New-York tribune., 1908-09-07
LLOYD-GE0RGE ABROln
His Studies of German and EnglaS
Social Legislation.
London. August .,

~I4o
ton which he has found II inconvenient IA a.
plain. That is the postponenent Of the invas,,
CATION until the old age pension bill had -.
enacted at Westminster. He has found IN -
many the finest system OF compulsory fusurz-..
I'm the world with the most wonderful scb.-
of organization behind It that he has -.
studied In detail Why did not Mr. LIovd- -C.ao-.
or some other colleague in the ministry unaLss
thorough examination OF this system bef,ra :.
tempting to pension Off veteran workers =, -
United Kingdom? IL German experience 80
any bearing upon British practice It should b.,
been authoritatively ascertained and cons,ds-.s
with practical intelligence before the nation ma.
committed to a new experiment IN social Iezs,
latfon Of rrornentous Importance. The Ge-r,,
insurance laws had been IN operation sor n,o-.
than twenty years. II was not difficult for arz
one with trained habits Of observation To sns
out how satisfactorily they were working vs,
with an fnsular perversity characteristic OF "a
British Civil Service, the Liberal governu.n,
forced its own non-cOntributory pension b,u
through Parliament, and then dispatched II,
chancellor Of the Exchequer to Germany q,
make a survey Of the results Accomplished
there under a vastly superior contributo-y svs-
tenn.
II is hardly necessary for me TO attsnut "a
cornpress into a paragraph Mr.. Lloyd-Georze',
irnpressions Of social reform in Germany IN
series of ten letters recently published IN Ths
Tribune have taken up the same questions IN
detail. German officials are always courteous
and have the facts at their fingers ends and
there Is a central Office IN every town. Ehsrs
information can be readily obtained Ths
Chancellor Of the Exchequer in the course Of a
ranfd tourney has mastered the details Of
+rfpIe system Of insurance by which s7e,aossss
annually. is distributed in sick pay. s55,0Oa9ss
in pensidns to the aged and incapacitated and
sA5 200 900 In compensation for accidents aad
he has discovered that Of the aggregate, $40.
oon 600 the state contributes directly not mors
than $4,000, 900, the bulk Of the funds coming
from EMPLOYERS and workraen- He has also
learned that the Joint action OF employers AM
men in managing the funds Is highly benehcials
that good feeling is created tnat Working
neon1e are becoming more contented and con-
servatfve. and that the system covers every
nhase and chance Of workingnnan's life excep.
want Of employment. and that attempts haEs
been made in one or two cities TO meet this con-
tingency. He IS impressed with the magnituds
Of the results accomplished at small cost 10 ms
government. and is convinced that private enoT'
is stimulated rather than paralyzed and tnat
habits Of thrift are promoted by scientifically
oraa-ad system Of state socialism. I scarcely
need to remind Tribune readers that my own
Investigations in Germany have pointed 20 sim
liar conclusions
Mr. Iloyd-George's detailed account Of ths
c...-,o,, Insurance laws VIII convtnce practical
EneIfshuen that their own government haS ac'Fd
-.st1,, and fgnorantIy in not availing itself Of
the experience Of the Fatherland IN social legs
1ation- It has produced a crude and cosby
scbe1oe for the relief Of the aged poor. and. IN
less all signs fail. this measure will have de'
rnora1izfng effect upon the community VII no'
satfsfy the Labor party, and viii have 70 De SUP
nIenented by more expensive methods Oh pro
1-fdins sick pay and pensions for 1nyaliael
uorxnoen without reference to age MI L0yo-
George is not prepared to state that contrib
utory system can be engrafted upon the govern
r,a-+s,s old age pension scheme He wants tirs
for thinking 1t OUT and for investigating WnaI
has been done IN Belgium and Austria ne s1
heres to the opinion that the LIBERAL goVernInsn1
has made a good beginning and that men anu
u,ovoen over seventy can be more conveniently
dealt with on the nOn-cont-iburory BASIS Al'
risks of accident are already provided 1or y
Great Britain at the expense OF employers anu
it is an open question with him wnetner si'A
ness and invalidity can be dealt with on German
lines. He solicits the cooperation OF IAo''
unionist leaders in working out this resn!t anu
homes for an agreement among pollticaI pall0S
Socialists themselves among them. oerorS Hn7-
action is taken
Englishmen Will not remain IN lsnolanC0
comprehensive system OF state aid oaseu -
individual earning power and thrl1L- AH9y 10.
not known much about it. but the Chaneell'l :
the Exchequer has forced them 10 STUDY - -
that of itself is u great gain 1t VIII not Dc OI'
before they are convinced that BisrnarcA SOA-'-
in the right vgav. whereas their own governnael'
has cIunsily taken the wrong point OF Vie"
German triple system of Insurance makes ~
wage Garner the unit 1t is his earning cap@''.n
with the obligation Of saving something -
emergencies. that lies at the bottom OF eon'ps
sory Insurance His sick pay or his pension :.
invaIidity or old age depends upon MS 49,
value as a wage Garner. and upon Ms
contributions for future contingencies
is Justice in tire system. and there is no'nNs
II TO innpair his seIf-respect as a worker -
point of view is not that the STATE owes
ANYTHING If he be sick or incapacitated for "O,s
by invaIidism or old age. but that ne IL
from the moment that he begins 10 earn a H'.'
is under moral obligation to lay oy MS po-r.
week bv week for emergencies which are iiA1-
to arise. The English old age pension sei'-
dispenses with this obligation The pens-0 =.
merely a substitute for outdoor rellel un-e. \,
poor law. and is awarded without rel0-a-- ard
individual prudence. thrift or earning pO'0-
solely as a dole of public charity Ing -,
is the unit. not the wage Garner; anu 1.s ,-,ss
of the act is that the state owes men % .,.-
over seventy living. without Fes4'U
own improvidence- t,xs
Prolonged study OF the German insur@ns. - tss
will also tend to convince EngiishIlsN '. ~nsrs-
cost has been counted in the FatheriAn' n
as there has been no reckoning OF n3'.-.- -..,ss
-. - ..-,- yx-baD Mr. LlOyu-SN