The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1911-06-03
BRITISH I r MAKERS !
ON LABOR PROBLEMS
Bill to Lessen Misery Among
Workers BY Providing for Sick
ness and Unempl oyment.

So - - xAAAAVAA9
Workers BY Providing for Sick
ness and Unempl oyment.
(Labor Worlds London Special Cor
respondent.) III *sf IA j
LONDON. May 1s.-The bill just
recently introduced In the English
parliament by Lloyd George, creating
an insurance against sickness, in
validity and unemployment is inter-
esting. az -.,s i, .z.5
. The bill is divided into two parts
dealing with insurance against (1)
sickness and invalidity; (2) unem-
ployment. The scheme is to include
all wage earning men and women
and young persons who are not in
cluded in the income tax paying class,
that is to say, all earning less than
SIS a week. However, there are ex-
vceptions; namely, soldiers, sailors and
teachers. VINO are ]. to be provided
for under special schemes; other ex-
ceptions are servants, Of the crown
and municipalities, with retiring PEN
sions; commission agents employed
by more than one person, and certain
classes Of the most casual sort of
Observation-Disclosures the scheme as
a whole Is compulsory, and workmen,
employers and theTstate will all con-
tribute in their: separate proportions.
~~ Scope of Measure.
The scheme will apply both to men
and women, with the proviso that
married women must also be able to
show that they work for wages. In
addition there will be two comparat-
lively small classes Of voluntary con-
tributors, (1)s small tradesmen and
men working for themselves; a large
proportion Of whom are in friendly
societies; (2) those who have once
been employed by others but after
wards work for themselves. For all
! these compulsory and voluntary con-
| tributors there will be one uniform
class, and contributions will be az
follows: Workmen, 8 cents a week:
| work women, s cents a week; en-
ployer, cents a. week. and the state,
for men and women alike, cents a
week. In the case of workmen re-
ceiving only 1878 week their con-
tributions will be cents a week; 4
cents for those earning SO a week
and 2 cents for those earning $2.25.
In these cases the employer will pay
higher contributions. The benefits. to
be paid in return for these contribu-
lions are as follows:
| (1) Free medical relief to all in
sured, (the doctors of the friendly
societies are to be better paid and
wherever a chemist is available the
drugging IL to be separated from the
doctoring.)
(2) Weekly allowance for the first
three months Of illness, $3.50 far
men, $1.87 for women; 1925 for men
months. r. .' ::'
| go An allowance OF $3.50 will be
paid in each case of maternity, pro-
viding the mother does not return to
work within four weeks. f. i:
II 10 In cases OF permanent dis
able1nent allowance Of $1.26 per
week (made to both men and wo-
men up to the age of TO-, when the
patient will be transferred to the old
age pension fund.)> !~:,-
/ 90 Special help in cases of con-
sumption.
6) Young persons under rs years
will not receive sick pay allowance,
but will receive medical treatment
and the use of the sanatoria.
During period Of sickness there
will be no deduction of the contribu-
ton from the actual benefits, and to
prevent lapses through unemployment
every contributor win be allowed
three weeks a; year margin in which,
lis contributions need not be paid
nor will the policy lapse until he has
failed. to pay for. thirteen. weeks
though after three weeks the bene.
fits will be reduced. Nothing is paid
at death, this branch Of insurance
being left entirely to existing
agencies.
| Scale Of Contribution. Z.
All persons Of all ages up to 81
are on exactly the same scale Of con.
tribution. A heavy initial loss is ex.
pected. The contributions of the
older persons WILL not warrant the
payment of the substantial benefits II
the scale at the present time. Per.
sons over so, therefore, will receive
reduced dement's It is commended that
the heavy initial loss will be wholly
wiped out in Is y years. and It is be.
lieved that at the end of that period
the benefits can be substantially in
creased by the invested profits oh,
tanned from those who enter young
The salient points Of the unemploy
ment insurance are as follows: First
the machinery will be the labor ex
changes; second, only two grea,
groups OF trades, the engineering and
the building, will be benefited by. tn,
scheme, number some 2. 100000
workmen. The contributions are K
be: (1) the workmen will pay
cents a week: ~ the employer viii
pay s cents a. week; -(3) the stat,
will pay Y Of the total cost A yer,
| substantial abatement Is to be mad,
to employers II they will undertAk,
to insure the whole Of their work
men for year. The BENEFITS are t
be: (1) In the. engineering trades
t1.76 a week for Is weeks; (2) In tn,
building trades, 31.60 for Is weeks
No payment will BE made for tn
: first week Of Unemployment and non,
at all where it i due to the miscon
duct Of the workmen or to strikes o