The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1885-01-24
HAHNVI.lE, LOUISIANA, SATURDAY, JANUARY "A, 1885.

only applied to those cases which have
no claim upon other funds, and en-
ployers are not obliged to contribute
toward it, although they have to do so
when there is local, factory or q
building fund. 1t may be, therefore,
easily understood that the communal
fund is less in favor than any other, as
it is more costly in its administration,
and assumes the form of local
tax, which is never very popular,
whereas the local funds are nee
essarily largely supported by both
employers and employed, the lat
ter of whom have preponderating
voice at the general meetings. For
this special reason, indeed, the local
fund is more liked than the factory
fund, where the employer has the
largest voice in the management,
though it is only fair that he should
have, seeing that he has the trouble OF
keeping the accounts, and has the re-
sponsibility of making any temporary
advances if the fund at the time is not
at sufficiently high water. Moreover,
when a workman enters a factory
fund, he must give up the local fund to
which he formerly belonged, and thus
is obliged to change his benefit fund as
often as he changes his employer, which
is not seldom, The amount of subscrip-
ton to the local fund is fixed by law at
two per cent. of the average daily
wage, and must not exceed three per
cent. in case the former is not sufficient
to cover the expenses of the relief.
Even this latter increase can not be I'M
dertaken without the consent of both
master and workmen. AS general
rule, the local fund must be organized
for persons occupied in the same branch
of industry, but when this number is
below one hundred, local communal
fund may unite other branches of trade
in the same organization. In case of
sickness the relief furnished by the local
fund consists of gratuitous medical at
tendance, bandages, and all necessary
medicines and appliances, while, after
the third day, money allowance is
given equal to half. the daily average
wage, as long as it does not exceed
three shillings for thirteen weeks.
Similar help is given to women for
three months during confinement; and
in case of death a burial allowance
is made, amounting to twenty times the
average daily wages of the locality. In
exceptional circumstances the benefit
OF the local fund may be extended. but
in no case can it be employed for any
purpose outside the fund, such as
chronic invalids, widows OF orphans.
When necessary, the sick person may
be placed in hospital instead of being
tnh OF in
family receive o money allowance for
their maintenance. We may mention
the city of Frankfort-on-the-Main as an
instance of place in which obligatory
insurance (not communaD is an organ
lied system. Ithas 140,0 900 inhabitants,
of whom l, 126 are employees, q, 1921 are
working people, and to these may be
added some 1891 domestics. At the
present time there are SO benefit insur.
ance funds with 4,943 members; for
those who would come under the second
category-viz., employees, etc., there is
only one fund with 80 members. There
are no mines or miners in the neighbor-
hood, and no guilds except two, belong
ing to the chimney sweeps with % mem.
bers, and BARRIERS with 179. OF the ex.
listing funds eleven are factory and
workshop funds, with 1921 members
and it is evident that the position of the
whole of the SO funds is of a very linn
tied nature, and not sufficient to con
form to the exigencies of the new law
and there will, therefore, require to be {
Encouragement by the commune. Frank
fort contains some 258 different trades
of which 46 have over 100 workmen anC
employees, and the total number of The
local funds will probably be placed il
10 groups, of which five have less thar
500 members, and the remaining IA al
unlimited number beyond.
Times.