The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-11-06
LABOR COUNCILS
 OF THE DUTCH Holland Is Working On Cues
 tion Of Protection FEAR HER LAB0RERS New Scheme Of Unifying Workmans' Insurance Arts - Beneficiaries Under Proposed System 10
 share Management
FEAR HER LABoRERS

The Hague, Eolland-"Yes." said Min ister Talma of the department Of agri- culture. commerce and labor, the prob lem of social insurance and the protection of the laborer against the risks of his employment is certainly one of the great est questions of this century. Holland has squarely faced this problem and is biavely struggling with its difficulties. My predecessors in office began with the accidents compensation law some years ago and while the legislation In this direction has brought good oeai of disappointment, we have not become discoura ged. The principle is right; 1t is only the more or less faulty construc- ion of the law that has led to made quate results.
 Now, my idea has always been to make a connecting link between all the branches of social insurance-the acci- dents, the sickness the invalidity and oid age pensions-and to place them for the greater part under the control or spe- cial separate corporation or body com posed of persons whose own interests are involved therein Half of this corpora ton or council should be work givers and the other half laborers or work talk CTS, to be chosen by their fellow work CTS and fellow employers. The crown should name the president; and persons of technical legal snd medical knowledge should also be included.
 One Hundred Councils In All
 Tn fact these labor councils as l have named them in & bill l have just r1f ma be modelled upon the same principle as the councils of polder' or water districts. These are the most truly popular institutions In Holland. labor council will be insti- tuted for every district Of 25.0O0 inhabit- ants. so that there will be some 100 councils in all. To these Will be connoed the task of organizing and administering everything that concerns labor insurance and labor welware generally
 Great latitude will be left them to make enactments for better sanitary and protective methods, and to reduce the risk to life and limb for the workers in the various employments. AS great divergence exists between conditions III large cities and those in country dls- tricts. every labor council will concern itself with it's own special district. The councils may fix the sum to be paid as indemnity, but it must always be aooVe the stipulated mluiiluil ol " PSA NNAAN of the wages. They fix the salaries for their own staff of technical assistants.
 Each labor council will have under it's care the money deposited as premi- nrrs on the insurance. To begin with they will have the sickness fund, for II Is in connection with the sickness 1n- suTance enactment that these councils will start their work. Later on, when invalidity and old age acts shall have been passed, they will also administer those funds When the accidents law IS amended it's administration will be turned over to the councils, eliminating the un- nopular government bank. Later modi- 6cations of the insurance laws will not affect the councils.
 ''In this way a bond will be created between all the branches of insurance, so they can be of help to each other. Ex- nerience gained in one case will help Tn others The stimulating workman found out. say in sickness insurance, VIII pc so much the more easily unm asked If he tries the same trick in other branches of insurance.
 .I believe that these labor councils will take an interest in their work as 1t IS for their own benefit, each district hay ing its own fund; the more economically this Is administered the greater will be the good to be reaped therefrom and the lower premium paid. The sickness insurance, as I have planned it, ar ranges for the institution of a fund that will pay the insured one-half of their usual wages. The numerous existing sick funds in Holland need not disappear if only they will conform to certain resu- lations and government inspection Ap- plicants for money must also prove sat- isfactorily that they are under proper medical care.'