by the Treasury. For the 
 purpose of the Regulation, the expression ''licensed 
 premises " is defined by paragraph (4) of the Regula- 
 tion to mean premises licensed for the sale of 
 intoxicating liquor, and to include any club at which 
 such liquor is supplied. 
 
 No. 24. A proviso has been added to paragraph (2) 
 of this Regulation, to enable the Board, in special 
 circumstances, to authorise a smaller or a greater 
 number of members of a sub-committee than that 
 specified in the Regulation. 
 
 No. 31. Some alteration has been made in 
 paragraph (2) of the Regulation, with respect to the 
 disposal of documents by the pension officers. 
 
 No. ^6. Paragraph (i) of this Regulation has been 
 altered to bring it up to date. It requires that every 
 council by whom a local pension committee has not 
 already been appointed shall forthwith hold a meeting 
 for the purpose of appointing such committee. 
 
 No. 38. This Regulation is new. It provides that 
 everything done in ])ursuance of the Provisional Regu- 
 lations shall, notwithstanding anything contained in 
 the present Regulations, be deemed to have been 
 validly done, and have full effect accordingly. 
 
 I am, Sir, your obedient Servant, 
 
 S. B. PROVIS, Secretary. 
 
 The Clerk to the County Council or 
 
 Urban District Council, 
 or 
 The Town Clerk, 
 
 or 
 The Clerk to the Local Pension Committee or 
 
 Sub-Committee. 
 
 I 2 
 
I02 
 
 [SCOTLAND.] 
 
 Local Government Board, Edinburgh, 
 22nd August, 1908. 
 
 OLD-AGE PENSIONS ACT 1908. 
 
 General Provisions. 
 
 Sir, 
 
 The Board have ah'eady in their Circular of yih instant 
 directed the attention of county and town councils to the 
 provisions of the above Act, and, as indicated in that 
 Circular, they now wish to refer to the Act in more detail, 
 with special reference to the Regulations which have been 
 made under section 10. Two copies of the Regulations are 
 enclosed. 
 
 The general scheme is, as you are aware, to provide old- 
 age pensions in accordance with the scale set forth in the 
 Schedule to the Act for persons of 70 years of age and 
 upwards. Such persons will not be entitled to a pension 
 until the first day of January, 1909, and no pension will 
 begin to accrue until that day. Although in the Act and 
 Regulations and in this Circular the pensioner is spoken of 
 as masculine, it will be understood that, in accordance with 
 section i of the Interpretation Act, 1889, the scheme 
 applies both to men and women. It also applies to them 
 whether they are married or single. 
 
 Every person in whose case certain conditions are fulfilled 
 will be entitled to receive a pension so long as these con- 
 
I ©3 
 
 ditions continue to be fulfilled and he is not disqualified 
 under the Act. The receipt of an old-age pension is not to 
 deprive the pensioner of any franchise right or privilege, or 
 subject him to any disability. 
 
 Statutory Conditions and Disqualifications. 
 
 The statutory conditions are laid down in section 2 of 
 the Act as follows : — 
 
 " I. The person must have attained the age of seventy. 
 
 " 2. The person must, for at least twenty years up to 
 the date of the receipt of any sum on account 
 of a pension, have been a British subject and 
 have had his residence, as defined by Regula- 
 tions under this Act, in the United Kingdom. 
 
 " 3. The means of the person, as calculated under this 
 Act, must not exceed thirty-one pounds ten 
 shillings." 
 
 The term " residence " is defined by Regulation 29. 
 
 There are certain disqualifications attaching to persons 
 otherwise qualified to receive pensions which are enumer- 
 ated in section 3 of the Act. 
 
 Central Pension Authority and Pension Officers. 
 
 The Central Pension Authority is the Local Government 
 Board for Scotland, who may act through such committee, 
 persons, or person appointed by them as they think fit. 
 
 Pension officers are to be appointed by the Treasury in 
 such numbers and for such areas as the Treasury think 
 desirable. The Board will in due course notify each 
 committee and sub-committee of the name and address of 
 the pension officer in charge of its area. 
 
I04 
 
 Local Pension Committees and Sub-Committees. 
 
 The Board in their Circular of 7th instant alluded to 
 the appointment of local pension committees and sub- 
 committees. Regulation 21 deals with the constitution and 
 with the proceedings of these committees. The local 
 pension committee is to consist of such number of persons, 
 not being less than seven nor more than the number of the 
 council by whom the committee is appointed, as the council 
 may determine, and the quorum is in no case to be less 
 than three. The persons appointed to be members of a 
 local pension committee need not. however, be members of 
 the council by which they are appointed. 
 
 As indicated in their Circular of the 7th instant, one of 
 the most important questions for the local pension com- 
 mittees to consider is whether sub-committees should be 
 appointed, and, if so, for what areas. As already pointed 
 out, a local pension committee may appoint sub-committees 
 consisting either wholly or partly of members of committee 
 as the committee think fit. In the large counties and burghs 
 the Board think it will be absolutely necessary to appoint 
 sub-committees. Each sub-committee must consist of such 
 number of members, not being less than five nor more than 
 nine, as the local pension committee may determine. The 
 districts into which counties are divided for the purposes of 
 the Local Government Act of 1889 may, in some counties, 
 form suitable pension areas. Where these are too extensive 
 the county council electoral divisions would naturally 
 suggest themselves as pension areas. Two or more of such 
 divisions might be combined, and county councillors 
 representing these divisions might serve on the sub- 
 committee. In large burghs the municipal wards, or 
 combination of wards, might likewise serve as pension 
 areas 
 
I05 
 
 It is, in the opinion of the Government, very desirable, 
 to secure the direct representation of workmen's associa- 
 tions on the sub committees, and the Board accordingly 
 suggest that appointing councils, and the local pension 
 committees who contemplate appointing subcommittees 
 might, with advantage, communicate with local branches 
 of trade unions, with friendly societies and similar bodies, 
 and with other available sources, with a view to the nomi- 
 nation of suitable and representative persons to serve on 
 such local pension committees and sub-committees. It 
 should also be kept in view that women are eligible for 
 service on these committees. 
 
 Immediately sub-committees are appointed, the clerk to 
 the local pension committee must notify the Board and such 
 pension officer as the Board direct, in accordance with 
 form 15 in the first schedule to the Regulations. A name 
 should be assigned to each sub-committee's district, and the 
 notice should specify such names, the area comprising each 
 district, and the powers and duties which have been dele- 
 gated to the sub-committees. 
 
 & 
 
 First Meeting of Local Pension Comnnittee. 
 
 The first meeting of the committee is to be convened by 
 the clerk of the appointing council as soon as may be after 
 the committee has been appointed. This meeting may, 
 subject to the proviso in Regulations 36 (3), be held without 
 any notice immediately after the appointment of the 
 committee. 
 
 Clerks to Committees. 
 
 Every committee and sub-committee must appoint some 
 fit person to be clerk of the committee, who will hold 
 office during the pleasure of the committee. The remu- 
 
io6 
 
 neration of the clerk is dealt with in the Financial Instruc- 
 tions hereafter referred to. It will be noted, however, that 
 Regulation 23 (4) provides that in the case of a sub- 
 committee the remuneration will be assigned by the local 
 pension committee. 
 
 The clerk of every committee must, immediately on his 
 appointment, notify to the Board the appointment, together 
 with his name and address. In doing so he should follow 
 the terms of form 14 in the First Schedule to the Regula- 
 tions. 
 
 The Board propose shortly to issue an Order prescribing 
 the form of register which, by Regulation 23. the clerk of 
 every committee is required to keep. 
 
 Office Accommcdation. 
 
 Section 10 (i) (c) of the Act provides for Regulations 
 being framed in regard to the use by the local pension 
 committee, with or without payment, of any offices of a 
 local authority. Regulation 22 provides that the local 
 pension committee shall, for the purpose of any of the 
 meetings of the committee, be entitled to use free of charge 
 (except a charge for heating, lighting, or cleaning) at all 
 reasonable times and after reasonable notice, any offices of 
 any local authority situate in the area for which the 
 committee or sub-committee is appointed. 
 
 The Board trust that any local authority, on application 
 being made to them, will endeavour to assist the local 
 pension committee or sub-committee by providing them 
 with the necessary accommodation. Where accommodation 
 in the chambers or offices of the appointing councils is not 
 available, the Board would suggest the schools as the most 
 convenient place for meetings, and there should be no 
 
107 
 
 difficulty in arranging for the use of them. If such offices 
 and schools are not available, provision is made for hiring 
 such room as may be required for the purpose of any 
 meeting of the committee. The cost of hiring is dealt with 
 in the Financial Instructions hereafter mentioned. 
 
 If any question arises under Regulation 22 as to what 
 is reasonable it may be determined by the Board. 
 
 Making of Claims. 
 
 The method of making claims is explained in Regulations 
 6 and 7. Any person who desires to make a claim may do so 
 by filling up a form (prescribed in Schedule I. of Regulations) 
 and delivering the form, when filled up, either to the 
 postmaster of the post office at which he desires that the 
 pension should be payable or to the pension officer. 
 Forms of claim may be obtained gratis from any postmaster, 
 who will, if requested by the claimant, afford him assistance 
 in filling up the form. When filled up, the form of claim 
 must be signed by the claimant (or, if he cannot write, the 
 form must have his mark affixed to it) in the presence of a 
 witness, who will also sign it. If any person knowingly 
 makes any false statement or false representation, he shall 
 be liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term 
 not exceeding six months, with hard labour. 
 
 Every postmaster, upon delivery to him of a claim to a 
 pension, shall, unless he has received from the committee 
 appointed for the area in which the claimant resides 
 directions that claims shall be sent to the committee, 
 forthwith send the claim to the pension officer. The Board 
 suggest that at present no such direction should be given 
 by the committee. It seems to them that it is desirable, in 
 the first instance, when the number of claims to be made 
 
io8 
 
 will be very large, that no time should he lost in the process 
 of getting the claims into the hands of the pension officer, 
 so that the work of investigation may proceed at once. 
 
 Investigation and Determination of Claims by 
 Pension Officers and Committees. 
 
 The investigation and determination of claims by pension 
 officers and committees is fully dealt with in Regulations 8 to 
 1 6 inclusive. 
 
 The pension officer is required to keep a register of all 
 claims, and to enter in the register such particulars as the 
 Treasury may direct of every decision of the committee or 
 of the Local Government Board. The pension officer is to 
 investigate the claim in such manner as he thinks best fitted 
 for ascertaining the truth of the particulars stated in the claim, 
 and, as soon as his investigations are complete, he is to 
 report thereon to the committee or sub-committee as the 
 case may be. Some instructions to the pension officer are 
 included in the Second Schedule to the Regulations, and 
 others will no doubt be given to him through the Board of 
 Inland Revenue as circumstances require. 
 
 The committee or sub-committee, not later than seven 
 days after the receipt of the report of the pension officer, 
 are to consider the claim. The pension officer is entitled 
 to attend any meeting held for considering any claim, and 
 to speak but not to vote thereat. The committee or sub- 
 committee may require the pension officer to procure any 
 further information which it is in his power to procure in 
 reference to any matter to be considered by th i committee. 
 
 Regulation 12 prescribes the manner in which notices of 
 meetings for considering claims shall be given. The 
 
 P 
 
 ension officer must be informed of all meetings. In 
 
 &" 
 
T09 
 
 «. 
 
 many cases the committee may find it expedient to ask the 
 pension officer to attend. His presence would often enable 
 the committee to obtain additional information where such 
 was necessary, and might obviate the adjournment of the 
 meeting which is contemplated and provided for in Regula- 
 tion 14. 
 
 Where it is found necessary to adjourn a meeting for 
 further consideration' of a claim, such adjourned meeting 
 must take place not more than one month after the date of 
 the original meeting. The claimant is entitled to attend 
 and to be heard at any such adjourned meeting, 
 
 Where a claim is disallowed, the notice to be sent to the 
 claimant shall state that the claimant is entitled to appeal to 
 the Central Pension Authority, and the grounds upon which 
 the claim has been disallowed must also be stated. 
 
 Provisional Claims. 
 
 Regulation 16 provides that a claim may be made and 
 provisionally allowed at any time not exceeding four months 
 before the date on which the claimant will become entitled 
 to receive his pension. It is probable that such provisional 
 allowance will come to be the normal practice. It will 
 obviously be convenient to the pension authorities that 
 claims should be made in good time, so that opportunity 
 may be given for their being properly investigated and 
 determined before the date when the claimant would be 
 entitled to a pension. And since, under section 5 (2) of 
 the Act, the pension will not commence to accrue until the 
 claim has been allowed, if the claimant defers making a 
 claim until he has reached the age of 70, or has otherwise 
 become entitled to receive a pension, he will have to wait 
 until his claim has been investigated and finally allowed 
 
 THE ' \ 
 
 r ] 
 
 l^^'IVERSITY 
 
no 
 
 before he can begin to draw his pension, and so may lose 
 some weeks' payments which he would otherwise have 
 received. 
 
 Raising and Determination of Questions. 
 
 It is provided by Regulation 17 that if any pensioner 
 desires to raise any question as to the weekly rate of pension 
 to which he is entitled he may send a statement of his case 
 to the pension officer, who is to investigate and report on 
 the question in the same manner mutatis imita7idis as he 
 is required to do so in the case of a claim. Likewise 
 provision is made for the pension officer raising and bringing 
 before the comn)ittee or sub-committee any question as to 
 the continuance in the case of a pensioner of the fulfilment 
 of the statutory conditions, or as to the disqualification of 
 the pensioner, or any question as to the weekly rate of 
 pension, and the committee or sub-committee are to consider 
 and determine the question in the same manner as in the 
 case of a claim. 
 
 Appeals from Decisions of the Committee. 
 
 Section 7 (i) (c) of the Act provides for an appeal being 
 made to the Board by the pension officer or any person 
 aggrieved against a decision of the pension committee. 
 
 For the purpose of making an appeal, forms 9 and 10 
 must be used. A stock of these forms will be in the hands 
 of each Committee, and a copy of each form must be 
 supplied by the clerk of the committee, free of charge, to 
 any person who desires to appeal. Before parting with 
 them, the clerk should mark them in the space at the right 
 hand top corner with the name of the committee, and, in 
 the case of any appellant other than the pension officer who 
 
Ill 
 
 makes a personal application for the forms, he should 
 explain generally the process by which an appeal may be 
 made. 
 
