Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1912-08-28
NATIONAL INSURANCE. SYSTEM.
Great Britain Fathers New Ideas for
Peoples Protection.
washington Post.

anu lI'tauu al dCL u IdIlldilleuI
which seems destined to have far
reaching consequences. 1t Is known
as the national insurance act. It's
first object Is not only to provide for
every member Of the community be-
tween the ages Of Is and IS, whose
annual earnings do not exceed $3.50,
insurance against total loss OF income
through sickness, but also to prevent
sickness and to cure 1t when it an
not be prevented. Its second object
is to provide insurance against total
loss OF income through unemploy-
ment; but this portion Of the act,
being largely experimental, is for the
present confined to those trades in
whcih the most serious fluctuations
occur, namely, the engineering trade
and the building trade.
That section of the act which has
to do with insurance against total
loss Of income through sickness con-
tains some clauses which make the
insurance compulsory and others
which leave it voluntary. The COM
pulsory clauses require every wage
Garner within the limits Of age and
income above specified. to be insured.
A fund Is raised by weekly deduc-
lions from the wages, with a compul-
sorry weekly contribution from the
employer and a further contribution
from the State. The deductions and
the employers contribution vary
with the amount Of the income. The
highest weekly deduction from a
mans wages Is 8 cents. and from a
wOman's 6 cents. and it runs down,
In direct ratio to the wages received,
to 2 cents. The lowest contribution
from the employer is s cents per
week, and 1t runs up, In inverse ra-
ito to the wages paid, to ~ cents
per week. The State contribution is
fixed at 1 cents per week, 81 that the
total weekly amount for each m
plOyee may remain constant at Is
cents for men and 16 cents for wo-
men The only exception to this
rule occurs when the weekly wages
fall below $2.16, in which case the
employee is liable to no deduction,
tirely by the State.
Under the voluntary scheme, those
who work mainly on their own ac-
count, and are not regularly employ
cd NV nt1,oic ~ nNn,n IN - tlnu
arc under 40 years of age, and If
they contribute to the fund the full
amount which, If they were en-
ployees, would be paid by the en-
ployee and the employer combined,
and then the State will contribute as
in the former case.
The benefits secured to the benc-
ficiaries under this act are $40 a
week for a man and $3.50 a week
for a wOman for the first thirteen
weeks of sickness; Sl.20 a week for
a man or a woman alike for the sec
ond thirteen weeks, and, if the dis
ablcment arising from SICKNESS con-
tinues. $1.20 a week ing the
whole period Of such dlsa ,ment.
There Is also provided for the in
surcd free medical treatment and
attendance in their own homes or in
special institutions, with free mcdi-
cincs and drugs in all cases, and
special grants in maternity cases.
SanatOria for dealing with consumD-
ton are to be also built and equip
ped, and persons insured under this
act will there be treated free.
1t IS calculated that at the outset
there will be l4,7OO. 900 persons in
cludcd in the scheme OF insurance
against sickness and invalidity, and
2,2il 600 persons, compulsorily in
snrcd on a somewhat similar basis
OF contribution, included in the
scheme for insurance against unem-
ploymcnt.
The finance Of the act is necessarily
extremely complicated, as Is the ma
chinery for carrying out its details.
The distribution Of benefits will be
conducted in part through a whole
army Of officials specially appointed
for the purpose, in part through the
great friendly societies, which Is the
general utility department Of the
British government.
Nothing like this scheme Of insur-
ing a nation has ever before been at
tempted in the history of the world.
and all nations will, therefore, DO ex-
trcmely interested in watching how
it works. The act, naturally enough,