The Port Gibson reveille., 1909-02-25

uSuIduCe dSd1uSl uu5luplOJ h1Ch1 NAAS
world had even seen. The bureau was
organized on voluntary lines; any
Swiss subject might insure in 1t, but
no one need insure unless he chose.
Those who did insure were required to
)ay 40 centimes-a fraction less than 4d
"a month each into the bureau fund,
and in return they secured the right
to an allowance of a franc if alone
standing, or a franc and a half if with
others dependent on them, for every
lay up to sixty days they were out OF
work in winter through no fault OF
their own. Employers were not re
luired to contribute to the fund, but
it was hoped that they would do so vol
lntarily.
During the first year 404 men insured
in it, but so of them were struck off
the list because they did not pay their
fees regularly. OF the remaining 354,
ZIG were out of work in the winter and
applied for help Work was found for
50 of them, and the 166 others received
allowances. These allowances amount
men paid amounted to only 1924 francs.
The following year things were a little
better, but only little; for although
126 new members joined the bureau,
! 81 names were removed from the list.
In the course of the winter 236 of the
! insured were out Of work, and 219 of
them received allowances amounting to
1854 francs, while the fees of all the
! insured together amounted only to 1866
! francs. Thus when in 1895 the time
came for weighing the experiment in
the balance no one could claim that
it had proved success. Still there
was strong feeling that it must not
| be abandoned, as it might if worked
! differently prove a success in the fut-
ure. 1t was bound to prove a sue
cess, indeed, its managers maintained
If only workingmen of all classes could
be induced to throw in their lot togeth-
er and insure against unemployment
AS it was it was only the unskilled
who insured, and even among the un-
skilled only those who were likely to be
unemployed. This was proved by the
fact that in the first year the bureau
existed 81 percent of the men belong
ing to it were out of work 1t was pro-
/ posed, therefore, that insurance against
4 unemployment should be made COM
pulsory, and as this was beyond the
power Of the municipality DR.. Was
silieff appealed to the cantonal govern
ment to frame measure on the same
lines as that on which the courts Of
trade are founded, comforting on dis
trict authorities the right to organize,
in cooperation with the state, insur-
ance against unemployment on COM
pulsory lines. He even showed them
how it could be done, as he drew up
for them a compulsory insurance bill.
The bill was received with enthu-
siasm, and the minister of the inter-
ior announced his intention of adopt
ing it as a government measure. He
changed his tone, however, when he
found that although the mass of the
workers were in favor of 1t the better
paid among them were bitterly opposed
to it, regarding it as an attempt to
levy tax on them for the benefit of
their less well to do comrades. Be
sides, if it were passed the whole can
ton would be flooded with underpaid
labor from other cantons, they said.
The end of it was the cantonal par
lament. while expressing warm SYM
pathy with the aim of the bill, decid-
ed that the subject with which it
dealt was not ripe for legislation
Meanwhile the Berne Voluntary IN
surance Bureau was pursuing the even
tenor of its way. 1t was reorganized
in 1893 and again in 1900. Since then
it has developed into an extremely in
teresting and useful institution. 1t is
now joined to another and still more
useful institution, the Berne Municipal
Labor Bureau, the two being housed in
the same building and worked togeth-
ed. They are under the direction and
control of managing board consist
ing of nine members, three of whom
] are elected by the men who insure and
three by their employers, while three
are appointed by the Municipal Coun-
/ Gil These directors hold Office for four
years, and at the end of every year
/ they render an account of their stew
ardship to the Municipal Council. Three
4 Of the directors watch over the work
ing of the insurance bureau; three
over that of the labor bureau: while
one acts as president, another as vice
i president, and another, again, as treas
| urer. The actual work of the bureaus
is done by three paid officials, the man
i ager, the manageress and a clerk. The
manager is directly responsible to the
directors both for what he does him
self and what is done by the other
officials All the bureau officials,
whether honorary or paid, carry on a
regular propaganda to induce men in
good times to insure against unemploy-
ment in bad times. Inc insurance bur-
eau is open only to men, but the labor
bureau is open both to men and wo-
men.
Any man who lives in Berne, wheth-
er a Swiss subject or not, may now
insure against unemployment in the
municipal bureau providing he is able
to work and not above sixty years of
age. All that he has to do is to apply
to the bureau, either directly or
through his employer or his union, for
an insurance book and fasten into it
every month an insurance stamp of
the value of 20 centimes. In return
for these 20 centimes month, he Sc
cures a right to a money allowance for
everv day IN To sixty davs that he is