 The notice of appeal (form 9) will be filled up with par- 
 ticulars which will be obtainable from the notice of decision 
 of the committee, and must be signed by the appellant, or, 
 if he cannot write, he must affix his mark in the presence of 
 a witness, whose signature will be appended. The date on 
 which it is sent to the Board must not be later than seven 
 days after the day on which the notice of decision of the 
 committee was received by the claimant, or, if the appellant 
 is a person who has not received a notice (that is to say, a 
 person other than the claimant or the pension officer), 
 within seven days of the date of the decision. 
 
 At the same time as he sends off form 9 to the Board the 
 appellant must send or deliver form 10 to the clerk of the 
 committee. This form is a notification to the committee 
 of the appeal having been made, and it is necessary that 
 it should also state the grounds upon which the appellant 
 considers that the decision against which he appeals was 
 wrong. If he has any documentary evidence in support of 
 his appeal, it should be annexed to form 10. The clerk of 
 the committee, on receiving from the pension officer or any 
 person other than claimant, notification of an appeal having 
 been made against the allowance of a claim, must send to 
 the claimant a notice in form 1 1 informing him that an 
 appeal has been brought. 
 
 The clerk will annex form 10, and any document that 
 may accompany it, to the file of papers relating to the 
 claim, and at once send to the Board the whole file, 
 including all documents concerning the claim which may 
 be in the possession of the committee. He may append 
 any further memorandum on the subject if he think fit, but 
 
1I2 
 
 he should not delay the dispatch of the papers on that 
 account. If the Board find it necessary to communicate 
 with the committee or the pension officer before decidnig 
 the appeal they will do so. In some cases they may find it 
 expedient to direct local investigaiion to be made before 
 deciding the appeal. 
 
 The decision of the Board will be communicated to the 
 committee in a form corresponding to form 1 2 in the First 
 Schedule to the Regulations. On receiving this form the 
 clerk of the committee should at once send form 13, com- 
 municating the Board's decision to the pension officer and 
 the claimant, and should the appellant be neither of these 
 persons, a form should be sent to him also. 
 
 Proceedings on Decision becoming Final. 
 
 When seven days have elapsed from the date of receipt 
 by the pension officer or the claimant of the notice of 
 the decision of the committee, if no appeal has been made 
 the decision of the committee will become final and con- 
 clusive. If any appeal is made the decision of the Board 
 upon it will similarly be final and conclusive. When this 
 stage has been reached the clerk of the committee, after 
 first entering a due record of the case in his register, is 
 required to send the claim and all documents relating 
 thereto, which are in the possession of the committee, to 
 the pension officer. The Board will themselves, after the 
 decision on an appeal has been given, send to the pension 
 officer the documents which they have received from the 
 committee. 
 
 Refusal or Neglect of Committees to Consider 
 
 Claims or Questions, 
 
 Regulation 20 provides for an application to the Board 
 under paragraph {d) of sub-section i of section 7 of the 
 
ii3 
 
 Act by a person aggrieved by the refusal or neglect of a 
 committee to consider a claim, or determine any question, 
 and applies to such applications the provisions of the 
 Regulations relating to the procedure of the Board on 
 appeals. 
 
 Payment of Pensions and Expenses of 
 
 Committees. 
 
 The functions of the committees do not extend to super- 
 vising the payment of the pensions, nor are they required 
 to consider questions of the continuance of qualification for 
 pension, unless such questions are brought before them by 
 the pension officer for determination. 
 
 Various points in connection with the expenses of the 
 committees are dealt with in the Financial Instructions for 
 Pension Committees and Sub-Committees issued by the 
 Treasury, copies of which accompany this circular. Corres- 
 pondence on matters of finance should be addressed to the 
 Treasury, Whitehall, S.W. 
 
 Regulation 25, as applied to Scotland by Regulation 3, 
 
 provides for the immediate payment of the expenses of 
 committees. 
 
 Forms. 
 
 A supply of the necessary forms prescribed by the Regu- 
 lations will be sent for the use of committees and sub- 
 committees in due course. Further supplies can be procured, 
 when required, free of charge, on requisition to the Clerk- 
 in-charge, H.M. Stationery Office, 26, St. James's Square, 
 Edinburgh. 
 
 It will be observed tliat, in order to enable all claims 
 made during the year 1908 to be investigated and deter- 
 
1 14 
 
 mined, whenever possible, before ist January, 1909, 
 Regulation 37 empowers the Board and the Treasury, if 
 they see fit, to make orders declaring the appointment of 
 any committee to be valid notwithstanding any defect in 
 the appointment thereof, or dispensing with compliance 
 with any of the Regulations, or to make any orders or give 
 any directions otherwise necessary for the purpose of 
 bringing the Act into effect. 
 
 I am, Sir, 
 
 Your obedient Servant, 
 
 G. FALCONAR-STEWART. 
 
 To the County Clerk, 
 
 or 
 
 The Town Clerk. 
 
1^5 
 
 Local Government Board, Edinburgh, 
 14th October, 1908. 
 
 THE OLD-AGE PENSIONS ACT, 1908. 
 
 Sir, 
 
 I am directed by the Board to state, for the informa- 
 tion of the parish council, that, under No. 35 of the 
 Old-Age Pensions Regulations which have been made 
 under the Old-Age Pensions Act, 1908, by the Treasury 
 in conjunction with the Board and the Postmaster-General, 
 it is provided that — 
 
 " for the purpose of enabling a pension officer to 
 ascertain whether any person is disqualified by 
 reason of the receipt of poor relief for receiving or 
 continuing to receive a pension, every officer or 
 person acting in the administration of the relief 
 of the poor shall, if so requested to do by the 
 pension officer, supply to the pension officer such 
 information as it is in his power to give as respects 
 any person who is or has been in receipt of poor 
 relieL" 
 
 The Board understand that the ordinary procedure 
 which the pension officers will adopt under this Regulation 
 will be to send to the inspector of poor a list of the names 
 and addresses of any claimants for pensions as to whom 
 information is needed, with an inquiry whether any such 
 claimant or any member of his family is or has been in 
 receipt of any poor relief within the meaning of 
 section 3 (i) (a) of the Act. This procedure will of 
 
 K 
 
Tl6 
 
 course not prevent the pension officer from obtaining 
 information informally from the inspectors of poor. 
 
 The Board have no doubt that the parish councils and 
 their officers will be willing to co-operate with the pension 
 officers in the matter and afford them all such information 
 as they may require. If, in the opinion of the parish 
 council, the extra labour involved in so doing demands 
 the payment of some small extra remuneration to any 
 officer, it will be open to them to make a payment out of 
 their funds for the purpose. It is understood that the 
 pension officers have no funds out of which such pay- 
 ments can be made. 
 
 A copy of the Act and of the Regulations made under 
 it will be forwarded, if desired, on application. 
 
 I am. Sir, 
 
 Your obedient Servant, 
 
 G. falconar-stp:wart, 
 
 Secretary. 
 To the Inspector of Poor. 
 
1 1 
 
 Local Government Board, Edinburgh, 
 29th October, 1908. 
 
 OLD-AGE PENSIONS ACT, 1908. 
 
 Sir, 
 
 The Board direct me to enclose for your information 
 two copies of the Old- Age Pensions Regulations, 1908, 
 dated 15th October, 1908, which supersede the Pro- 
 visional Regulations issued on 20th August last, and 
 referred to in the Board's Circular, No. IIL, 1908. 
 
 Your attention is directed to the following alterations 
 and additions, viz. : — 
 
 No. 19 (2). — In cases where the appellant is not the 
 claimant or pensioner, provision is now made that notice 
 of the Board's decision must be intimated by the com- 
 mittee to such appellant. The words added to the 
 Regulation are — " and likewise (if the appellant is a 
 person aggrieved other than the claimant or pensioner) to 
 the appellant. 
 
 ; ; 
 
 No. 2 2 (i). — The words " of the council by " have 
 been substituted for the word '' for " in the second last 
 line of this Regulation. This will enable a sub-committee 
 to go outwith its own area to secure offices for meetings 
 if no convenient or suitable offices are available in its own 
 area. 
 
 No. 22 (3). — An important provision has been added to 
 this Regulation. A pension committee are not to hold 
 meetings on, or to use as an office of the committee, 
 
 K 2 
 
ii8 
 
 licensed premises unless with the sanction of the Board. 
 
 The additional words are : — 
 
 " And (b) except with the sanction of the Local 
 Government Board (which sanction shall only be 
 given when no other suitable room is available 
 either free of charge or at a cost not exceeding 
 such scale as aforesaid) a committee shall not 
 hold a meeting on any licensed premises, nor 
 shall any such premises be used, without such 
 sanction, as an office of the committee or for any 
 purpose of or incidental to the business of the 
 committee." 
 
 No. 2 2 (4). — The expression " licensed premises " is 
 defmed as follows : — 
 
 " And the expression * licensed premises ' means 
 premises licensed for the sale of intoxicating 
 liquor, and includes any club at which such 
 liquor is supplied." 
 
 No. 24 (2). — A proviso is added, giving the Board 
 power in special circumstances to authorise a smaller or 
 a greater number of members of a sub-committee than that 
 fixed by the Regulation. The proviso reads : — 
 
 " Provided that the Local Government Board may 
 in special circumstances authorise a smaller or a 
 greater number." 
 
 No. 31 (2). — The disposal of documents dealing with 
 claims or questions is now regulated thus : — 
 
 •' Subject as hereinafter provided, the pension officer 
 shall preserve all such documents for such 
 period after the date of the decision on the 
 claim or question, as the Treasury may deter- 
 mine, and on the expiration of that period they 
 shall be destroyed or otherwise disposed of in 
 such manner as the Treasury may direct." 
 
iig 
 
 No. ;^6 (i). — This " temporary provision " has been 
 amended so that " every council by whom a local pension 
 committee has not been appointed before the date of these 
 Regulations shall forthwith hold a meeting for the pur- 
 pose of appointing the committee, and the council shall 
 have full power to appoint the committee at that meeting 
 or any adjournment thereof, notwithstanding that any 
 standing orders or regulations relating to the notices to 
 be given of business to be transacted at meetings of the 
 council have not been complied with." It is satisfactory 
 to note, however, that in Scotland all the local pension 
 committees have now been appointed. 
 
 No. 38. — This is a new provision and reads as 
 follows : — 
 
 " These Regulations shall be deemed to have had 
 effect as from the 28th day of August, 1908. 
 
 " Provided that anything done in pursuance of the 
 Provisional Regulations made under the Act on 
 the 20th day of August, 1908, shall, notwith- 
 standing anything in these Regulations, be 
 deemed to have been validly done and have full 
 effect accordingly." 
 
 Additional copies of the Regulations may be had, on 
 application, for the use of the members of your council 
 or committee. 
 
 I am, Sir, 
 
 Your obedient Servant, 
 
 G. FALCONAR-STEWART, 
 
 Secretary. 
 lo 
 The County Clerk, 
 
 or 
 The Town Clerk, 
 
 or 
 The Clerk to the Local Pension Committee 
 or Sub-Committee. 
 
120 
 
 [IRELAND.] 
 
 Local Government Board, 
 Dublin, 
 
 8th August, 1908. 
 
 Sir, 
 
 Adverting to their Circular Letter of the 4th instant, on 
 the subject of the Old- Age Pensions Act, 1908, I am 
 directed by the Local Government Board for Ireland to 
 state that, in view of the limited time which will be available 
 for the consideration of the claims for pensions accruing in 
 January next, the Board deem it advisable, without waiting 
 for the publication of the Regulations of the Treasury, to 
 issue, herewith, copies of an explanatory memorandum as 
 to the steps to be taken by each council and pension com- 
 mittee in Ireland in order to bring the provisions of the Act 
 into operation. 
 
 As some councils are holding their ordinary meetings 
 next week, the Board have prepared this memorandum 
 without delay from an advanced proof of the Regulations, 
 and they have no doubt that the instructions contained 
 therein will be of immediate use in the event of any 
 questions being raised in reference to the procedure at the 
 meetings to be held for the purpose of appointing the 
 pension committees. 
 
121 
 
 The Act and the Regulations will be forwarded as soon 
 as possible, and I am to request that in the meantime you 
 will be good enough to forward a copy of the memorandum 
 to each member of your council. 
 
 I am, Sir, 
 Your obedient Servant, 
 
 (Signed) H. COURTENAY, 
 Assistant Secretary 
 
 To the Secretary 
 
 of each County Council, 
 and 
 The Clerk of each Borough and 
 Urban District, having a 
 Population of over 10,000. 
 
 LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD LOR IRELAND. 
 OLD-AGE PENSIONS ACT. 
 
 INSTRUCTIONAL MEMORANDUM. 
 
 I. The county councils and urban district councils have 
 had before them the Board's Circular Letter of the 4th 
 instant relating to the meetings to be held during the 
 present month in order to put into operation the provisions 
 of the Old-Age Pensions Act, and this Memorandum refers 
 to the further preliminary arrangements to be made for the 
 establishment of the local pension committees, upon whom, 
 in conjunction with the pension officers to be appointed by 
 the Treasury, determination of claims for pensions will 
 devolve. 
 
122 
 
 Appointment of Local Pension Committee by 
 
 the Council. 
 
 2. The first step to be taken by the council at this meet- 
 ing is the appointment of the local pension committee 
 referred to in section 8 (i) of the Act. At this liieeting, or 
 at any adjournment thereof, the council may appoint the 
 local pension committee, irrespective of any standing orders 
 relating to notices to be given or business to be transacted. 
 
 3. The council will observe from the Act that the mem- 
 bers of the pension committee need not necessarily be 
 members of the council, and it will be for the council to 
 determine the number of persons outside their own body (if 
 any) who should be appointed on the committee. The 
 total number of the committee must not exceed the number 
 of the appointing council, and must not be less than seven. 
 
