Show malang j aliz S horld by W WILLIAMS awn efthos school fam rth 1 I a INSURING A NATION london eno eng 0 I 1 land an act to provide for or insurance sur aurance arice against loss of health and tor for the prevention and cure of sickness and for insurance against U n q m such la in the corn com preben sive title of the most moat am bit bilious ious measure tor for social reform yet attempted in great britain it will make over the united kingdom declare the LIbe liberals ralp and their allies who enacted it oto into lav jaw i it will ruin the nation assert in public tho the conservatives va tives who opposed its ita enactment in private all parties appear commit ted to of 0 the general principles of the Nat national lonal insurance act as it Is popularly called though as aa to some of its practical workings there Is fierce contention it does not appear probable that the act will be ro ra pealed though it will doubtless to quote bonar law tho the conservative leader bo be drastically amended it 11 his party turning out the liberals is a placed in power at tho the next general genera election the insurance act became i e a law do cember alier 16 1911 it was a government measure presen presented fed and supported by fhe liberal government such a ah alme echeme said worthington evans 34 P one of at its mos most t vigorous critics could never have dave been brought in except eite capt pt by bj one ona with the pluck of mr lloyd oyd george and with the help of at those connected with insurance in many respects the original measure was crudely drawn showing the marks marki of haste in its preparation some of the crudities have been corrected by supplementary supplement axy legislation compulsory insurance against sickness what to IB the purpose of the insurance act and what are its practical workings mince it has been er british lash llast tire act was 1 pass pasee lir Ie december cember 1911 the insurance features became effective only la in july 1912 under the act every employed person from to seventy years oi of ago age whose income does not exceed a year Is compulsorily insured against ilc sickness kniss in whatever manura or other occupation engaged with certain rather unimportant exceptions T heso earning more than a year by manual labor alone aie are also compulsorily insured in a british population of the act includes approximately in its provisions the act also provides that other persons persona not included in the compulsorily insured class may join under certain conditions IS 18 conte cents worth for 8 0 cents the insurance fund la Is derived from three source sour cen the worker the employer the national natto lial treasury here arteca one of 0 the strongest criticisms of the act both employer employ oil and workman claiming his contribution to be ba too large the weekly subscription of the workman earning more than a week la Is 18 cents ot of which the workman pays paya eight cents the employer six elx cents and the national treas treasury ry four cents or KB its equivalent in addition tho the pays tho the cost ot of central administration and large grants towards hospitals and medical when a work workmans mans wages are tesa loss than a week he bo pays pay a abon pr portion to the insurance fund rad tha more insured women pay one fourth I 1 less lass than insured mon mart vie workman war kman thus thua buys buya 18 cents centa worth of tor for eight cent bents choso x rhosa hose wages are afis than c o week weak are lasic without cost to contributions are not paid by mo ta workman during sickness or anem and rease cease entirely anen ho he riches the age age ot of years the act makes it illegal for or the iba employer to deduct hta his awn contribution from doxa the workers wage hb be must deduct deare i only the borkes workers share ob are A 8 special provision islon modifies contributions lu in cases where employers main maintain their w workpeople in bic sickness kneas men and women of all ages up to sixty five years are treated alike in res respect hect to contributions insurance toot cost la a no izora at tory years ot f ago than at sixteen the age azin handicap decap necess necessarily arl imposed by private priva tei insurance companies la Is entirely absent from the british scheme what are the benefits the member of at parliament from northampton H D B lees smith and the inan managing aging director of a great wholesale establishment of london wilkie Caly calbert gri brother ot ol dr sidney calvera calvert professor of chemistry at the university of at missouri these benefits and other Binef lt the workman eight arit cents centa a week or lose lesa his benefits are the same whatever he be pays those benefits include free medical attendance and free medicine sickness benefit bened lt disablement or ailt invalidity pension maternity benefit sanitarium benefit free medical attendance and tree free medicine are provided to the worker who beom becomes es ill this provision ha has been sharply attacked by the british doctora docto doc toa vs the sickness benefit varies in amount ordinarily it la Is a week for men and a week for women for 20 26 weeks sickness bone fits caaso cease at seventy years of asor age when the old age aea pension beco becomes mek payable it sickness continues loni lone lon i or er than 26 weeks a week Is paid during trie remainder ot at the sickness however long it way may be provision Is IB made for or certain cort aln reduction in benefits when members are in arrears with their contributions contribution abut but no conets ona is suspended from medical and maternity benefits until more than 26 weeks in arrears arr eara insured warden married marked or unmarried and the wives of 14 not I 1 receive a maternity benefit ot t in ad addition to sickness bene t ta ke cheapside london andr and relief ellef from payment of ct it Is estimated that when wen the scheme schema la Is fully