Page:Advanced Australia.djvu/155

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OLD AGE PENSIONS IN PRACTICE
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in the district in which the pensioner resides. The pensioner must personally apply for his pension, and produce his certificate, otherwise he will be unable to obtain the instalment and it will be forfeited; provision, of course, being made for cases in which the pensioner is physically incapable of making a personal appearance.

In cases where the pensioner is maintained in or relieved by any charitable institution, the reasonable cost of such maintenance or relief is payable out of the pension to the governing body of such institution; and any surplus remaining after defraying such cost is paid to the pensioner himself.

Instalments which fall due while the pensioner is in prison or an inmate of a lunatic asylum, or while he is absent from the colony, are absolutely forfeited.

A maximum penalty of six months is provided for any person who obtains, or attempts to obtain, a pension certificate to which he is not justly entitled, or a pension of a larger amount than he can legally claim, by means of any false statement or representation; or if he by any means obtains, or attempts to obtain, payment of any forfeited instalment of his pension, or aids or abets any person to so infringe the law. If a person is convicted of any such offence, the Court is empowered to cancel any pension certificate which is proved to have been wrongfully obtained, or to reduce to its proper amount any pension that has been proved to be too high, or to impose a penalty not exceeding twice the amount of any instalment, the payment of which has been wrongfully obtained. If the defendant in the case is a pensioner, the Court may direct the forfeiture of future instalments of his pension equal in amount to such penalty.

To satisfy the demands of the Prohibition party in the House of Representatives, it is provided that if any pen-