 4. In considering the selection of the person to act on 
 the pension committee, the council should bear in mind 
 that the local sub-committees, upon whom the consideration 
 of claims for pensions will in most cases ultimately fall, will 
 be appointed by the pension committee and not by the 
 council. If, therefore, in the case of a county the council 
 desire that all the councillors representing the county 
 electoral divisions should take part in the selection of these 
 important committees, they can effect this object by appoint- 
 ing every member of the council upon the pension com- 
 mittee in the first instance, thus leaving it to the council, in 
 the capacity of pension committee, to determine the con- 
 stitution of the sub-committees, the duties to be delegated 
 to them, and the areas over which they will act. Where 
 sub-committees are not considered necessary the council, 
 in appointing the local pension committee will, doubtless, 
 avail themselves of their right to select members from out- 
 
123 
 
 side their own body. This, however, is a matter which 
 the Act leaves entirely to the discretion of the appointing 
 council. 
 
 The council must send notice to the Local Government 
 Board of the appointment of the committee, immediately 
 upon its formation. 
 
 5. Having appointed the committee, the council must 
 then fix a date and place for the first meeting of the 
 committee, and this date must be within fourteen days of 
 the meeting at which the committee is appointed. It will 
 be the duty of the clerk of the council to convene the 
 meeting upon the date fixed. 
 
 Appointment of Sub-Committees by the Pension 
 
 Committee, 
 
 6. Each sub-committee must consist of not more than 
 nine members and not less than five. It must be composed 
 either wholly or partly of members of the local pension 
 committee, and it will, therefore, be necessary that at least 
 one member of every sub-committee should be a member 
 of the pension committee. 
 
 7. In the urban districts with a population not much in 
 excess of the 10,000 limit the pension committee may find 
 themselves able to dispense with sub-committees : but in 
 the larger cities and counties the Board believe that it 
 would be quite impossible to do so. A single committee 
 in a county or large city would scarcely find time to deal 
 with all the applications which would come before them by 
 the I St January next, and it not likely that they would be in 
 possession of sufficient knowlege of the people in every part 
 of their district to facilitate them in the consideration of 
 claims. 
 
124 
 
 8. The Board therefore beheve that at all events until the 
 claims of all the persons at present eligible for pensions are 
 disposed of, nearly every pension committee outside the 
 urban districts above referred to will find it necessary to 
 appoint sub-committees ; and where this is agreed upon, the 
 pension committee will then have to determine the number 
 of such sub-committees, the areas for w^hich they are to be 
 appointed, and whether they will delegate their powers and 
 duties absolutely to the sub-committees or only in part. 
 
 The decision of the committee upon these points must be 
 forthwith notified to the Local Government Board. 
 
 Selection of Areas and Delegation of Powers to 
 Sub-Committees by the Pension Committee. 
 
 9. The question of the number of sub-committees and 
 the area to be assigned to each is a most important one, and 
 it will probably be found advisable to select well-known and 
 well-defined areas which are wholly within the county, 
 rather than to form entirely new combinations. In sparsely 
 populated districts the rural district might in many cases be 
 suitable, while in populous areas and the congested districts 
 of the westj dispensary districts or the petty sessions dis- 
 tricts might probably be convenient units. In cities a 
 combination of municipal wards might answer in some cases, 
 but on these points each committee must be guided by 
 considerations of the extent and population of its own area. 
 
 10. The question as to whether the duties of the pension 
 committee should be delegated wholly or in part to the sub- 
 committees, is one which the committee should not decide 
 until they have studied the procedure laid down in the 
 Regulations regarding the determination of claims for 
 
125 
 
 pension. The Local Government Board's opinion, based 
 upon a full consideration of these Regulations is, that, if 
 such committees are appointed at all, it is better that the 
 entire work of determining claims should be left to the sub- 
 committees, and provided the local pension committee take 
 care that they are adequately represented on each sub- 
 committee their influence over the general administration 
 of the Act would, no doubt, be fully maintained. 
 
 If the local pension committee were themselves to under- 
 take the consideration of the pension officers' reports in the 
 case of large counties, claimants for pension who may be 
 called to appear before the pension committee, would be 
 put to great hardship if they had to travel long distances to 
 the committee, and even if the investigations and personal 
 interviews were delegated to the sub committees, and the 
 pension committee retained in their own hands the final 
 decision in each case, the correspondence and possible 
 friction between the central committee and the sub-com- 
 mittees, and the labour and travelling imposed upon the 
 pension officers would complicate and delay procedure and 
 militate against the smooth and successful working of the 
 Act. 
 
 Appointment of Clerks to Committee. 
 
 II. If the duties of the pension committee are delegated 
 absolutely to the sub-committees, a clerk for the pension 
 committee may not be required permanently, but each sub- 
 committee must appoint a permanent clerk who shall hold 
 office during their pleasure, and whose remuneration must 
 be within the scale fixed by the Treasury by whom all the 
 expenses of the committee up to an amount approved by 
 them will be reimbursed. Upon his appointment the clerk 
 
126 
 
 must immediately notify his name and address to the Local 
 Government Board. 
 
 12. The duties of the clerk will not, in the Board's 
 opinion, be sufficient in the majority of cases to occupy his 
 entire time after the first series of applications has been 
 dealt with, but care should be taken to appoint some well 
 qualified and experienced person to the post, who would be 
 competent to conduct the correspondence of the committee, 
 to keep their accounts, and to give them intelligent assis- 
 tance in carrying out the regulations and the Act of 
 Parliament. 
 
 Financial Arrangements, 
 
 13. The funds of the committee for the payment of 
 immediate expenses must be advanced in the first instance 
 by the councils, but they will subsequently be repaid by the 
 Treasury. Instructions relating to receipts and disburse- 
 ments by the committee will no doubt be issued by the 
 Treasury to the committees in due course. 
 
 Forms of Application for Pensions. 
 
 14. The forms of application for pensions will be 
 available at the post offices in October, and these forms 
 when filled up by the applicants will be sent by the post 
 office officials to the pension officers whose reports and 
 recommendations thereon will be transmitted to the com- 
 mittee in due course. 
 
 Pension Officers. 
 
 15. the pension officer, who will be under the control of 
 the Commissioners of Inland Revenue, will shortly be 
 appointed, and the Board understand they will be officers 
 of Excise. 
 
127 
 
 Duties of Committees. 
 
 1 6. The duties of the pension committee, or sub- 
 committee, in adjudicating upon the report and recom- 
 mendations of the pension officer with respect to each 
 claim for an old-age pension are very fully set out in 
 clauses 8 to 19 of the Regulations. It is hoped that the 
 Regulations will be issued before the first meeting of the 
 pension committee is held. 
 
 It is essential to the proper administration of the Act that 
 every member of the committee and sub-committee should 
 carefully study this part of the Regulations, and for this 
 reason the Local Government Board consider it inexpedient 
 to attempt to put before them any abbreviated summary of 
 the committee's obligations and responsibilities under these 
 clauses. The Board have no doubt that the pension com- 
 mittees recognizing the important duties which have been 
 entrusted to them by Parliament will spare no effort to 
 ensure that the beneficent intentions of the Act are carried 
 out in Ireland in a judicious and careful manner. 
 
 Local Government Board (Ireland), 
 Dublin, 
 
 7th August, 1908. 
 
128 
 
 CIRCULAR. 
 
 Local Government Board, 
 
 Dublin, 
 
 22nd August, 1908. 
 Sir, 
 
 Adverting to their previous Circular Letters on the subject 
 of the Old-Age Pensions Act, 1908, I am directed by the 
 Local Government Board for Ireland to forward, herewith, 
 copies of the Regulations which have been made under 
 section 10 of the Act. The financial arrangements of 
 committees, the remuneration of the clerks, and other 
 similar matters, have been made the subject of a special 
 instructional Circular by the Treasury, copies of which are 
 also enclosed. Further copies will be forwarded as soon as 
 an additional supply is received. 
 
 The Board have observed that in many districts local 
 authorities acting upon the Instrucdonal Memorandum 
 which was issued in anticipation of the pubHcation of the 
 Regulations, have already appointed pension committees, 
 and it is hoped that the members of committees will qualify 
 themselves by a careful perusal of the Regulations for the 
 proper fulfilment of the important duties devolving upon 
 them. Copies of an alphabetical index to the Act, Regu- 
 lations, and Financial Instructions are sent herewith, but if 
 there is any point on which any committee desire to be 
 advised, the Local Government will be very glad to 
 afford them any assistance in their power. 
 
 The Local Government Board will supply for use by each 
 committee, a stock of the forms prescribed by the First 
 
129 
 
 Schedule to the Regulations, and any further supply which 
 may be required may be obtained from His Majesty's 
 Stationery Office, Custom House, Dublin. Copies of forms 
 14 and 15, which will be required immediately, are sent 
 herewith. 
 
 The Board are in communication with the Commissioners 
 of Inland Revenue as to the pension officers to be appointed 
 for the various districts. 
 
 I am. Sir, 
 Your obedient Servant, 
 
 (Signed) H. COURTENAY, 
 
 Assistant Secretary. 
 
 To the Secretary 
 
 of each County Council, 
 and 
 The Clerk of each Borough and 
 Urban District, having a 
 Population ot 10,000 and over, 
 
LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD FOR IRELAND. 
 
 OLD-AGE PENSIONS ACT, 1908. 
 
 TREASURY REGULATIONS AND 
 FINANCIAL INSTRUCTIONS. 
 
 Local Government Board, Dublin, 
 8th September, 1908. 
 
 Sir, 
 
 I am directed by the Local Government Board for 
 Ireland to direct your special attention to the provisions 
 contained in the above-named Act, Regulations, and 
 Instructions with respect to the expenses of pension com- 
 mittees, sub-committees, and officers. 
 
 The provisions contained in the Act under this head are 
 set forth generally in section 10, subsections (i) (c) 
 and (4), but are dealt with more specifically in the Regu- 
 lations and Instructions. 
 
 The clauses of the Regulations dealing with this sub- 
 ject which require your special attention are Nos. 22, 23, 
 25, and 28 (2). 
 
 The Financial Instructions as a whole deal with the 
 subject of expenses and must be carefully studied. 
 
 It will be necessary in view of the quarterly recoup- 
 ment of expenses of pension committees by the Treasury, 
 that each local authority shall keep the details of expen- 
 
13^ 
 
 ditiire and recoupments in connection with the work of 
 the committees apart from the ordinary expenditure and 
 receipts. 
 
 For this purpose special columns should be used in the 
 financial statement books of receipts and expenditure 
 (Forms i and 2, Public Bodies Order, 1904). 
 
 The total amount expended in each quarter should be 
 posted from Form 2 to a special " Old-Age Pensions " 
 account in the ledger ; and any amounts recouped by the 
 Treasury within the financial period should be carried 
 from Form i to that account. 
 
 The balance of the account, being the amount not 
 recouped within the financial period, should be carried, 
 in suspense, to the balance-sheet as a special item of the 
 treasurer's balance, pending recoupment or audit. 
 
 I am, Sir, 
 Your obedient Servant, 
 
 H. COURTENAY, 
 
 Assistant Secretary. 
 
 To 
 
 The Secretary of each County Council, 
 
 and 
 The Clerk of each Borough or Urban District 
 having a population of 10,000 or over. 
 
132 
 
 [IRELAND.] 
 
 Local Government Board, Dublin, 
 8th October, 1908. 
 
 Sir, 
 
 I am directed by the Local Go\'ernment Board for 
 Ireland to state, for your information, that it has been 
 represented to the Board that certain pension officers who 
 are now investigating the claims of persons for old-age 
 pensions under the Old- Age Pensions Act, 1908, are 
 unable to finally decide these claims, as they have in 
 some cases been unable to obtain particulars of persons 
 in receipt of poor relief from some clerks of unions. 
 
 In this connection the Board desire to draw attention 
 to Article 35 of the Old- Age Pension Regulations, 1908 
 (copy herewith), which provides that " for the purpose 
 of enabling the pension officer to ascertain whether any 
 person is disqualified by reason of the receipt of poor 
 relief for receiving or continuing to receive a pension, 
 every officer or person acting in the administration of the 
 relief of the poor shall, if so requested to do by the 
 pension officer, supply to the pension officer such infor- 
 mation as it is in his power to give as respects any person 
 who is or has been in receipt of poor relief." 
 
 1 am accordingly to point out that the clerk of a union 
 will incur serious responsibility if he fails to furnish par- 
 

 ticulars as required by this Regulation, and thereby delays 
 the granting of pensions to old people who may be entitled 
 to them. 
 
 The Board feel sure that, their attention having been 
 called to this matter, the clerks of unions throughout 
 Ireland will do all in their power to facilitate the pension 
 officers in the investigation of claims for pensions. 
 
 I am, Sir, 
 
 Your obedient vServant, 
 
 A. R. BARLAS, 
 
 Secretary. 
 
 The Clerk of the Union. 
 
 L 2 
 
134 
 
 APPENDIX B. 
 
 FINANCIAL INSTRUCTIONS 
 
 FOR PENSION COMMITTEES AND 
 
 SUB-COMMITTEES. 
 
 I. The remuneration of the clerks to pension committees 
 and sub-committees will be by fees at such rates (inclusive 
 of out-of-pocket expenses) as may be fixed by the pension 
 committee of each local authority within the following 
 scale : — 
 
 (i) For general incidental expenses, including office 
 accommodation (see paragraph 5) : — 
 
 (a) Committees of counties (excluding the 
 
 County of London) : — s. d. 
 
 For every 1,000 or part of 1,000 
 of total population of the area 
 served by the committee Per 
 quarter - - - - - 2 6 
 
 {l>) Committees of the County of London, 
 county boroughs, boroughs, and urban 
 districts : — 
 
 For every 1,000 or part of 1,000 
 of total population of the area 
 served by the committee Per 
 quarter - - - - -10 
 
 (2) For claims and questions (inclusive of postage 
 and incidental expenses in connection with 
 such claims and questions) : — 
 
^35 
 
 s. d. 
 {a) For each claim or question dealt with in 
 
 each quarter by a committee or sub- 
 committee, not exceeding 20 in all - 5 o 
 
 {^) For each claim or question in excess of 
 
 20 - - - - - - - 2 6 
 
 For the purposes of this paragraph "claim" means a 
 claim to a pension considered upon report after investiga- 
 tion by the pension officer (Regulation 9 (i)). No fee will 
 be payable in respect of claims not investigated by that 
 officer which may be the subject of a special report under 
 the proviso to that Regulation. " Question " means a 
 question with regard to an existing pension raised and 
 determined upon the report of the pension officer under 
 Regulation 17. 
 
