Islands Pensioners

Grim Position Caused by Inflation

ONE of the most difficult problems created in this period of currency inflation and ever-rising prices is the position of retired public servants, who are trying to live on a pension which may have seemed adequate when they retired, but has been rendered sharply inadequate by increasing prices.

The position of former public servants, superannuated from Papua and New Guinea, is particularly bad. Their pensions never were over-generous; and now they are feeling the shrinkage of money values very severely. The Aus tralian Government has made certain ad justments in regard to Commonwealth pensions, to take care of the, inflation problem, but —probably because they are unrepresented in Parliament and conse quently are without political teeth —the superannuated men of the Territories Services have had nothing done for them.

As public affairs in Australia are now governed by the desires of political opinions of the big unskilled trade unions, the outlook for the public service pensioner is pretty grim. Nonetheless, any organisation interested should take up the cudgels on their behalf and at least keep on hammering until one of the three helpless P's (Parliament, Press and Public) becomes aware of their plight.