Evening star., 1915-02-21
ENGLAND |NSURES
HER UNEMPLOYED
Prof. Seager of Columbia Uni
verSity Describes Brit
ish Plan.
PROVIDES FOR THOSE IN
SEASONAL OCCUPATIONS
Method to Reduce Numbers Out of
Work Discussed in Eco
nomic Article.

uVullC EILlCN.
Widespread unemployment through
out the United States and the entire
world this winter has emphasized the
need for unemployment insurance in
the United States, according to Henry
r. Seager. professor OF political econ
omy In Columbia University. This un-
he sees as due to natural
result of so many persons being en-
gagged at seasonal employment. rather
than to political causes
In an article prepared exclusively fer
tho Survey Press Service. an organixa-
tions whose province 1t Is TO fnd out
and interpret the facts Of working and
living conditions and to promote intel
ligent effort for social advance. Prof.
SeaGer describes how Great Britain has
established a practical system BY
which 100000 wage earners have been
cared for. He advocated that this sys-
tenn be adapted to the needs Of the
United States. Prof. Seager says:
"Al economists agree that unemploy-
ment is a problem Of growing serious.
ness. Its chief causes on the Industrial
side are the Increasing specialization
of industries and a multiplication OF
those which are seasonal rather than
continuous.
Seasonal Work.
Farming, our most important indus
try, Is seasonal. Very active In spring.
summer and autumn. It becomes almost
stagnant in the winter. The President
in his address at Indianapolis recently
told of the good work the Department
of Labor did in advertising in the post
Offices the need Of $4,000 men to har-
vest the crops In the middle west iAst
fall. He did not go on to explain what
became OF these 10000 mon after tho
crops were harvested.
Not merely 10000 men. but hundreds
of thousands of men, women and chill
dren are employed for Q few months
every year harvesting crops. picking
Industries. At the close of the short
season they are thrown out Of employ
ment Other hundreds Of thousands
are employed In construction work, as
longshoremen on the great lakes ano
in navigation on lakes and rivers that
are frosen over In winter. who are reg
ularly thrown out of work during the
winter months.
'Seasonal Industries result not mere
ly from the division of the year into
All branches Of the clothing industry.
Including even the manufacture OF
boots and shoes, are seasonal. Tne eie-
ment Of risk due to changing fashions
clothing industry feverishly busy and
the dull seasons periods OF whoiesais
unemployment.
Remedies Suggested.
I'm addition to the remedies made
prominent in current discussions-An
expansion of public work. the opening
Of workrooms, an efficient organixaeaoe
of connected public employment bu-
reaus, national. state and municipal,
etc-we need urgently an adequate
system of unemployment insurance.
For wage-earners a moderate amount
of unemployment each year fs not, or
should not be, a bad thing. The only
way they can get vacation ID oy
being unemployed.
worked-out system of unemployment
insurance wage-earners might be re:
lieved from the worry. uncertainty and
actual suffering which unempioymens % M
enabled to enjoy the holidays which.
especially in this country. they now so
much lack. This Is not merely an
' cities. and the United Kingdom for
several of its most important indus-
tries. have systems OF unemployment
Insurance in successful operation.
Paying Insurance Costs.
Employers in building and constfuc-
ton work are required to see to It that
their employees secure from the gov
ernment insurance offices unemploy-
ment insurance cards. On these they
are required to paste each week i've
pennies worth OF insurance stamps.
which they buy like ordinary postage
hA
required to pay one-half the price OF
these stamps, or cents a week. for
each employe themselves, and permit
ted to deduct the other one-half from
wages.
the stamps the government adds out
of the public treasury one-thtrd more.
or 31-3 cents a week for each insured
employe. Though so small in amount
about f2.30o,oO0 or S11.5eo.ooo. out OF
which BENEFITS could be provided.
The benefit paid is not large. only
seven shillings week. but enough un-
der English conditions to preserve
family from outright destitution. This
may be Increased by trade unions IN
organized trades on condition that the
union pays at least one-iourtn OF .ne
trades Is twelve shfflinee a week In
1918, in addition to the 100000 COM
pulsorily insured. 100000 were voluu.
tdElly insured tuEou8h eHeiA
How the Plan Succeeds.
There is every evidence that the
plan was working quite successfully
up to the time of the war. Also II
seems to have met the severe test OF
war conditions without drawing very
heavily on the reserve fund that had
been accumulated. and now seems to be
operating as we'll as in the preceding
period of peace.
Tho only sure way Of testing the
good faith Of q man who says he wants
work is to offer it to him. 1t is right
here that the British public employ
ment bureaus render an indispensable
service. OF the 100000 insured persons
who were unemployed during the first
six months that the British law was In
full operation, 80 per cent were found
Jobs before the end of the first week
Sixty-two per cent were found jobs be-
fore the expiration Of the fourteen
weeks during which unemployment
benefits were paid to them. per cent
were for some reason disqualified from
receiving benefits and only j per cent
remained unemployed after the period
when their benefits ceased.
The United Kingdom has success
fully established Unemployment In
surance for 100000 OF her wage-
It requires only persistent.
and intelligent effort to
adapt the British system to American
conditions and to secure for our wage