 2. The fees for general incidental expenses (including 
 office accommodation) to be paid to the clerk to the 
 pension committee and to each of the clerks of such sub- 
 committees as they may appoint, will be fixed by the 
 committee at such amount in each case as they may think 
 proper, provided that the total does not exceed the 
 maximum for the area served by the committee calculated 
 on the basis of the total population of that area in accor- 
 dance with the scale laid down in paragraph 1 (i). No 
 fee will be payable in respect of any period prior to ist 
 October, 1908. 
 
 'I'he committee will transmit to the Treasury through the 
 clerk of the appointing council complete schedules of the 
 fees approved from time to time for each clerk, and the 
 accounts will be dealt with in accordance with the schedule 
 last submitted. Whenever any alteration or revision takes 
 place, a new and complete schedule will be required. 
 
 3. The fees in respect of claims and cjuestions will be 
 calculated upon the work of each committee or sub- 
 
136 
 
 committee separately, provided that not more than one fee 
 will be payable in respect of each claim or question. In 
 case of any claims or questions being dealt with in the first 
 instance by a sub-committee and afterwards referred to the 
 committee, or vice versa, one-half of the total number of 
 such claims will, for the purpose of applying the scale laid 
 down in paragraph i (2), be counted as having been dealt 
 with by the sub-committee, and one-half as having been 
 dealt with by the committee. 
 
 4. The use of the offices of a local authority is to be 
 obtained for meetings of sub-committees and committees 
 free of charge (except a charge not exceeding 2s. 6d. per 
 meeting for heating, lighting, or cleaning), whenever such 
 offices are available (Regulation 22). 
 
 Where such offices are not available a charge for hire of 
 a room not exceeding los. 6d. in respect of each meeting 
 will be passed in the accounts, subject to the production of 
 a proper voucher and upon a certificate by the clerk of the 
 county, borough or urban district council by whom the 
 committee is appointed, that he has satisfied himself that 
 no offices of a local authority were available. 
 
 5. The greater part of the correspondence of clerks will 
 be by means of forms, which will be supplied free of charge 
 by the Stationery Office upon requisition. These will be 
 entitled to free transmission through the post. The 
 inclusive fees laid down in paragraph i are intended to 
 cover the cost of stationery and postage for any other 
 correspondence (including notices of meetings of the 
 committees), the cost of conveying registers and other 
 documents to and from the meeting, and incidental 
 expenses generally. 
 
 6. Travelling or other expenses incurred by members of 
 
^37 
 
 committees or sub-committees or their clerks in connection 
 with meetings of such committees or sub-committees or 
 otherwise will not be admitted as a charge against pubHc 
 funds. 
 
 7. There being no power under the Act to repay expenses 
 incurred by claimants to pensions, such payments can in 
 no circumstances be admitted for reimbursement. 
 
 8. Clerks to pension committees and sub-committees will 
 render their accounts for fees and expenses to the clerk of 
 the appointing council at such time and in such manner as 
 he may direct, to be dealt with by him as provided by 
 Regulation 25. The clerk of the appointing council will 
 within one month after the end of each quarter submit a 
 claim for reimbursement to the Treasury showing in one 
 account the details of all expenditure defrayed by the 
 appointing council during the quarter in respect of the 
 pension committee and all sub-committees in its area, with 
 the relative vouchers, and the amount expended will be re- 
 imbursed to him by the Treasury subject to the claim, upon 
 examination, being found to be in order, 
 
 9. In the case of small authorities, when the amounts 
 necessary to meet the expenses in the first instance cannot 
 conveniently be advanced out of local funds {see Regulation 
 25 (2)), the Treasury will be prepared to consider the 
 question of making advances at the beginning of each 
 quarter by way of imprest under Regulation 25 (3) upon 
 receiving an application from the council explaining the 
 circumstances which make such advances necessary. 
 
 Accounts of all expenditure out of such advances must be 
 rendered quarterly to the Treasury in the same manner and 
 subject to the same rules as to vouchers, &c., as claims for 
 reimbursement under paragraph 8. Credit will be allowed 
 
138 
 
 thereon for such expenditure as, upon examination, is found 
 to be in order. 
 
 lo. If any question arises necessitating a reference to the 
 Treasury, or if Treasury sanction is required for any special 
 or exceptional expenditure by a committee or sub-committee 
 the clerk to the committee or sub-committee will refer the 
 matter to the clerk of the appointing council, who will 
 submit it to the Treasury with his recommendation thereon. 
 
 The Treasury cannot in any circumstances undertake to 
 correspond with committees or sub-committees except 
 through the clerk of the appointing council. 
 
 Treasury Chambers, 
 
 Whitehall, S.W. 
 
 2oth August, 1908. 
 
 Note. 
 
 The Treasury are not prepared to authorise the supply of letter 
 files, boxes, or other office fittings or furniture, payment for use 
 of which is covered by the allowance for general incidental expenses 
 (including office accommodation). 
 
139 
 
 APPENDIX C. 
 
 List of Local Authorities by whom Pension 
 Oommittees iM/ili be appointed. 
 
 (1) ENGLAND AND WALES. 
 
 COUNTIES. 
 
 Bedfordshire 
 Berkshire 
 Buckinghamshire 
 Cambridgeshire 
 Cheshire 
 Cornwall 
 Cumberland 
 Derbyshire 
 Devonshire 
 Dorsetshire 
 Durham 
 Essex 
 
 Gloucestershire 
 Herefordshire 
 Hertfordshire 
 Hunts 
 
 Isle of Wight 
 Isle of Ely- 
 Kent 
 
 Lancashire 
 Leicestershire 
 Lincolnshire (Holland) 
 Lincolnshire (Kesteven) 
 Lincolnshire (Lindsey) 
 London 
 Middlesex 
 
 Monmouthshire 
 
 Norfolk 
 
 Northamptonshire 
 
 Northumberland 
 
 Nottinghamshire 
 
 Oxfordshire 
 
 Peterborough (Soke of) 
 
 Rutlandshire 
 
 Salop 
 
 Scilly, Isles of 
 
 Somersetshire 
 
 Southampton 
 
 Staffordshire 
 
 Suffolk (East) 
 
 Suffolk (West) 
 
 Surrey 
 
 Sussex (East) 
 
 Sussex (West) 
 
 Warwickshire 
 
 Westmorland 
 
 Wiltshire 
 
 Worcestershire 
 
 Yorkshire (East Riding) 
 
 Yorkshire (North Riding) 
 
 Yorkshire (West Riding) 
 
T40 
 
 Anglesey 
 
 Breconshire 
 
 Cardiganshire 
 
 Carmarthenshire 
 
 Carnarvonshire 
 
 Denbighshire 
 
 Accrington 
 
 Ashton-under-Lyne 
 
 Aston Manor 
 
 Bacup 
 
 Barnsley 
 
 Barrow-in-Furness 
 
 Bath 
 
 Batley 
 
 Bedford 
 
 Birkenhead 
 
 Birmingham 
 
 Blackburn 
 
 Blackpool 
 
 Bolton 
 
 Bootle 
 
 Bournemouth 
 
 Bradford 
 
 Brighouse 
 
 Brighton 
 
 Bristol 
 
 Bromley 
 
 Burnley 
 
 Burslem 
 
 Burton-upon-Trent 
 
 Bury 
 
 Cambridge 
 
 Canterbury 
 
 Cardiff 
 
 Carlisle 
 
 Chatham 
 
 Cheltenham 
 
 WALES. 
 
 Flintshire 
 
 Glamorganshire 
 
 Merionethshire 
 
 Montgomeryshire 
 
 Pembrokeshire 
 
 Radnorshire 
 
 BOROUGHS. 
 
 Chester 
 
 Chesterfield 
 
 Chorley 
 
 Colchester 
 
 Colne 
 
 Coventry 
 
 Crewe 
 
 Croydon 
 
 Darlington 
 
 Darwen 
 
 Derby 
 
 Devonport 
 
 Dewsbury 
 
 Doncaster 
 
 Dover 
 
 Dudley 
 
 Ealing 
 
 Eastbourne 
 
 East Ham 
 
 Eccles 
 
 Edmonton 
 
 Exeter 
 
 Folkestone 
 
 Gateshead 
 
 Gillingham 
 
 Glossop 
 
 Gloucester 
 
 Gravesend 
 
 Great Yarmouth 
 
 Grimsby 
 
 Guildford 
 
141 
 
 Halifax 
 
 Newport (Mon) 
 
 Hanley 
 
 Northampton 
 
 Harrogate 
 
 Norwich 
 
 Hartlepool 
 
 Nottingham 
 
 Hastings 
 
 Nuneaton 
 
 Hereford 
 
 Oldham 
 
 Heywood 
 
 Oxford 
 
 Hornsey 
 
 Peterborough 
 
 Hove 
 
 Plymouth 
 
 Huddersfield 
 
 Poole 
 
 Hyde 
 
 Portsmouth 
 
 Ilkeston 
 
 Preston 
 
 Ipswich 
 
 Ramsgate 
 
 Jarrow 
 
 Rawtenstall 
 
 Keighley 
 
 Reading 
 
 Kidderminster 
 
 Reigate 
 
 King's Lynn 
 
 Richmond (Surrey) 
 
 Kingston-on-Hull 
 
 Rochdale 
 
 Kingston-on-Thames 
 
 Rochester 
 
 Lancaster 
 
 Rotherham 
 
 'Leamington] {See Royal) 
 
 Royal Leamington Spa 
 
 Leeds 
 
 St. Helens 
 
 Leicester 
 
 Sal ford 
 
 Leigh 
 
 Salisbury (New Sarum) 
 
 Lincoln 
 
 Scarborough 
 
 Liverpool 
 
 Sheffield 
 
 Longton 
 
 Shrewsbury 
 
 Loughborough 
 
 Smethwick 
 
 Lowestoft 
 
 Southampton 
 
 Luton 
 
 Southend-on-Sea 
 
 Macclesfield 
 
 Southport 
 
 Maidstone 
 
 South Shields 
 
 Manchester 
 
 Stafford 
 
 Mansfield 
 
 Stalybridge 
 
 Margate 
 
 Stockport 
 
 Merthyr Tyafil 
 
 Stockton-on-Tees 
 
 Middlesbrough 
 
 Stoke-upon-Trent 
 
 Middleton 
 
 Sunderland 
 
 Morley 
 
 Swansea 
 
 Nelson 
 
 Swindon 
 
 Ne wcastle-u pon-Ty ne 
 
 Taunton 
 
142 
 
 Todmorden 
 
 Torquay 
 
 Tunbridge Wells 
 
 Tynemouth 
 
 Wakefield 
 
 Wallsend 
 
 Walsall 
 
 Warrington 
 
 Wednesbury 
 
 West Bromwich 
 
 West Ham 
 
 West Hartlepool 
 
 Widnes 
 
 Wigan 
 
 Wimbledon 
 
 Winchester 
 
 Wolverhampton 
 
 Worcester 
 
 Workington 
 
 Worthing 
 
 York 
 
 URBAN DISTRICTS. 
 
 Aberdare 
 
 Abertillery 
 
 Acton 
 
 Aldershot 
 
 Barking Town 
 
 Barry 
 
 Beckenham 
 
 Bilston 
 
 Blyth 
 
 Cannock 
 
 Chadderton 
 
 Chiswick 
 
 Coseley 
 
 Ebbw Vale 
 
 Enfield 
 
 Erith 
 
 Farnworth 
 
 Felling 
 
 Fen ton 
 
 Finchley 
 
 Gorton 
 
 Gosport and Alverstoke 
 
 Handsworth 
 
 Hebburn 
 
 Hendon 
 
 Heston and Isleworth 
 
 Hindley 
 
 Ilford 
 
 [nce-in-Makerfield 
 
 Kettering 
 
 King's Norton and Northfield 
 
 Leyton 
 
 Llanelly 
 
 Mountain Ash 
 
 Old bury 
 
 Penge 
 
 Pontypridd 
 
 Radcliffe 
 
 Rhondda 
 
 Rowley Regis 
 
 Shipley 
 
 Stretford 
 
 Swinton and Pendlebury 
 
 Tipton 
 
 Tottenham 
 
 Tunstall 
 
 Twickenham 
 
 Wallasey 
 
 Walthamstow 
 
 Waterloo-with-Seaforth 
 
 Watford 
 
 Willesden 
 
 Wolstanton United 
 
 Wood Green 
 
143 
 
 (2) SCOTLAND. 
 
 
 COUNTIES. 
 
 Aberdeen 
 
 Kinross 
 
 Argyll 
 
 Kirkcudbright 
 
 Ayr 
 
 Lanark , 
 
 Banff 
 
 Linlithgow 
 
 Berwick 
 
 Nairn 
 
 Bute 
 
 Orkney 
 
 Caithness 
 
 Peebles 
 
 Clackmannan 
 
 Perth 
 
 Dumbarton 
 
 Renfrew 
 
 Dumfries 
 
 Ross and Cromarty 
 
 Edinburgh 
 
 Roxburgh 
 
 Elgin 
 
 Selkirk 
 
 Fife 
 
 Stirling 
 
 Forfar 
 
 Sutherland 
 
 Haddington 
 
 Wigtown 
 
 Inverness 
 
 Zetland 
 
 Kincardine 
 
 
 BURG-HS. 
 
 Aberchirder 
 
 Aberdeen 
 
 Aberfeldy 
 
 Aberlour 
 
 Abernethy 
 
 Airdrie 
 
 Alloa 
 
 Alva 
 
 Alyth 
 
 Annan 
 
 Anstruther-Easter 
 
 Anstruther-Wester 
 
 Arbroath 
 
 Ardrossan 
 
 Armadale 
 
 Auchterarder 
 
 Auchtermuchty 
 
 Ayr 
 
 Ballater 
 
 Banchory 
 
 Banff 
 
 Barrhead 
 
 Bathgate 
 
 Biggar 
 
144 
 
 Blairgowrie 
 
 Bo'ness 
 
 Bonnyrigg 
 
 Brechin 
 
 Bridge of Allan 
 
 Broughty Ferry 
 
 Buckhaven, Methil, &c. 
 
