The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-05-04

lin the face of statistics" he declared you cannot
gainsay it, Yet there various old age insurance
schemes in successful operation in England and in
other European countries where industrial condi-
tons are firmly fixed, notably Germany. national
insurance laws provide against the restitution that
inyadity brings to thriftless workingmen. An in
teresting document lately issued by the Massa-
chusetts Labor Bureau reviews them all. It also
summarizes the various other insurance regulations
as, for example, those providing against accident
and sickness which European countries have made
and details one or two of the private schemes for
insuring employees in vogue in the United States
Some Of these schemes are worthy of wide imita-
ton and even the legal provisions that Europe finds
necessary for accident insurance deserve considea
ton, although American workingmen in the main
courageously prefer to take care Of themselves in
their own way. and certainly have no such tendency
as John Burns blrntly ascribes to the workingmen
of England
In Germany insurance is obligatory in the more
important industries. It covers sickness. accident
ard invalidty through old age; is administered
through organizations; and is supported by com
pulsory contributions from employees. employers
and the Government in such proportions. that Of
all benefits thus far paid under the law, the work
have contributed $315OO,0O0, the employers a
like amount, and the Government s37. 100000. The
Sick Benefit Associations have endeavored to i'm
prove hygienc conditions by disseminating pamph-
lets and providing for lectures and in 1898 they paid
over 100000 claims for sickness alone so many
that the law establishing them gained the
Of KlebegesetZ, Paste Law, from the task Of
sticking stamps the multitudinous tickets. Out
Of sixteen million wage earners among the fftysix
million inhabitants of the empire, thirteen millions
are insured against Old age nvalidy. So attractive
moreover. has the accident insurance become, that
not only are the whole sixteen million workmen
rolled but also another million artisans and small
property farmers Working exccllently in Germany
the whole system is yet of such paternalistic
ture that could hardly be commended for adoption
in a democracy like ours.
Austria also has a similar system without the
old age provision. Belgium provides a charitable
relief in case of accidents and encourages saving
for old age by granting subsidies the thrifty who
swell the approximation Fund, but leaves sickness
to mutual aid societies. In France there is
pulsory insurance except for seamen and miners,
but rigid Employers Liability law makes the
Enlistment Of insurance systems by employers ne
cessty. Sickness is amply provided against by the
/ 900 mutual aid societies which are doing noble
work says Mr.. H. C. Wadin who prepared the
Massachusetts report, in fighting tuberculosis and al
coholism. State funds and subsidies encourage sick
and old age insurance in Italy and for certain
occupations insurance against accident is required.
England manages much do with practically
Government attention to the matter but with the
strict Employers Liability Law, with countless
tual aid societies and insurance companies to be
resOrted to voluntarily and with closely organized
tradesunion system that provides for the idle per-
iods of union members