124	THE  BRITISH  APPROACH  TO  POLITICS
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his means do not e^eed £65 a year; or, under the 1925-1937
Acts, a pension to which no Means Test is applied; the latter
scheme is naturally ousting the former. The whole cost of
pensions over seventy is borne by the State* The pension schemes
apply, with a few exceptions, to the same people as those who
contribute to National Health Insurance. In consequence of an
Act of 1937, people who are not manual workers, but whose
incomes are less than £400 a year, can become contributors for
pensions.
The Acts of 2908 aad 1925 have been frequently amended.
The position of widows whose husbands died before the latter
Act was passed; is an example of the type of problem wfcich arose
and required fresh legislation. So it is not always easy for a person
to know whether he or she is qualified for the pension. The
Councils of Counties, and of the larger towns, have to appoint
Pensions Committees to examine claims; in this task they are
assisted by a Pensions Officer who is in fact, a Civil Servant in
the Customs and Excise Department. Appeals can be made from
the Pensions Committee to the Ministry of Health, for which a
large volume of business is thus created.
The rapid growth of these three great systems of social insurance
against unemployment, sickness and old age, is one of the most
remarkable events of this century. Their combined effects on
conditions of life is such that they must-be regarded as a vital
part of the political and economic structure of the country.
Towards the cost, the insured persons and their employers
contribute about £100,000,000 a year, and the State adds to the
Unemployment Insurance, Health Insurance, and Contributory
Pensions Funds about £35*000,000. The State and local authorities
have to supplement this by providing pensions for those over
seventy, and the payments for unemployment .assistance and
public assistance; this charge on public funds totals about
£140,000,000. The resulting problems of public finance are
discussed in a later chapter; for the present it is important to
notice the £100,000,000 of contributions, half of which comes