 Buckie 
 
 Burghead 
 
 Burntisland 
 
 Callander 
 
 Campbeltown 
 
 Carnoustie 
 
 Castle-Douglas 
 
 Clydebank 
 
 Coatbridge 
 
 Cockenzie 
 
 Coldstream 
 
 Coupar-Angus 
 
 Cove and Kilcreggan 
 
 Cowdenbeath 
 
 Crail 
 
 Crieff 
 
 Cromarty 
 
 Cullen 
 
 Culross 
 
 Cumnock and Holmhead 
 
 Cupar 
 
 Dalbeattie 
 
 Dalkeith 
 
 Darvel 
 
 Denny and Dunipace 
 
 Dingwall 
 
 Dollar 
 
 Dornoch 
 
 Doune 
 
 Dufftown 
 
 Dumbarton 
 
 Dumfries 
 
 Dunbar 
 
 Dunblane 
 
 Dundee 
 
 Dunfermline 
 
 Dunoon 
 
 Duns 
 
 Dysart 
 
 Earlsferry 
 
 East Linton 
 
 Edinburgh 
 
 Elgin 
 
 Elie 
 
 Ellon 
 
 Eyemouth 
 
 Falkirk 
 
 Falkland 
 
 Forfar 
 
 Forres 
 
 Fortrose 
 
 Fort-William 
 
 Fraserburgh 
 
 Galashiels 
 
 Galston 
 
 Gatehouse 
 
 Girvan 
 
 Glasgow 
 
 Gourock 
 
 Govan 
 
 Grangemouth 
 
 Grantown 
 
 Greenock 
 
 Haddington 
 
 Hamilton 
 
 Hawick 
 
 Helensburgh 
 
 Huntly 
 
 Innerleithen 
 
 Inveraray 
 
 Inverbervie 
 
 Invergordon 
 
 Inverkeithing 
 
145 
 
 Inverness 
 
 Inverurie 
 
 Irvine 
 
 Jedburgh 
 
 Tohnstone 
 
 Keith 
 
 Kelso 
 
 Kilmarnock 
 
 Kilrenny 
 
 Kilsyth 
 
 Kilwinning 
 
 Kinghorn 
 
 Kingussie 
 
 Kinning Park 
 
 Kinross 
 
 Kintore 
 
 Kirkcaldy 
 
 Kirkcudbright 
 
 Kirkintilloch 
 
 Kirkwall 
 
 Kirriemuir 
 
 Ladybank 
 
 Lanark 
 
 Langholm 
 
 Largs 
 
 Lasswade 
 
 Lauder 
 
 Laurencekirk 
 
 Leith 
 
 Lerwick 
 
 Leslie 
 
 Leven 
 
 Linlithgow 
 
 Loanhead 
 
 Lochgelly 
 
 Lochgilphead 
 
 Lochmaben 
 
 Lockerbie 
 
 Lossiemouth 
 
 Macduff 
 
 Markinch 
 
 Maxwelltown 
 
 Maybole 
 
 Melrose 
 
 Millport 
 
 Milngavie 
 
 Moffat 
 
 Monifieth 
 
 Montrose 
 
 Motherwell 
 
 Musselburgh 
 
 Nairn 
 
 Newburgh 
 
 New Galloway 
 
 Newmilns and Greenholm 
 
 Newport 
 
 Newton-Stewart 
 
 North Berwick 
 
 Oban 
 
 Old Meldrum 
 
 Paisley 
 
 Partick 
 
 Peebles 
 
 Penicuik 
 
 Perth 
 
 Peterhead 
 
 Pittenweem 
 
 Pollokshaws 
 
 Port-Glasgow 
 
 Portsoy 
 
 Prestonpans 
 
 Prestwick 
 
 Queensferry 
 
 Rattray 
 
 Renfrew 
 
 Rosehearty 
 
 Rothes 
 
 Rothesay 
 
 Rutherglen 
 
 St. Andrews 
 
T46 
 
 Saltcoats Thurso 
 
 Sanquhar Tillicoultry 
 
 Selkirk Tobermory 
 
 Stewarton Tranent 
 
 Stirling Troon 
 
 Stonehaven Turriff 
 
 Stornoway Whitburn 
 
 Stranraer Whithorn 
 
 Stromness Wick 
 
 Tain Wigtown 
 
 Tayport Wishaw 
 
147 
 
 (3) IRELAND, 
 
 
 COUNTIES. 
 
 Antrim 
 
 Londonderry 
 
 Armagh 
 
 Longford 
 
 Carlovv 
 
 Louth 
 
 Cavan 
 
 Mayo 
 
 Clare 
 
 Meath 
 
 Cork 
 
 Monaghan 
 
 Donegal 
 
 Queen's Co. 
 
 Down 
 
 Roscommon 
 
 Dublin 
 
 Sligo 
 
 Fermanagh 
 
 Tipperary, North Riding 
 
 Galway 
 
 Do. South Riding 
 
 Kerry 
 
 Tyrone 
 
 Kildare 
 
 Waterford 
 
 Kilkenny 
 
 Westmeath 
 
 King's Co. 
 
 Wexford 
 
 Leitrim 
 
 Wicklow 
 
 Limerick 
 
 
 
 COUNTY BOROUGHS. 
 
 Belfast 
 
 Limerick 
 
 Cork 
 
 Londonderry 
 
 Dublin 
 
 Waterford 
 
 Ballymena 
 
 Clonmel 
 
 Drogheda 
 
 Dundalk 
 
 Galway 
 
 Kilkenny 
 
 Kingstown 
 
 Lisburn 
 
 URBAN DISTRICTS. 
 
 Lurgan 
 
 Newry 
 
 Pembroke 
 
 Portadown 
 
 Rathmines and Rathgar 
 
 Sligo 
 
 Wexford 
 
 M 
 
148 
 
 APPENDIX D. 
 
 THE NATURALIZATION ACT, 1870. 
 
 {33 ^^ict., c. 14.) 
 
 An Act to amend the Law relating to the legal 
 condition of Aliens and British subjects. 
 
 Short Title. 
 
 1. This Act may be cited for all purposes as " The 
 Naturalization Act, 1870." 
 
 Status of Aliens in the United Kingdom 
 
 Capacity of an Alien as to Property. 
 
 2. Real and personal property of every description may 
 be taken, acquired, held, and disposed of by an alien in 
 the same manner in all respects as by a natural-born British 
 subject j and a title to real and personal property of every 
 description may be derived through, from, or in succession 
 to an alien, in the same manner in all respects as through, 
 from, or in succession to a natural-born British subject : 
 Provided, — 
 
 (i.) That this section shall not confer any right on an 
 alien to hold real property situate out of the 
 United Kingdom, and shall not qualify an alien 
 for any office or for any municipal, parliamentary, 
 or other franchise ■ 
 
149 
 
 (2) That this section shall not entitle an alien to any 
 
 right or privilege as a British subject, except such 
 rights and privileges in respect of property as are 
 hereby expressly given to him : 
 
 (3) That this section shall not affect any estate or 
 
 interest in real or personal property to which 
 any person has or may become entitled either 
 mediately or immediately, in possession or 
 expectancy, in pursuance of any disposition made 
 before the passing of this Act, or in pursuance 
 of any devolution by law on the death of any 
 person dying before the passing of this Act. 
 
 Power of naturalized aliens to divest themselves of their 
 
 status in certain cases. 
 
 3. Where Her Majesty has entered into a convention 
 with any foreign state to the effect that the subjects or 
 citizens of that state who have been naturalized as British 
 subjects may divest themselves of their status as 
 such subjects, it shall be lawful for Her Majesty, by order 
 in council to declare that such convention has been 
 entered into by Her Majesty ; and from and after the date 
 of such order in council, any person being originally a 
 subject or citizen of the state referred to in such order, who 
 has been naturalized as a British subject, may, within such 
 limit of time as may be provided in the convention, make a 
 declaration of alienage, and from and after the date of his 
 so making such declaration such person shall be regarded 
 as an alien, and as a subject of the state to which he 
 originally belonged as aforesaid. 
 
 A declaration of alienage may be made as follows ; that 
 is to say, — If the declarant be in the United Kitgdom in 
 the pi"esence of any ju-tice of the peace, if elsewhere in Her 
 Majesty's dominions in the presence of any judge of any 
 
 M 2 
 
'5° 
 
 court of civil or criminal jurisdiction, of any justice of the 
 peace, or of any other officer for the time being authorized 
 by law in the place in which the declarant is to administer 
 an oath for any judicial or other legal purpose. If out of 
 Her Majesty's dominions in the presence of any officer in 
 the diplomatic or consular service of Her Majesty. 
 
 How British-born subject may cease to be such. 
 
 4. Any person who by reason of his having been born 
 within the dominions of Her Majesty is a natural-born 
 subject, but who also at the time of his birth became under 
 the law of any foreign state a subject of such state, and is 
 still such subject, may, if of full age and not under any 
 disability, make a declaration of alienage in manner afore- 
 said, and from and after the making of such declaration 
 of alienage such person shall cease to be a British subject. 
 Any person who is born out of Her Majesty's dominions 
 of a father being a British subject may, if of full age, and 
 not under any disability, make a declaration of alienage in 
 manner aforesaid, and from and after the making of such 
 declaration shall cease to be a British subject. 
 
 Alien Jiot entitled to jury de medietate linguce. 
 
 5. From and after the passing of this Act, an alien shall 
 not be entitled to be tried by a jury de medietate lingUcC, 
 but shall be triable in the same manner as if he were a 
 natural-born subject. 
 
 Expatriation. 
 
 Capacity of British subject to renounce allegiance to 
 
 Her Majesty. 
 
 6. Any British subject who has at any time before, or 
 may at any time after the passing of this Act, when in any 
 foreign state and not under any disability voluntarily become 
 
151 
 
 naturalized in such state, shall, from and after the time of 
 his so having become naturalized in such foreign state, be 
 deemed to have ceased to be a British subject and be 
 regarded as an alien : Provided, — 
 
 (i.) That where any British subject has before the 
 passing of this Act voluntarily become naturalized 
 in a foreign slate and yet is desirous of remaining 
 a British subject, he may, at any time within 
 two years after the passing of this Act, make a 
 declaration that he is desirous of remaining a 
 British subject, and upon such declaration 
 hereinafter referred to as a declaration of British 
 nationality being made, and upon his taking 
 the oath of allegiance, the declarant shall 
 be deemed to be and to have been continually a 
 British subject ; with this qualification, that he 
 shall not, when within the limits of the foreign 
 state in which he has been naturalized, be deemed 
 to be a British subject unless he has ceased to be 
 a subject of that state in pursuance of the laws 
 thereof, or in pursuance of a treaty to that effect : 
 
 (2.) A declaration of British nationality may be made, 
 and the oath of allegiance be taken as follows ; 
 that is to say, — if the declarant be in the United 
 Kingdom in the presence of a justice of the peace ; 
 if elsewhere in Her Majesty's dominions in the 
 presence of any judge of any court of civil or 
 criminal jurisdiction, of any justice of the 
 peace, or of any other officer for the time being 
 authorized by law in the place in which the de- 
 clarant is to administer an oath for any judicial or 
 other legal purpose. If out of Her Majesty's 
 dominions in the presence of any officer in the 
 diplomatic or consular service of Her Majesty. 
 
152 
 
 Naturalization and Resuimption of British 
 
 Nationality. 
 
 Certificate of Naturalization. 
 
 7. An alien who within such limited time before making 
 the application herein-after mentioned as may be allowed 
 by one of Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, 
 either by general order or on any special occasion, 
 has resided in the United Kingdom for a term of not less 
 than five years, or has been in the service of the Crown for 
 a term of not less than five years, and intends, when 
 naturalized, either to reside in the United Kingdom, 
 or to serve under the Crown, may apply to one of Her 
 Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State for a certificate of 
 naturalization. 
 
 The applicant shall adduce in support of his application 
 such evidence of his residence or service, and intention to 
 reside or serve, as such Secretary of State may require. 
 The said Secretary of State, if satisfied with the evidence 
 adduced, shall take the case of the applicant into considera- 
 tion, and may, with or without assigning any reason, give or 
 withhold a certificate as he thinks most conducive to the 
 public good, and no appeal shall lie from his decision, but 
 such certificate shall not take effect until the applicant has 
 taken the oath of allegiance. 
 
 An alien to whom a certificate of naturalization is granted 
 shall in the United Kingdom be entitled to all political and 
 other rights, powers, and privileges, and be subject to all 
 obligations, to which a natural-born British subject is 
 entitled or subject in the United Kingdom, with this quali- 
 fication, that he shall not, when within the limits of the 
 foreign state of which he was a subject previously to 
 obtaining his certificate of naturalization, be deemed to be 
 
153 
 
 a British subject unless he has ceased to be a subject of 
 that state in pursuance of the laws thereof, or in pursuance 
 of a treaty to that effect. 
 
 The said Secretary of State may in manner aforesaid 
 grant a special certificate of naturalization to any person 
 with respect to whose nationality as a British subject a 
 doubt exists, and he may specify in such certificate that the 
 grant thereof is made for the purpose of quieting doubts as 
 to the right of such person to be a British subject, and the 
 grant of such special certificate shall not be deemed to be 
 any admission that the person to whom it was granted was 
 not previously a British subject. 
 
 An alien who has been naturalized previously to the 
 passing of this Act may apply to the Secretary ot State for 
 a certificate of naturalization under this Act, and it shall be 
 lawful for the said Secretary of State to grant such certificate 
 to such naturalized alien upon the same terms and sub- 
 ject to the same conditions in and upon which such certifi- 
 cate might have been granted if such alien had not been 
 previously naturalized in the United Kingdom. 
 
 Certificate of re-admissio7i to British ?iatio?iality. 
 
 8. A natural-born British subject who has become an 
 alien in pursuance of this Act, and is in this Act referred to 
 as a statutory alien, may, on performing the same conditions 
 and adducing the same evidence as is required in the case 
 of an alien applying for a certificate of nationality, apply to 
 one of Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State for a 
 certificate, herein-after referred to as a certificate -of re- 
 admission to British nationality, re-admitting him to the 
 status of a British subject. The said Secretary of State 
 shall have the same discretion as to the giving or with- 
 holding of the certificate as in the case of a certificate of 
 naturalization, and an oath of allegiance shall in like 
 
154 
 
 manner be required previously to the issuing of the 
 certificate. 
 
