The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1909-04-24
(From the Nineteenth Centlry.) q

In April, 1891, there was opened IN
Berne the first municipal bureau 1or
insurance against Unemployment the
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 10
pay 40 centimes-a fraction less than 40
"a month each into the bureau 1una.
and in return they secured the rlgn'
to an allowance of a frame If alone
standing, or franc and half II with
others dependent on them, for every
day UP to sixty days they were out CT
work in winter through no fault OIL
their own. Employers were not re-
qulred to contribute to the fund, but
it was hoped that they would do so vol
unfairly
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,
PIG were out of work in the winter and
applied for help. Work was found for
80 of them, and the 166 others received
allowances These allowances amount
ed to $685. francs, while the fees the
men paid amounted to only 1924 francs.
The following year things were little
better, but only little; for although
1875 new members joined the bureau,
81 names were removed from the list.
In the course of the winter 236 Oh the
insured were out of work, and 2l9 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
1t had proved a success. Still there
was a strong feeling that it must not
differently prove success in the fut-
| ure. 1t was bound to prove a sue
cess, indeed, its managers maintained,
II 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 unshilled
who insured, and even among the I'M
| 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 We're out of work. 1t was pro-
! posed, therefore, that insurance against
| 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 a 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 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 it the better
paid among them were bitterly opposed
to it, regarding it as an attempt to
levy a tax on them for the benefit OF
their less we'll 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 cantoral par
| lament, while expressing warm sym
pathy with the aim of the bill, decid-
ed that the subject with which il
dealt was not ripe for legislation.
Meanwhile the Berne Voluntary In
surance Bureau was pursuing the ever
tenor of its way. 1t was reOrganized
in 1898 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 ir
the same building and worked togeth.
ed. They are under the direction ant
control of managing board consist
ing of nine members, three Of whom
are elected by the men who insure an6
three by their employers. while three
are appointed by the Municipal Coun
Gil. These directors hold Office for foul
years, and at the end Of every veal
they render an account of their stew
ardship to the Municipal Council. Three
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
president, and another again. as treas
urer. The actual work of the bureau!
is done by three paid officials, the man
ager. the manageress and a clerk TIL,