Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-03-26
HELP FOR The WORKINGMEN
Remarkable Progress Made in Foreign
Countries is Shown.
REPORT OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR
Advance Msde on the Subject Of En-
Bloyers' Liability and working
mems Compensation, Ae-
cordinr 60 the Report.

The remarkable progress made in re-
cent years by foreign countries on the
subject Of employers liability and work
mems compensation Is brought out BIZ the
first OF two volumes comprising the twenty-
Fourth annual report. just issued By the
United States Bureau Of Labor. Depart
ment OF Commerce and Labor, entitled
'Workmen's Insurance and Compensation
Systems In Europe" This volume treats
Of Austria, Belgium Denmark. France
and Germany. Volume III. now IN the
hands Of the printer. relates to Great
Britain. Italy, Norway. Russia. Spain and
Sweden.
Although systems OF insurance and com
pensation for cases OF, Industrial accidents
are the best known forms OF workmen's
insurance. the report shows that many
European countries also possess wide
variety Of Insurance institutions for the
relief OF distress caused by sickness. in
validity. old age ana unemployment Be
sides the forms. the methods Of pro
viding maternity benefits for wage-earning
women and the systems OF pensions for
widows and orphans OF wage earners are
described
The country with the most complete sys-
TEN Of workmen's insurance IL Germany
NhNAN ~ ANAANhAlg the GhLAib wage HtLI lllLlH
population is required by law to be pro-
vided with some form Of insurance against
Industrial accidents. sickness. invaiidlty
and old age. Benefits are also provided In
case Of maternity for wage-earning women.
while for some industries these is a system
Of Insurance TO provide benefits for the wild
ows and orphans Of waEe-earners. Since
a number Of American states are consider
ing the enactment Of laws on employers
liability and accident compensation, the
compulsory accident insurance system OF
Germany 10 Of especial interest 70 Ameri-
can readers, and In this field the German
system makes an impressive showing.
Employees Defray Cost.
The employers defray the entire cost OF
the accident insurance and II includes
practically all the Industrial workers in
the country. The most striking evidence
of the wide scope OF this system is con-
tanned in the figures for the operations
OF the year 1905. In this year the number
of persons insured against accident was
about 27OO0.OOO. the total receipts were
about S57.OOO,OOO the total expenditures were
about ttS0OO,OOO, and the amount Of the
reserve was S65 10000. The number OF
workmen compensated for the first time
in the year 1905 was 1900 Separate laws
provide a system OF compulsory sickness
insurance for wage earners in which the
employers pay one-third and the workmer
two-thirds OF the expense. In 1908 the mum
Der Of persons mot including agricultural
laborers) insured aga INST sickness was about
12s,OOOOOO, the receipts were 100000, and
the expenditures were S9l.OO 900. Besides
these two branches there is a third nationa
compulsory system relating to insurance
H. L.. rzrl4Hr k h.
employers and the workmen each pay
equal amounts while the imperial govern
,Snsnt provides a liberal subsidy. In 1908 thu
number OF persons insured under THU
branch was 100000, the receipts wer'
90, 1900, the expenditures were s4S 100000
while the reserve amounted TO t85b 900, 600
The three systems OF Insurance have beer
IN operation for nearly twenty-five years
and the experience under them has beer
no favorable that in response to a wide
spread demand the German government II
now preparing TO revise and extend tn
system. ana II is expected that in few
years even greater results win be show
than those now obtained.
Cities Provide Subsidies.
number OF cities in Germany are nov
providing subsidies for organizations pro
viding benefits IN case Of unemployment
this Is usually done By repaying to trad
unions and similar organizations a per
!. osntage OF the expenditures they make 10
Out-of- work, travel. etc, benefitE
In Austria the system OF Workmen's IN
Eurance is patterned closely after that o
Germany and provides relief for cases o
sickness and accident to workmen engages
in manufacturing and similar industries
though there ts q separate organization
- IND a
the accident insurance is borne nineteenth
by the employers and one-tenth by tn
workmen. while the expense Of the sickness
insurance is betrayed in the proportion o
one-third by the employer and two-third
by the workmen. For the mining emplOye
there is insurance for sickness, Rcciden
and old age. One feature OF workmen'
insurance In Austria which no other coun
try possesses is q national compulsory sye
tenn of old age and invalidity insurance 70
salaried persons, such as clerical EN-
plOyes OF all kinds; the expense Of this
betrayed partly by the employer an
partly by the insured person. In Ausui
the figures Of the operation OF the insul
ance system We're also large In 1907 IA
number OF persons insured against indu,
trial accidents was over s,OOO,O0O; the tots
receipts were 1880 600; the total expend
lures were 81, so 900. and $500 persons n
ceivsd compensation for industrial acc
dents sustained In the course Of their en-
ployment during the year, Equally iarz
are the figures OF the sickness inEuTanC
in 1907; the number OF persons insure
was over SO00eoO; the receipts were ov,
uAOOo.o0O and the expenditures were abol
Sl8.500.O0o The miners insurance In 10
included 1900 persons, the receipts we,
> over s8OOOOo0. and the expenditures wei
over S. O00OOo
Different TyPes of Insurance.
while in Germany and Austria the wor
mems insurance systems are highly Gel
trained. In France the different types
Insurance are provided by a great varie
OF Institutions and regulated by a seri
Of separate laws and DEGREES. The tnsu
ance OF workmen against Industrial &C,
dents Is regulated mainly BY the law
1855 The employer il required 20 prOvi
at his own expense a specified system
benefits 10 injured workmen. and IN ord
10 protect himself he is allowed to insu
his liability under the law in a variety
institutions, such as voluntary associauo