 A statutory alien to whom a certificate of re-admission to 
 British nationality has been granted shall, from the date of 
 the certificate of re-admission, but not in respect of any 
 previous transaction, resume his position as a British 
 subject ; with this qualification, that within the limits of 
 the foreign state of which he became a subject he shall not 
 be deemed to be a British subject unless he has ceased 
 to be a subject of that foreign state according to the laws 
 thereof, or in pursuance of a treaty to that effect. 
 
 The jurisdiction by this Act conferred on the Secretary 
 of State in the United Kingdom in respect of the grant of a 
 certificate of re-admission to British nationality in the case 
 of any statutory alien being in any British possession, may 
 be exercised by the governor of such possession ; and 
 residence in such possession shall, in the case of such 
 person, be deemed equivalent to residence in the United 
 Kingdom. 
 
 Form of oath of allegiance. 
 
 9. The oath in this Act referred to as the oath of 
 allegiance shall be in the form following ; that is to say, 
 
 " I do swear that I will be faithful 
 
 "and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Victoria, 
 " Her heirs and successors, according to law. So help nie 
 "GOD." 
 
 National Status of Married Women and Infant 
 
 Children. 
 
 National status of married womefi and infant children. 
 
 10. The following enactment shall be made with respect 
 to the national status of women and children : 
 
155 
 
 (i.) A married woman shall be deemed to be a subject 
 of the state of which her husband is for the time 
 being a subject : 
 
 (2.) A widow being a natural-born British subject, who 
 has become an alien by or in consequence of her 
 marriage, shall be deemed to be a statutory alien, 
 and may as such at any lime during widowhood 
 obtain a certificate of re-admission to British 
 nationality in manner provided by this Act : 
 
 (3.) Where the father being a British subject, or the 
 mother being a British subject and a widow, becomes 
 an alien in pursuance of this Act, every child of such 
 father or mother who during infancy has become 
 resident in the country where the father or mother is 
 naturalized, and has, according to the laws of 
 such country, become naturalized therein, shall be 
 deemed to be a subject, of the state of which the 
 father or mother has become a subject and not a 
 British subject : 
 
 (4.) Where the father, or the mother being a widow, 
 has obtained a certificate of re-admission to 
 British nationality, every child of such father or 
 mother who during infancy has become resident 
 in the British dominions with such father or 
 mother, shall be deemed to have resumed the 
 position of a British subject to all intents : 
 
 (5.) Where the father, or the mother being a widow, 
 has obtained a certificate of naturalization in the 
 United Kingdom, every child of such father or 
 mother who during infancy has become resident 
 with such father or mother in any part of the 
 United Kingdom, shall be deemed to be a 
 naturalized British subject. 
 
156 
 
 Supplemental Provisions. 
 
 Regulations as to registration. 
 
 II. One of Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State 
 may by regulation provide for the following matters : — 
 
 (i.) The form and registration of declarations of 
 British nationality : 
 
 (2.) The form and registration of certificates of 
 naturalization in the United Kingdom : 
 
 (3.) The form and registration of certificates of re- 
 admission to British nationality : 
 
 (4.) The form and registration of declarations of 
 alienage : 
 
 {5.) The registration by officers in the diplomatic or 
 consular service of Her Majesty of the births and 
 deaths of British subjects who may be born or die 
 out of Her Majesty's dominions, and of the mar- 
 riages of persons married at any of Her Majesty's 
 embassies or legations : 
 
 (6.) The transmission to the United Kingdom for the 
 purpose of registration or safe keeping, or of being 
 produced as evidence, of any declarations or 
 certificates made in pursuance of this Act out of 
 the United Kingdom, or of any copies of such 
 declarations or certificates, also of copies of entries 
 contained in any register kept out of the United 
 Kingdom in pursuance of or for the purpose of 
 carrying into effect the provisions of this Act : 
 
 (7.) With the consent of the Treasury the imposition 
 and application of fees in respect of any registra- 
 tion authorized to be made by this Act, and in 
 respect of the making any declaration or the grant 
 of any certificate authorized to be made or granted 
 by this Act. 
 
157 
 
 The said Secretary of State, by a further regulation, may 
 repeal, alter, or add to any regulation previously made by 
 him in pursuance of this section. 
 
 Any regiilaton made by the said Secretary of State in 
 pursuance of this section shall be deemed to be within the 
 powers conferred by this Act, and shall be of the same 
 force as if it had been enacted in this Act, but shall 
 not so far as respects the imposition of fees be in 
 force in any British possession, and shall not, so far as 
 respects any other matter, be in force in any British 
 possession in which any Act or ordinance to the contrary 
 of or inconsistent with any such direction may for the time 
 being be in force. 
 
 Regulations as to evidence. 
 
 12. The following regulations shall be made with respect 
 to evidence under this Act : — 
 
 ( I .) Any declaration authorized to be made under this 
 Act may be proved in any legal proceeding by the 
 production of the original declaration, or of any 
 copy thereof certified to be a true copy by one of 
 Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, or 
 by any person authorized by regulations of one of 
 Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State to 
 give certified copies of such declaration, and the 
 production of such declaration or copy shall be 
 evidence of the person therein named as declarant 
 having made the same at the date in the said 
 declaration mentioned : 
 
 (2.) A certificate of naturalization may be proved in 
 any legal proceeding by the proJuction of the 
 original certificate, or of any copy thereof certified 
 to be a true copy by one of Her Majesty's 
 Principal Secretaries of State, or by any person 
 
15^ 
 
 authorized by regulations of one of Her Majesty's 
 Principal Secretaries of State to give certified 
 copies of such certificate : 
 
 (3.) A certificate of re-admission to British nationality 
 may be proved in any legal proceeding by the 
 production of the original certificate, or of any 
 copy thereof certified to be a true copy by one of 
 Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, or by 
 any person authorized by regulations of one of 
 Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State to 
 give certified copies of such certificate : 
 
 (4.) Entries in any register authorized to be made in 
 pursuance of this Act shall be proved by such 
 copies and certified in such manner as may be 
 directed by one of Her Majesty's Principal 
 Secretaries of State, and the copies of such 
 entries shall be evidence of any matters by this 
 Act or by any regulation of the said Secretary 
 of State authorized to be inserted in the register : 
 
 (5.) The Documentary Evidence Act, 1868, shall apply 
 to any regulation made by a Secretary of State, 
 in pursuance of or for the purpose of carrying 
 into effect any of the provisions of this Act. 
 
 Miscellaneous. 
 
 Savifig of letters of denization. 
 
 13. Nothing in this Act contained shall affect the grant 
 of letters of denization by Her Majesty. 
 
 Sa7mig as to British ships. 
 
 14. Nothing in this Act contained shall qualify an alien 
 to be the owner of a British ship. 
 
159 
 
 Saving of allegiance prior to expatriation. 
 
 15. Where any British subject has in pursuance of this 
 Act become an alien, he shall not thereby be discharged 
 from any liability in respect of any acts done before the 
 date of his so becoming an alien. 
 
 Power of colonies to legislate with respect to naturalization. 
 
 16. All laws, statutes, and ordinances which may be duly 
 made by the legislature of any British possession for 
 imparting to any person the privileges, or any of the 
 privileges, of naturalization, to be enjoyed by such person 
 within the limits of such possession, shall within such limits 
 have the authority of law, but shall be subject to be confirmed 
 or disallowed by Her Majesty in the same manner and 
 subject to the same rules in and subject to which Her 
 Majesty has power to confirm or disallow any other laws, 
 statutes, or ordinances in that possession. 
 
 Definition of terms. 
 
 17. In this Act, it not inconsistent with the context or 
 subject-matter thereof, — 
 
 " Disability " shall mean the status of being an infant, 
 lunatic, idiot, or married woman : 
 
 " British possession " shall mean any colony, plantation, 
 island, territory, or settlement within Her Majesty's 
 dominions, and not within the United Kingdom, 
 and all territories and places under one legislature 
 are deemed to be one British possession for the 
 purposes of this Act : 
 
 " The Governor of any British possession " shall include 
 any person exercising the chief authority in such 
 possession : 
 
 " Officer in the Diplomatic Service of Her Majesty " shall 
 mean any Ambassador, Minister or Charge d'Affaires, 
 
i6o 
 
 or Secretary of Legation, or any person appointed 
 by such Ambassador, Minister, Charge d'Affaires, or 
 Secretary of Legation to execute any duties imposed 
 by this Act on an officer in the Diplomatic Service of 
 Her Majesty : 
 " Officer in the Consular Service of Her Majesty " shall 
 mean and include Consul-General, Consul, Vice Consul, 
 and Consular Agent, and any person for the time being 
 discharging the duties of Consul-General, Consul, Vice- 
 Consul, and Consular Agent. 
 
 Repeal of Acts Mentioned in Schedule. 
 
 1 8. The several Acts set forth in the first and second 
 parts of the schedule annexed hereto shall be wholly re- 
 pealed, and the Acts set forth in the third part of the said 
 schedule shall be repealed to the extent therein mentioned. 
 
 (These schedules are omitted.) 
 
i6i 
 
 THE NATURALIZATION ACT, 1872. 
 
 (35 & 36 Vict., c. 39.) 
 
 An Act for amending the Law in certain cases 
 in relation to Naturalization. 
 
 Whereas by a Convention between Her Majesty and 
 the United States of America, supplementary to the Con- 
 vention of the thirteenth day of May one thousand eight 
 hundred and seventy, respecting naturalization, and signed 
 at Washington on the twentv-third dav of February 
 one thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, and a copy 
 of which is contained in the schedule to this Act, pro- 
 vision is made in relation to the renunciation by the 
 citizens and subjects therein mentioned of naturalization 
 or nationality in the presence of the officers therein men- 
 tioned : 
 
 And whereas doubts are entertained whether such pro- 
 visions are altogether in accordance with the Naturaliza- 
 tion Act, 1870 : And whereas other doubts have arisen 
 with respect to the effect of " The Naturalization Act, 
 1870," on the rights of women married before the passing 
 of that Act ; and it is expedient to remove such doubts : 
 
 Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, 
 by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual 
 and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament 
 assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follow^s : 
 
 T. This Act may be cited for all purposes as the 
 Naturalization Act, 1872, and this Act and " The 
 
l62 
 
 Naturalization Act, 1870," may be cited together as 
 " The Naturalization Acts, 1870 and 1872." 
 
 Conflrmatio7i of renunciation of nationality under the 
 
 Convention. 
 
 2. Any renunciation of naturalization or of nationality 
 made in manner provided by the said supplementary Con- 
 vention by the persons and under the circumstances in the 
 said Convention in that behalf mentioned shall be valid 
 to all intents, and shall be deemed to be authorized by 
 the said Naturalization Act, 1870. This section shall be 
 deemed to take effect from the date at which the said 
 supplementary Convention took effect. 
 
 Saving clause as to fro-perty of married women. 
 
 3. Nothing contained in " The Naturalization Act, 
 1870," shall deprive any married woman of any estate or 
 interest in real or personal property to which she may have 
 become entitled previously to the passing of that Act, or 
 affect such estate or interest to her prejudice. 
 
 SCHEDULE. 
 
 Conve?itton between Her Majesty a?id the United States of 
 America^ suppleine7itary to the Convention of May 13, 
 1870, 7'espectifig Naturalization. 
 
 Whereas by the second article of the Convention be- 
 tween Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of 
 Great Britain and Ireland and the United States of 
 America for regulating the citizenship of subjects and 
 citizens of the contracting parties who have emigrated or 
 
163 
 
 may emigrate from the dominions of the one to those of 
 the other party, signed at London, on the 13th of May 
 1870, it was stipulated that the manner in which the 
 renunciation by such subjects and citizens of their 
 naturalization, and the resumption of their native alle- 
 giance, may be made and publicly declared, should be 
 agreed upon by the governments of the respective coun- 
 tries ; Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of 
 Great Britain and Ireland and the President of the United 
 States of America, for the purpose of effecting such agree- 
 ment, have resolved to conclude a supplemental Conven- 
 tion, and have named as their plenipotentiaries, that is to 
 say ; Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of 
 Great Britain and Ireland, Sir Edward Thornton, Knight 
 Commander of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, 
 and Her Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipoten- 
 tiary to the United States of America ; and the President 
 of the United States of America, Hamilton Fish, Secre- 
 tary of State, who have agreed as follows : 
 
 Article I. 
 
 Any person being originally a citizen of the United 
 States who had, previously to May 13, 1870, been natural- 
 ized as a British subject, may at any time before 
 August 10, 1872, and any British subject who, at the 
 date first aforesaid, had been naturalized as a citizen 
 within the United States, may at any time before May 12, 
 1872, publicly declare his renunciation of such naturaliza- 
 tion by subscribing an instrument in writing, substantially 
 in the form hereunto appended, and designated as 
 Annex A. 
 
 Annex A. 
 
 1 1 
 
 I, A.B., of {insert abode), being originally a 
 citizen of the United States of America {or a British 
 subject), and having become naturalized within the 
 
 N 
 
164 
 
 dominions of Her Britannic Majesty as a British 
 subject {or as a citizen within the United States of 
 America), do hereby renounce my naturalization as a 
 British subject {or citizen of the United States) ; and 
 declare that it is my desire to resume my nationality 
 as a citizen of the United States {or British subject).^ ^ 
 
 Such renunciation by an original citizen of the United 
 States, of British nationality, shall, within the territories 
 and jurisdiction of the United States, be made in dupli- 
 cate, in the presence of any court authorized by law for 
 the time being to admit aliens to naturalization, or before 
 the clerk or prothonotary of any such court : if the 
 declarant be beyond the territories of the United States, it 
 shall be made in duplicate, before any diplomatic or 
 consular officer of the United States. One of such dupli- 
 cates shall remain of record in the custody of the court 
 or officer in whose presence it was made ; the other shall 
 be, without delay, transmitted to the department of State. 
 
