The San Francisco call., 1910-08-23
SICK BENEFIT LAW
ASSISTS WORKMEN
German Statute Makes Insur=
ance Compulsory and Gov
ernment Contributes Cash

The following statistics. covering the
system of working peoples insurance
in Germany, were complied from En-
! ergy, a German engineering review by
Consul Robert J. Thompson Of Han
over:
Twenty-six years have passed since
the first of the workmen's insurance
measures, the sick benefit law, was en-
acted. A year later followed the insur-
ance bill for accidents in industry, in
1886 the bill for accidents in agricul-
ture and forestry, in 1887 the building
trades and marine accident insurance
law, and in 1889 the old age pension
law.
The insurance of all workmen, in
cludlng apprentices, is compulsory, en-
ployer and employe being obliged to
law, ana the government contributing
a certain amount From 1885 to 1907
the werkmen 1851, ,5S7, 800 and the gov
ernment $121,662,5 500, a total of S1.946,-
100000. In 1906 out of every 1000 day
iaborers S6S Were protected by sick
Deheht, all of them against accident
and S5s against old age and disability.
TWELVE MILLION INSURED
In 1907 there were about $4,000 Of
hces for managing the sick fund; the
number of insured was Il, 10000, haV-
ing increased p per cent in seven
I y
951,S00 to $74,S51,0 600 in six years, and
the fund amounted to $60,309,200, or
about s466 per capita; OF the total
paid out $67;235, 900 for sickness, med
! icine, medical service, assistance to rel
atives, hospitals, recuperation and fu-
neral. In 1906 the workmen paid S48,-
| 100000 to the fund and received S63,
379. 400 (12S per cent? as insurance. The
total number of cases was 4,95O,OO0, or
i to every 100 insured. There has been
a constant increase in the number of
cases, but this is to be attributed rather
to the greater readiness of the work
men to apply for assistance than, to
what would appear on the surface, an
abnormal increase of disease. The eX-
pense of treating patients has also in
creased from year TO year. having risen
from S10.35 per case in 1900 to $13.l4
in 1906.
Among other things, these statistics
Substantiate the well known fact that
disease seeks it's victim chiefly in the
more poorly paid classes of wage earn
ers-the lower the wages the higher
the number of victims. In Stuttgart in
1907 and 1908, 29.4 per cent of all pa
tients died of tuberculosis; Berlin re-
ports show similar facts; all other COM
plants represent only small per-
centage. proportionately, of the cause
of death.
PROVISION FOR ACCIDENTS
More than 100000 persons in in,
IL :
forestry are protected by accident IN
surance The amount paid out in 1907
was $35,771, 400. The number of acci-
dents has multiplied beyond all eX-
pectations. since modern industry
makes it necessary for work to be done
with great speed: yet the precautions
and guards instituted are unprecedent-
ed Then again other factors account
for the high figure of 662, 901 accidents
reported in 1907. More and more acci-
dents, even insignificant ones formerly
n ZOO. Iad lrnY oh To hl
norice sof the bureau and physicians
Furthermore, the industrial army of
Germany has increased $4,000 in six
years, being recruited from the inha bit
ants of the agricultural diStricts-that
is to say, from persons who for the first
time become acquainted with factory
life and who must be trained That
accidents otherwise avoidable result is
quite plausible. The number of persons
who, in 1907, received an indemnity for
the first time was 144,70S. These, to-
gether with those whose indemnity con-
tinued from the preceding year, reached
the startling figure of approximately
sured in 1907 was as follows for the
several callings: Inland navigation.
2.45: mining, 2.39; teaming, 1.24; rail
roading, 1.16; textile industry, 90 Com
plete disability ranged from .45 to .01
in glassworks brickyards. and wood
and textile industries; partial disability
from 5.25 in iron and steel works to LAP
in the glass and brick Industries. The
number Of accidents causing permanent
disability mas remained practically a t
the same height since 1901, ,356.
SOME DAYS SEEM UNLUCKY
A fact of interest is the frequency of
accidents on certain days of the week |
Assuming that, on the average. one ac-
cident occurs every three hours during
the year, the figures for industry would
be 2.31 from a. IN. to u noon, and
2.11 from 3 TO p m, but on Monday
morning they are 2.S7 and on Satur- |
day afternoon 2T4. Hence it has been
established that the greatest number
of accidents occur on Monday and Sat |
urday, but especially on Monday.
The most extensive of the insurance
laws is the invalid and old-age pension. |
department. employing $500 clerks In |
1907, 100000 persons were protected |
by the invalid and old-age pension, the |
increase since 1900 being about 10 per |
cent In 1907, s41,174,O00 was paid as |
pensions. benefits. ETC.. as compared |
with S63 ,379, 400 for sickness and s35,-
~ 400 for accidents. Since 1900 the |
premiums of the workmen amounted to
about $19,516,000, or somewhat more |
than half of the indemnities The gen
eral administration cost about $3.50
900, or approximately $1.67 per in
sured person. The fund increased from |
POI 10000 in 1900 to 1894, ,152 900 in |
1903, which is about $3.50 per capita !
insured. This great sum of money is |
placed out, principally in loans to viii
lagos and private persons in support |
ing the credit of agricultural districts |
and in erecting good, sanitary work
ums, and similar institutions The |
mean rate of interest on the money so |
3.53 to 3.55 per cent At the beginning !
of 1909 the statistics showed that S6S.- |
0S6 invalid, 109,637 old age and 190S7 |
sick pensions would have to be paid |