New-York tribune., 1908-05-24
DRY GOODS

is an investment for an emergency rather than
state charity on sociaIistic lines WOrkr1en.
domestic servants, small tradesmen and clerks
contribute their pennies weekly toward this
class Of insurance. and they enjoy the benefits
whenever the emergency Of chronic disability CT
old age arises. They are not paupers in receipr
Of state aid. but the sef-reSpecting benefciaries
OF their own thrift and prudence
There is a practical objection 70 the adoption
Of the German contrtbutory system in England
This is its intricacy and complexity. The Ger
mans accustomed 70 government supervision OF
private accounts and incomes and trained 70
habits Of organization. have adapted themselves
easily to a triple system OF Insurance against
accidents sickness and permanent disability and
old a ge Il involves close scrutiny OF workmen',
means Of livelihood and regular Inspection Ot
employers books. and the management Of IN
surance funds aggregattng over $36oo0o0oo in
the interest Of nearly 43.OCOOOo premium pay
ers There is a network OF employers assocta-
tfons trade assemblies and vorkmen's represen-
tative bodies for supervising this elabOrats
mechanism and the system is effective ard even
popular because the Germans have a charac-
terfstic talent for organization ard thorough
ness It is extremely doubtful if the working
masses in the United Kingdom have equal pa
tfence and practical capacity for carrying out
anything so complex They have never had the
framing II.
greatly developed their powers Of organization.
and the system would be as uninteIHsibIe and
unmanageable here as it would be in America
Yet from moral point Of view the German
methods Of insurtng the masses against loss II
earning power through accident temporary ~
ness. chronic disability and old age are tncor1-
parabIy superior 10 the social reforms proposed
in England One risk has been provided gainst
by recent legislation her-nan1aIv. Insurance.
against accident al the cost OF employers. but
the other risks have either been neglected alto
gether or are taken up in a distinctly deroraI-
izing way The administration OF the poor law.
which has grown more lax and vas-efuI every
decade, is the only legal resource against sick
ness and permanent invaltdity: and Old ags
pensions are now introduced without safeguards
for the encouragement OF thrift and p-udancs
When public charity in ive-shiIlinE pensions 3
flung TO the aged poor like crumbs falling 20
dogs from rich mems tables there must be I
loss Of self-respect and an abatement OF ths
robust qualities for which the British workman
has always been conspicuous. The socialist
microbe seems 70 have got into the brain Or
legislators. They are toying with the idea that
a crude human right is entitled 10
look 10 the state fo- a living wage for employ
ment il he loses it, for relief il he is sick.
manned or destitute and for a pension when hs
is superannuated. The Germans have wiser
methods OF enforcing the obligations OF thrift
and OF requiring systernat tic provision against
emergencies. They do impair TIE manhood
OF the self-respecting Workman They teach
him TO insure himself against human risks and
to earn exemption from absolute destitUtion.
LN.F