 Such renunciation, if declared by an original British 
 subject of his acquired nationality as a citizen of the 
 United States, shall, if the declarant be in the United 
 Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, be made in dupli- 
 cate, in the presence of a justice of the peace ; if else- 
 where in Her Britannic Majesty's dominions, in triplicate, 
 in the presence of any judge of civil or criminal jurisdic- 
 tion, of any justice of the peace, or of any other officer 
 for the time being authorized by law, in the place in which 
 the declarant is, to administer an oath for any judicial or 
 other legal purpose ; if out of Her Majesty's dominions, 
 in triplicate, in the presence of any officer in the diplo- 
 matic or consular service of Her Majesty. 
 
 Article II. 
 
 The contracting parties hereby engage to communicate 
 each to the other, from time to time, lists of the persons 
 
i65 
 
 who, within their respective dominions and territories, or 
 before their diplomatic and consular officers, have de- 
 clared their renunciation of naturalization, with the dates 
 and places of making such declarations, and such informa- 
 tion as to the abode of the declarants, and the times and 
 places of their naturalization, as they may have furnished. 
 
 Article III. 
 
 The present Convention shall be ratified by Her 
 Britannic Majesty, and by the President of the United 
 States by and with the advice and consent of the Senate 
 thereof, and the ratifications shall be exchanged at 
 Washington as soon as may be convenient. 
 
 In witness whereof, the respective plenipotentiaries have 
 signed the same, and have affixed thereto their respective 
 seals. 
 
 Done at Washington, the twenty-third day of February, 
 in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and 
 seventv-one. 
 
 N 2 
 
1 66 
 
 THE NATURALIZATION ACT, 1895. 
 
 (58 & 59 Vict., c. 43.) 
 
 An Act to amend the Naturalization Act, 1870, 
 so far as respects Children of Naturalized 
 British Subjects in the service of the Crown 
 resident out of the United Kingdom. 
 
 Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majest\ . 
 by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual 
 and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament 
 assembled, and by the authority of the same, as 
 follows : — 
 
 I. — (i) The residence of a child of a naturalized 
 British subject with his father while in the service of the 
 Crown out of the United Kingdom, shall have, and be 
 deemed always to have had, the same effect, for the pur- 
 pose of subsection five of section ten of the Naturalization 
 Act, 1870, as residence with such father in the United 
 Kingdom. 
 
 (2) Subsection five of section ten of the Naturalization 
 Act, 1870, shall have effect as if the words '' or with such 
 father while in the service of the Crown out of the United 
 Kingdom " had been inserted therein after the words 
 " part of the United Kingdom," and every copy of the 
 Naturalization Act, 1870. hereafter printed may be 
 printed accordingly. 
 
 2. This Act may be cited as the Naturalization Act. 
 1895. 
 
167 
 
 APPENDIX E. 
 
 ORDER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD 
 
 PRESCRIBING FORM OF RECORD TO BE 
 
 KEPT BY CLERKS TO LOCAL PENSION 
 
 COMMITTEES AND SUB-COMMITTEES. 
 
 To all Local Pension Committees appointed under 
 the Old-Age Pensions Act, 1908 ; — 
 
 To all Sub-Committees appointed by the said Local 
 Pension Committees ; — 
 
 To the Clerks to the said Committees and Sub- 
 Committees ; — 
 
 And to all others whom it may concern. 
 
 WHEREAS by Regulation zt, (3) of the Old-Age 
 Pensions Regulations, 1908, it is provided that the clerk 
 of every local pension committee appointed under the 
 Old-Age Pensions Act, 1908 (herein-after called " the 
 Act "), shall keep a record in such form and containing 
 such particulars as the Local Government Board direct of 
 all claims and questions in respect of which a report is 
 sent to the committee by the pension officer and of the 
 decision of the committee thereon ; 
 
 And whereas by Regulation 23 (5) of the said Regula- 
 tions it is declared that in the said Regulation 23 (3) the 
 expression " committee " includes a sub-committee ap- 
 pointed under subsection (2) of section 8 of the Act : 
 
1 68 
 
 NOW THEREFORE, in the exercise of Our powers 
 in that behalf, We, the Local Government Board, hereby 
 direct as follows ; that is to say, — 
 
 Article I. — The record to be kept by the clerk of any 
 local pension committee or sub committee appointed under 
 the Act shall be in the form and shall contain the par- 
 ticulars shown in the Form of Register of Claims and 
 Questions set forth in the Schedule to this Order. 
 
 Article II. — This Order may be cited as " The Local 
 Pension Committees' Register Order, 1908." 
 
 SCHEDULE. 
 
 Name of Committee 
 
 or Siih- Committee 
 
 OLD AGE PENSIONS. 
 
 REGISTER 
 
 OF 
 
 CLAIMS AND QUESTIONS. 
 
 1. Consecutive Number. 
 
 2. Full Name of Claimant, or of Pensioner in regard to 
 
 whom a question is raised. 
 
 3. Address of Claimant, or Pensioner. 
 
 4. Date on which claim received vvhen made direct to 
 
 Committee. 
 
169 
 
 5- Date on which claim referred to Pension Officer. 
 
 6. Date on which claim or question and report received 
 
 from Pension Officer. 
 
 7. District and Station of Pension Officer. 
 
 8. No, in Pension Officer's Register. 
 
 9. Date or dates on which claim or question considered 
 
 by Committee. 
 
 10. Date (if any) on which Claimant, or Pensioner (or 
 
 person appearing on his behalf) heard by 
 Committee. 
 
 11. Decision of Committee and date. (If claim disallowed, 
 
 give reason.) 
 
 Dale of notification of decision to — -. 
 
 12. {a) Claimant or Pensioner. 
 
 13. (b) Pension Officer, 
 Appeal — 
 
 14. Date of receipt of notification of appeal. 
 
 15. Name and Address of Appellant. (If the 
 
 Claimant, or Pensioner, or the Pension Officer 
 is the Appellant, insert "Claimant," "Pen- 
 sioner," or "Pension Officer," without Address. 
 
 16. Date on which documents relating to claim or 
 
 question sent to Local Government Board. 
 
 17. Date of notification to Claimant, or Pensioner, 
 
 of appeal having been made. 
 
 i8. Decision of Local Government Board and date 
 
 of receipt. 
 
 Date of notification of decision of Local 
 Government Board to — 
 
 19. (a) Claimant, or Pensioner, or other Ap- 
 
 pellant. 
 
 20. (b) Pension Officer. 
 
21. Amount of Pension and date on which Pension 
 
 becomes payable. 
 
 22. Date on which documents relating to claim or question 
 
 sent to Pension Officer. 
 
 23. Remarks, e.g. : note of disqualification or death of 
 
 Pensioner, or reference to any later entry relating 
 to the same person. 
 
 Given under the Seal of Of^ce of the Local Govern- 
 ment Board, thi.s Twenty-eighth day of August, in 
 the vear One thousand nine hundred and eight. 
 
 'fci' 
 
 (l.s.) JOHN BURNS, 
 
 President. 
 
 S. B. PROVIS, 
 
 Secretary. 
 
 Note. 
 
 The Local Government Boards of Scotland and Ireland have 
 issued Orders prescribing a similar Form of Register. 
 
lyi 
 
 APPENDIX F. 
 
 THE OLD-AGE PENSIONS ACT, 1908. 
 
 MEMORANDUM 
 
 Pop the Information of Persons desiring" to make Claims 
 
 for Pensions. 
 
 I. Under this Act old-age pensions may be claimed 
 both by men and women, whether married or single, and 
 this Memorandum must be read as applying to women as 
 well as men. To be eligible for a pension a person must 
 comply with the following conditions : — 
 
 Conditions. 
 
 (i) He must have attained the age of 70. He should 
 be in a position to produce evidence of his age when called 
 upon. The best evidence would probably be a certificate 
 of birth. If that is not available a certificate of baptism, 
 a certificate of marriage if the age is shown on it, or any 
 other certificate or formal document, duly dated, which 
 will afford independent testimony of the claimant's age, 
 should be procured if possible. 
 
 (2) The claimant will have to satisfy the pension 
 authorities that for at least 20 years previously he has 
 been a British subject, and has resided in England, 
 Scotland, or Ireland. 
 
172 . 
 
 Temporary absences during these 20 years will not 
 disqualify in the following cases : — 
 
 (a) If before the absence the claimant was living in 
 
 one of these countries, and throughout his 
 absence was employed in the service of the 
 Crown as a soldier, sailor, or otherwise, or was 
 in the service of anyone so employed. 
 
 (b) If before the absence he was living in England, 
 
 Scotland or Ireland and throughout the 
 absence was serving on board a vessel regis- 
 tered in one of these countries ; or 
 
 (c) if throughout the absence his home was in Eng- 
 
 land, Scotland jr Ireland. In this last case, 
 the total amount of absence during the pre- 
 ceding 20 years must not exceed 8 years. 
 
 The claimant should be ready to give as closely as 
 possible the actual dates of any absences during these 
 20 years. 
 
 (3) The claimant must satisfy the pension authorities 
 that his yearly means as calculated under the Act do not 
 exceed jQt^i ids. 
 
 In calculating the means of the claimant regard must 
 be had not only to actual income in cash, but to the yearly 
 value of advantages derived from the use or enjoyment 
 of property, and the yearly value of any benefit or privi- 
 lege enjoyed by the claimant. Similarly the yearly value 
 of money hoarded or property not i)rofitably used is to be 
 considered. 
 
 The means of one of a married couple living together 
 in the same house are not to be taken to be less than half 
 the total means of the couple. 
 
173 
 
 Disqualifications. 
 
 2. Besides satisfying the conditions mentioned above^ 
 a claimant for a pension must not be subject to any of the 
 disqualifications laid down by the Act. The following, 
 classes of persons are disqualified : — 
 
 (i) Persons who are in receipt of poor relief or who 
 have received poor relief at any time since the ist of 
 January, 1908. Poor relief for this purpose means any 
 relief received through the Poor Law authorities other 
 than the following : — 
 
 (a) Medical or surgical assistance (including food or 
 
 comforts) supplied by or on the recommenda- 
 tion of the medical officer ; 
 
 (b) Relief given by means of the maintenance of any 
 
 dependant of the applicant in a lunatic 
 asylum, infirmary, or hospital, or the payment 
 towards the burial expenses of a dependant ; 
 
 (c) Any relief which by law is expressly declared not 
 
 to be a disqualification for registration as a 
 parliamentary elector or a reason for depriving 
 any person of any franchise, right, or privi- 
 lege. 
 
 ^fci' 
 
 (2) Persons who have habitually failed to work accord- 
 ing to their ability, opportunity, and need, for the main- 
 tenance or benefit of themselves, and those legally depen- 
 dent upon them. 
 
 (3) Persons who are detained in lunatic asylums, or are 
 maintained in any place as pauper or criminal lunatics. 
 
 (4) Persons who have within the preceding 10 years 
 been convicted of an offence and ordered to be imprisoned 
 without the option of a fine or to suffer any greater punish- 
 ment. The period of 10 years dates from the time when 
 the person was released from prison. 
 
174 
 
 (5) Persons o^'er 60 who have been ordered to be 
 detained under the Inebriates Act, 1898, and who are 
 disqualiiied by the court which makes the detention order. 
 
 3. In order to save trouble and disappointment intend- 
 ing claimants for pensions should make quite sure, first, 
 that they satisfy the conditions mentioned above, and next 
 that they are not subject to any of the disqualifications. 
 
 Procedure for Making Claims. 
 
 4. The first pensions will be payable at the beginning 
 of January, 1909, but claims may be made before that 
 time, and it is desirable that they should be made early, 
 so as to allow as much time as possible for their being 
 considered and determined. Claims for pension can only 
 be made by filling up prescribed forms, which it is 
 expected will be ready by the end of September, and can 
 then be obtained at any post office. They cannot be made 
 by writing to the pension committee or the pension officer 
 or the Local Government Board, or in any other way. 
 Any person who will be over 70 on the ist of January 
 next, and who is otherwise eligible, will be entitled to 
 make a claim if he wishes to do so. Persons who will 
 become 70 at later dates, and who are otherwise eligible, 
 may make their claims within four months before reaching 
 the age of 70. 
 
 5. Each pensioner's pension will be payable only at one 
 particular post office to be selected at the time the claim 
 is made. The claimant should, therefore, settle at which 
 post office he wishes his pension to be paid, assuming that 
 it is granted. On application at the post office, after the 
 end of September, he will be able to procure a form of 
 claim without payment, and if he wishes it, assistance 
 will be given at the post office to enable him to fill it up 
 properly. The form will require the claimant to state 
 
175 
 
 full name and postal address, occupation, sex, whether 
 single or married, widower or widow, age, date of birth 
 and place where born, whether the claimant is a British 
 subject and has lived for 20 years in the United Kingdom, 
 and certain particulars as to his means. He will have to- 
 sign the form, or, if he cannot write, make his mark, and 
 his signature or mark will have to be witnessed by some 
 other person who will also sign his name. When the form 
 is filled up it should be handed in at the post office at 
 which the claimant wishes the pension to be paid. 
 
 6. In due course the claimant will be visited by the 
 pension officer attached to the district in which he resides. 
 The pension officer will ask various questions for the pur- 
 pose of ascertaining accurately whether all the conditions 
 for a pension are fulfilled, and whether the claimant is 
 or is not subject to any disqualification. In particular, 
 he will have to obtain detailed information as to the vearlv 
 means of the claimant. 
 
 It is necessary that the yearly means, if between ;^2i 
 and ^31 los., should be accurately ascertained, since the 
 amount of the pension in cases where the claimant is other- 
 wise eligible, will depend on the amount of yearly means. 
 
 7. If the yearly means do not exceed ^{^21, the pension 
 will be at the rate of 5s. a week. 
 
 If the yearly means exceed £^'2.\, but do not exceed 
 ^23 I2S. 6d., the pension will be at the rate of 4s. a 
 week. ■ 
 
 If the yearly means exceed £^27^ 12s. 6d., but do not 
 exceed ^26 5s., the pension will be at the rate of 3s. a 
 week. 
 
 If the yearly means exceed ;£26 5s., but do not exceed 
 ^28 17s. 6d., the pension will be at the rate of 2s. a 
 week. 
 
176 
 
 If the yearly means exceed £22) 17s. 6d., but do not 
 .exceed ^31 los.. the pension will be at the rate of is. a 
 week. 
 
