United labor bulletin., 1911-06-01
salTAIN's PROGRESS.
To Lessen Misery Among the Workers
by Providing for Sickness and
unemployment.

troduced IN the Engnsn fdrndheHI pS
Mr.. Lloyd George, creating an insurance
against sickness, invalidity and unem-
ployment is interesting
The bill is divided into two parts deal
ing with insurance against "a sickness
and invalidity; (2) unemployment The
scheme is to include all wage earning
men and women and young persons who
are not included in the income tax pay
ing class, that is to say, all earning less
than $500 a week. However, there are
exceptions; namely. soldiers. sailors and
teachers, who are to be provided Tor
under special schemes; other exceptions
are servants of the crown and munich
palties, with retiring pensions; commits
sion agents employed by more than one
person. and certain classes of the most
casual sort of Observation-Disclosures, the
scheme as whole is compulsory. and
workmen, employers and the state will
all contribute in their separate proper
tions.
The scheme viii apply both to men
and women. with the proviso that mar
ried women must also be able to show
that they work for wages. In addition
there will be two comparatively small
classes of voluntary contributors. 1)
small tradesmen and men working for
themselves: a large proportion of whom
have once been employed by others but
afterwards work for themselves. For all
these compulsory and voluntary contrib
utors there will be one uniform class.
and contributions will be as follows:
workmen. cents a week; work women.
cents a week: employer. cents a
week. and the state. for men and women
alike cents a week In the case OF
workmen receiving only S3.15 a week
their contributions will be 6 cents a
week: cents for those earning $500 a
week and 2 cents for those earning 1925
In these cases the employer will pay
higher contributions. The benefits to be
paid in return for these contributions are
as follows:
IN Free medical relief to all insured
ffhe doctors OF the friendly societies are
to be better paid and wherever chemist
is available the drugging is to be separ-
ated from the doctoring).
(2) Weekly allowance for the hrsi
three months OF illness, $3.50 for men,
sl.s7 for women; si.25 for men and
women during subsequent three months
C3) An allowance of $3.50 will be paid
in each case OF maternity. providing the
mother does not return TO work within
four weeks.
f4l In cases OF permanent disablement
allowance Of S1.25 per week (made to
both men and women up to the age OF
20. when the patient will be transferred
to the old age pension fund.-.
C5) Special help in cases OF consump-
ton.
co. Young persons under 16 years will
not receive sick pay allowance. but VIII
receive medical treatment and the use
of the sanatoria-
During the period of sickness there
will be no deduction of the contribution
from the actual benefits. and to prevent
lapses through unemployment every con-
tributor will be allowed three weeks
year margin In which his contributions
need not be paid. nor will the policy
lapse until he has failed to pay for IL
weeks. though after three weeks the
benefits will be reduced. Nothing is paid
at death, this branch of insurance being
left entirely to existing agencies.
All persons of all ages up to 65 are on
exactly the same scale of contribution.
A heavy initial loss is expected. The
contributions of the older persons Will
not warrant the payment of the substan-
tial benefits In the scale at the present
time Persons over so. therefore, Will re-
ceive reduced benefits. It is contended
that the heavy initial loss will be wholly
wiped out in l5is years, and II is believed
that at the end OF that period the bene-
MS can ne SUBSTANTIALLY ihNieaStu W ehN
invested profits obtained from those who
enter young
The salient points of the unemploy-
ment insurance is as follows: First. the
machinery will be the labor exchanges: !:
second, only two great groups of trades.
the engineering and the building. will be
benefited by the scheme, numbering
some 100000 workmen. The contribu-
tions are to be: "a the workmen Will
pay cents a week; CD the employer
will pay cents week: (S) the state
will pay one-fourth of the total cost. A
very substantial abatement is to be made
to employers II they will undertake to
insure the whole of their workmen for a
year. The benefits are to be: ID In
the engineering trades, s1.I5 week for
Is weeks: (2) in the building trades.
s1.50 for Is weeks. No payment Will be
made for the first week of unemploy-
ment and none at all where 1t is due to
the misconduct of the workmen or to
strikes or lockouts.
On the average workers must not re-
ceive more than one weeks benefit for
every five weeks contributions. a supu
iation to eliminate imposition. The trade
unions will pay their unemployed benefit
to their members and then claim from
the fund the amounts which the men
would have received had they been deal
ing with the labor exchanges.
It Is intended the entire act will come
into full force on May 1. 1912.
r