Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-02
HELP
IS GIVEN MOTHERS
Many Nations Pay Pensions
and Other Benefits, Sur.
vey Shows.

Social legislation extending pecuniary
aid 10 mothers now exists In many
foreign countries, according to the
Children's Bureau Of the Department
Of Labor. as quoted in the United
States Daily.
Five outstanding. kinds Of help in
clude pensions, aid under social insur-
ance. aid in connection With labor laws,
family allowances, and grants at the
| time Of childbirth. The following ad-
ditional information was furnished by
the bureau:
Widows in Denmark whose incomes
are below a certain amount are entitled
| to pensions paid by the communes.
They are not regarded as poor relief
The amount varies according to the
age of the widows children. The
younger the child the higher the pen
sion. Deserted mothers. divorced
mothers and those separated from their
husbands are also entitled to pensions
If the father does not contribute to the
family support.
Have Mothers Pensions.
New South Wales and Victoria in
Australia have mothers pensions while
| six of the nine provinces Of Canada
have them. They are Alberta, British
Columbia. Manitoba. Ontario. Sas-
| katchewsn, and Nova Scotia. Although
| Norway has no mothers pension law
! the cities of Olso and Elverum provide
| them. New Zealand also has pensions
| for mothers.
France. Germany Norway and Aus
tralia aid mothers at the time of child
birth. In France the benefits are paid
for at least IL weeks, and are supplied
by the state, the departments, and the
comfnuneS.
Germany provides the mother with
medical treatment, a single cash pay
ment to meet the cost OF delivery, then
| thereafter weekly benefits for q certain
period. A nursing premium is also paid
by the German government. Aid is
| also given in Germany TO mothers of
| children under a certain age and the
amount is determined by the local ad-
miniStrative organs.
Another form OF aid to mothers is
| under social insurance. Great Britain,
| for example, has a special law which
| phanS of men who were insured under
the national health insurance act of
1924 or the acts repealed by that law.
Help Raise Children.
In countries with q system of COM
| pulsory insurance against invalitiity and
old age, for instance, Germany, France,
Czechoslovakia, Austria 0or on-manu-
al workers., italy. Russia and Sweden.
person in receipt Of an invalidity or
old-age pension who has children under
| a certain age, usually between Is and
Is, is paid an allowance for each child
NJ addition to his pension. In nearly
all of these countries upon the death
of the insured person pensions are also
paid to his orphans up to certain age
and sometimes to the widow. In Ger
many these pensions are paid to or
phans as high up 10 the age Of 81 in
some cases.
Italy and Spain are the only coun-
tries in the world where compulsory
maternity insurance is provided by a
special law in the absence of sickness
insurance. In italy nearly all employed
| women between the ages of Is and so
whose income is below 900 lire month
are required to pay certain percentage
of their wages into q common fund.
The employers pay an equal sum,
while the state also makes certain con-
| tributions. At the time of childbirth
the women are paid lump sum OF $50
| lire and a cash benefit for so days, pro-
portionate to their wages. Employment
| is prohibited during that time.
Through its national Children's Bu-
reau the Italian government is provid-
ing various kinds of maternity aid.
Benefits Paid TO Women.
In all countries with a properly or
ganized system of compulsory sickness
| insurance maternity benefits are paid to
the insured women. In many coun-
tries such benefits are also paid to the
uninsured wives, daughters and certain
other relatives of the insured men.
| These benefits consist of medical at
tendance at childbirth, cash benefits
during a period preceding confinement.
| in some countries lump sum to cover
| the costs of childbirth.
In nearly all countries a nursing ben
eft is paid for specific time Austria,
| Bulgaria, Chile, CzechoSlovakia, IS
thonia, France, Germany, Great Brit
ain, Greece, Hungary, Northern Ireland
irish Free State, Japan, Latvia, Lith-
| uania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway.
| Poland, Portugal, Russia, the Kingdom
of Serbs, Cfoats and Siovefaes and swift
zerland have maternity benefits under
| their compulsory sickness insurance
| laws.
Benefits are granted in some coun-
tries in connection with the labor laws
and family allowances are provided in
others.