 No pension will be payable if the yearly means exceed 
 
 8. It will not be necessary to append a birth certificate 
 or other evidence of age to the form of claim itself, 
 but these should be shown to the pension officer when he 
 visits the claimant. Both in filling up the form and in 
 supplying information to the pension officer the claimant 
 must be careful to give complete and true answers. Any 
 false statement or false representation knowingly made 
 will render the claimant liable to six months imprisonment 
 with hard labour. 
 
 9. When the pension officer has obtained all such infor- 
 mation as he can about any claim, he will make a report 
 upon it to the local pension committee or sub-committee. 
 In the rest of this Memorandum, this body, whether a 
 committee or sub-committee, is referred to as the com- 
 mittee. 
 
 10. The committee on receiving the report from the 
 pension officer will consider the claim, together with the 
 report of the pension officer, and a notice will in due 
 course be sent to the claimant by the clerk of the com- 
 mittee informing him of the decision of the committee 
 upon the claim. Before the committee decide adversely 
 to any claimant, they are required to give him an oppor 
 tunity of being heard. 
 
 Appeals against Decisions of Committee. 
 
 11. When the committee have allowed a claim for a 
 pension, it is open to the pension officer, if he considers 
 that the claimant is not eligible for a pension or that the 
 
177 
 
 decision is otherwise wrong, to appeal to the Local 
 Government Board within seven days. In that case the 
 claim will have to be finallv determined bv the Board. A 
 notice will be sent to the claimant if an appeal is made, 
 and he will be informed of the final decision on the claim 
 
 12. If the committee disallow a claim it is open to the 
 claimant to appeal from their decision to the Local 
 Government Board, but there will be no advantage in his 
 doing so unless he can produce evidence to show that the 
 decision of the committee was wrong. It must be under- 
 stood that there is no power in the committee or in the 
 Local Government Board to dispense with any of the 
 requirements of the Act of Parliament, or to exempt any- 
 one from disqualification, or to remove any of the con- 
 ditions which Parliament has imposed. If therefore a 
 claim has been disallow^ed on the ground that the claimant 
 does not fulfil one of the statutory conditions or is dis- 
 qualified — for example through having received poor relief 
 since the ist of January, 1908 — there is no use in his 
 making an appeal unless he is in a position to show that 
 the condition is fulfilled or that he is not disqualified. 
 
 13. If the claimant can show that the decision of the 
 committee is wrong, he can appeal in the following way. 
 He must obtain from the clerk of the committee two 
 special forms (one blue and the other yellow) which will 
 have to be filled up, folded and posted, the blue one to 
 the Local Government Board and the yellow one to the 
 committee. They need not be stamped. The committee 
 on receiving the form will send all the documents relating 
 to the claim to the Local Government Board, who will 
 have to decide on the appeal. It is important to notice 
 that an appeal must be made within seven days after the 
 claimant receives notice from the committee that his claim 
 has been disallowed. 
 
i7« 
 Issue of Pension Order. 
 
 14. When a claim has been finally allowed, the pension 
 officer will supply the claimant with a book of pension 
 orders which will be payable week by week at the post 
 office named in the claim. 
 
 Infirm and Invalid Claimants. 
 
 15. Claimants who are too infirm or ill to attend at the 
 post office for the purpose of obtaining a form of claim 
 or to attend when summoned before the committee, may 
 send someone else to get the form or to represent them. 
 The form of claim must, however, be signed by the 
 claimant, or if he cannot write he must mark it with a 
 cross. The contents should be explained to him in all 
 cases in which he is unable to fill up or supply the answers- 
 himself. 
 
 Local Government Board, 
 September, 1908. 
 
 Note. 
 
 The Local Government Boards of Scotland and Ireland 
 have issued similar Memoranda. In the case of that for 
 Scotland the following has been added to clause i (i) : — 
 
 "Arrangements have been made with a view of saving claimants 
 for old-age pensions from the expense of obtaining certificates of 
 their birth or baptism for the purpose of proving their ages. Under 
 these arrangements in the case of any claimant born in Scotland 
 whose birth or baptism may have been recorded in the old parochial 
 registers now in the custody of the Registrar-General, if the precise 
 d;ite and place (parish or town) are entered on the form of claim 
 accompanied by a note of the parentage, the pension officer, or 
 other duly authorised officer of the Inland Revenue, will be given 
 access to such registers with the object of verifying these particulars, 
 if possible, without expense to the claimant. 
 
 If the claimant happens to possess a copy of his birth certificate 
 or other evidence of age he will, of course, produce it to the pension 
 officer." 
 
179 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 The References in this Index are as follows : — A. means Act 
 of 1908 ; R. means Old- Age Pensions Regulations ; ¥.1. means 
 Financial Instructions in Treasury Minute. 
 
 Absence from United Kingdom 
 
 Accounts 
 
 Adjournment 
 
 Advances of Money for expenses 
 
 Age, evidence as to . . . 
 
 limit 
 
 Aliens... 
 
 Alms as a disqualification 
 
 Appeal 
 
 Procedure of I.. G.B. . 
 
 Assignment of Pension Void 
 
 R. 25, F.I 8, 9 
 R. 14 
 R. 25 
 F.I. 8, 9 
 
 A. 7, R. 18, 
 
 R. 19 
 
 A. 6 
 
 I 'AGE 
 
 5 
 47, 137 
 38 
 46 
 
 137 
 
 3» 70 
 xix 
 
 8 
 
 2 
 20, 4T 
 
 19 
 
 Bankruptcy of Pensioner ... ... A. 6 
 
 Borough in Ireland under 10,000 
 Population, included in County 
 Area ... ... ... ... A. 1 1 (2) 
 
 20 
 
i8o 
 
 British Subject, Pensioner must be . 
 
 Burgh in Scotland, application of Act 
 to 
 
 Burial Expenses 
 
 Calculation of Means 
 
 Casting Vote of Chairman ... 
 
 Central Pension Authority ... 
 
 Certificate of Birth ... 
 
 Chairman of Committee, appoint- 
 ment 
 
 Channel Islands, Residence in 
 
 Chaplin Committee ... 
 
 Children of Naturalized Subjects 
 
 Claim 
 
 Consideration of 
 
 Claimant may be heard by Com 
 mittee 
 
 Clerk, Appointment by Committee . . . 
 
 of Appointing Council, Duties 
 
 Committee, Appointment 
 
 Conviction, Disqualification by 
 
 Correspondence, with Treasury 
 
 Cost of Pension Schemes 
 
 Deaths, Returns as to 
 
 Decision of Committee, when final.. 
 
 Defects in Proceedings .'. 
 Delegation of Powers .. A. < 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 
 2, 7, 71 
 
 
 29 
 
 
 10 
 
 
 15 
 
 R. 21 (6) 
 
 44 
 
 A. 8 (3) 
 
 24 
 
 
 3 
 
 R. 21 (5) 
 
 44 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 xix 
 
 
 166 
 
 R. 6 
 
 34 
 
 R. 14 
 
 38 
 
 R. 14 
 
 38 
 
 R. 23 
 
 45 
 
 F.I. 
 
 134-138 
 
 
 23, 53 
 
 A. 3 (2) 
 
 II 
 
 F.I. 10 
 
 ^?>^ 
 
 see Introduction 
 
 xix 
 
 R. 28 
 
 48 
 
 A 7 (2) 
 
 21 
 
 R. 21 (7) 
 
 44 
 
 I (2), R. 24 (i) 
 
 23,46 
 
i8i 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Determination of Claims and Ques- 
 tions ... ... ... ... A. 7 20 
 
 Disability ... ... ... ... 2 
 
 Disqualification ... ... ... g 
 
 not removed by repay- 
 ment of Poor Relief ... ... * 13 
 
 District, Definition of ... ... 31 
 
 Evidence -.. R. 14, 26, Sch. 2 39, 48, 70 
 
 Expenses of Claimants not Chargeable F.I. 7 137 
 
 Committees ... A. 10, R. 25 (2) 27, 47 
 
 Councils ... R. 25 (3;, F.I. 9 47, 137 
 
 Members not Chargeable 
 
 False Statements by Claimant 
 Forms, Supply of, to Claimants 
 to Pension Com- 
 mittees ... 
 Franchise 
 
 not lost by receipt of 
 
 Pension ... 
 
 Friendly Society 
 
 Furniture considered as Means 
 
 Hanoverians, Position of ... 
 Hire of Room 
 Hoarded Money 
 Hospital, Maintenance in 
 
 Imprisonment 
 
 Income, Calculation ... 
 
 Inebriates' Act, Order under ... * 11 
 
 F.I. 6 
 
 136 
 
 A. 9 
 
 R. 6 (2) 
 
 25 
 34 
 
 F.I. 5 
 
 A. I (4) 
 
 136 
 
 I 
 
 A. 3 , R. 30 
 
 I 
 10, 50 
 6 
 
 .22(3), F.L4 
 
 7 
 44, 136 
 6 
 
 
 10 
 
 
 1 1 
 
 
 15 
 
t82 
 
 Inquiry by L.G.B. 
 Interpretation of Regulations 
 Ireland, Local Authorities in 
 Isle of Man, Residence in ... 
 
 Married Couples 
 
 Women, Position of 
 
 Means, Calculation of 
 
 of Married Couple ... 
 
 Medical Assistance ... 
 
 Meeting, Adjournment 
 
 Provisions as to first 
 
 Membership of Committee ... 
 
 Memorandum of Local Government 
 Board, as to making Claims 
 
 Mode of paying Pensions 
 
 Nationality, Proof of 
 
 Naturalization 
 
 Notice of Allowance of Claim to be 
 sent to Claimant 
 
 Appeal 
 
 Appointment of Clerk 
 
 Committee 
 
 Decision of Claim 
 
 Meeting to Pension Officer 
 
 Notices, Service of 
 
 Offices, Charges for use of... 
 
 Old-Age Pension Schemes, considered 
 by Royal Commission ... 
 
 Order of Proceedings 
 
 R. 19(1) 
 
 A.3(i)(b),4(2) 
 
 R. 21 
 
 R. 13, 14 
 R. 18 
 
 R- 23 (4) 
 
 R. 36 (4) 
 R. 19 
 R. 12 
 
 R. 4 
 F.L4 
 
 I'AGE 
 41 
 
 31 
 
 29, 147 
 
 5 
 
 10, 16, 18 
 
 154 
 
 15 
 
 17,18 
 
 9, 12, 13 
 38 
 53 
 43 
 
 171 
 19 
 
 7 
 
 8, 148 
 
 38 
 
 41 
 46 
 
 54 
 41 
 37 
 34 
 
 136 
 
 xni 
 
 XXX 
 
^^3 
 
 Parliament, Proceedings on Old 
 Age Pensions Bill 
 
 Parochial Relief 
 
 Pauper, whether relief to Wife 
 disqualifies her ... 
 
 Pension Authority 
 
 cannot be assigned or 
 
 How Calculated 
 
 How Paid ... 
 
 PAGE 
 
 ix 
 
 12 
 
 13 
 
 A. 8(5) 24 
 
 charged 1 9 
 
 I, 18, 30 
 
 A. 5 19, 52 
 
 Officer, Definition of ... 31 
 
 Instructions and Duties 20, 35, 36, 37, 40, 
 
 41, 53> 54, 71 
 Orders ... ... ... 19 
 
 to be supplied in Books 
 
 Scheme not experimental . . . 
 
 Payable from ist Jan., 1909 . 
 
 Pensioner, Definition of 
 
 Person aggrieved 
 
 Poor Law Officers, Duties as to Relief 
 
 Relief ... 
 
 Postmaster, Duties of 
 
 Proceedings of Committee, Regula- 
 tions as to 
 Property, Hoarded Money, Furniture 
 
 Questions, Determination of, by 
 
 Pension Committee ... ... A. 7, R. 17 20,39 
 
 Quorum ... ... ... ... R. 21 (2) 43 
 
 Rate of Pension ... ... ... R. 15 39 
 
 Records of Claims to be kept by Clerk 45, 167 
 
 R. 32 
 
 52 
 
 
 2 
 
 A. 12 
 
 30 
 
 
 31 
 
 
 23 
 
 R. 35 
 
 22, 53 
 
 A. 3 (0 (a) 
 
 9, 12 
 
 R. 6 
 
 34 
 
 R. 21 (2) 
 
 43 
 
 
 6 
 
i84 
 
 Register of Claims and Questions, 
 Form of . . . 
 
 Registrar of Births and Deaths, 
 Duties as to Returns 
 
 PAGE 
 
 i68 
 
 48 
 
 Rehef to Dependant ... ... 10 
 
 Removal of Member of Committee... R. 21 (3) 43 
 
 of Pensioner ... ... R. 31 (3) 52 
 
 Remuneration of Clerk ... ... R. 23 (5), F.I. i 46, 134 
 
 Repayment of Relief. . . ... ... 13 
 
 Residence ... ... ... A. 2 (2), R. 29 2,4,49 
 
 Scilly Isles 
 
 ... 
 
 
 
 
 
 29 
 
 Scotland, Local Authorities in 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 295 143 
 
 Sliding Scale ... 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 9.30 
 
 Statistics as to persons eligible 
 Pension ... 
 
 for 
 
 c 
 • ■ • >. 
 
 ;ee 
 
 Introduct 
 
 ion 
 
 xiv 
 
 Statutory Conditions... 
 
 ... 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 Sub-Committee, Appointment 
 Area of . . . 
 
 and 
 
 A. 
 
 8(2), 
 
 R. 
 
 24 
 
 23,46 
 
 Surgical Assistance ... 
 
 • • • 
 
 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 Term of Office of Member of Com- 
 mittee ... ... ... ... R. 21 (3) 43 
 
 Trade Union ... ... .. A. 3 (i) (b), R. 30 10,50 
 
 Treasury, Lords Commissioners of, 
 
 Powers of 19,26,35,37,47,49,54 
 
i85 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Urban District Council under 20,000 
 Population included in County 
 in England ... ... ... A. 8 (i) 23 
 
 10,000 
 
 Population included in County 
 
 in Ireland ... ... ... A. 11 (2) 29 
 
 United States, Naturalization in ... 161 
 
 Vacancy, How filled . ... R. 21 (4) 44 
 
 Voting R. 21 (6) 44 
 
 Weekly Rate of Pension ... ... 6,39 
 
 Wife of Pauper, eligibility of for 
 
 Pension ... ... ... ... 1 
 
 j> 
 
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