at work a million mothers in n great ibri maln will each year receive this benefit at a c ost cost to the nation on this account alone of 0 under tho the sanatorium benefit the state provides for free frea treatment and carein care in sanator liAms or at home borne ot at persons who contract tuberculosis the insurance corn commie mis alondra may schedule other dise diseases asca also for institutional treatment these axe are the fhe minimum benefits other benefits possible with prudent management of tho the insurance unda funds include larger old ago age pensions and higher nick eck disablement and ana maternity pay and convalescence allowance allo 0 i administered through aft Fra fraternal terAil atlea the administration ot of the ac act la is through the government which utilizes the friendly telo unions and other approved organize lions hong and add through the postal PATI bank lor for deposit contributors whom no me friendly society would insure lna the fri friendly eudly correspond corree ond to s do greo erce to mutual insurance companies in the anted spates tha insured ikus th ib control the working of the scheme tile the act makes safe safa pod pad solvent the fraternal or friendly and jn crease s ua lis benato P i upon re rw peaked examination tho the society or lodge shows mana management geme nt but how bow does the insurance act beu offit alt the employer employ erl what does he ha rs re bolyo in return for his contribution of six alx lx centa a ace k anything i which itch kocy in road good health and good heart said bald mr SW reU ev blin blia from the necessity coulty ne pt at working whoa ho he Is a physic physically ully unfit to work and arwa fro as mal him in the case at illness from worry na as to them tha future must increase the efficiency ot of labor in noway no way can call this be dono so BO cheaply as by a scientific system of insurance such as the act th increased eM efficiency clency or of the will wll bo be tar far in elc excess sa of 0 tho the total ot at insurance the eche cae ia employer employ erp pay abw 01 a 4 small part ofee oost it may be that thy all in the long mi m i receive benefits tar far outweighing out weighing their believes bcd poverty in judging the he ant ar t continued mr MP you must not consider tt it 0 a final measure mc asuro it to la only a start atari though a good start tin in the iho v for or establishing a stand stan ard at 0 living and comfort below beloer which no briton shall fall all unless it be ba through deliberate dell horat e fault of 0 I 1 his own to properly judge this act you must regard it ba as part only of a wider pro grm tor for dealing with tho the preventable causes of poverty and anem unemployment and rats ing thia standard standa idof af pf living tor for the york work ing ng classes clabbern in this country deterly and une ament havo existed ex listed and still exist in every country and under every toria form ot of government allue ills eaas eaas and death they cannot te e wholly vanished by act c parliament tho the I 1 insurance act strikes at certain cabes of poverty and unemployment which are preventable in conjunct conjunction lot with the work mens compensation acts the iho old eld ago age pensions act health acts I 1 and tho the nil all measures of social reform which seek to make tomorrows world better than our world today the insurance act ondean ors to remove poverty ii and aad distress duo due to accident sickness infirmity old ago workshops and un healthy dwellings it attacks tho elum owner penalizes the sweated and makes the health ot of the people tile tho first caro care ot of the it lays broadb and firm the foundations of a now new so sol l cial policy a policy pr ot mutual belai and good will among all members of the community based base dupon upon a I tion ot of the fact that the undeserved poverty poy orty or undeserved unemployment mont of cf the humblest member ot of society to Is something which closely affects the general yell nell being ot of the thai state afeld d mr calvert who not dot a labor labo constituency bu but the city which employ ri labor gave emphatic assent get sick benefit weekly some I 1 things aro are certain in regard to tho aca workings about persons in great britain and Ire ireland landl are now insured against sickness when abon before the act the there revere were about the te ac act raised tho the first year jear tile of 01 this 11 amount the work I 1 men en I 1 contributed twenty t a 0 employed eo 0 to o giro freo medical ti arc adment and nine thousand who are the drugg druggists lots tullah tree fres drugs jare ascribed scribed by those these doctors to the poor peorl 1 eat cst workingman is given the tha same earno medical treatment and th tha a same came puro pure medicines and drugs as tho the richest duke mn can afford about hat has been paid during the tha year to doctors doctora 1 and to chemists sickness benefits are paid weel seemy fly to workers the vion men jet got IL a week and the women a week because they pay less maternity benefits amounting to 0 have been paid the birth birt rate has at al least not been discouraged for tuberculosis sanatoriums has ban been set naldo baide twenty five thousand workmen have been treated under the act in sanatoriums these are the figures but for the tha real facts as to the benefits benefi brought by the act one must note the changed conditions itt in homes see the cures wrought the shadows shadows lifted no man or woman in the united kingdom need lack under this act insurance against sickness or the unmerited poverty to fo the underpaid so frequently comes with old age but Is s this not queer business tor lor a great empire 7 let the best hated bated and besU oved stat statesman esmai in great britain the author of the national Ing insurance Incur anco urance act david lloyd goorge george make reply adds adda now mary to empire since 1008 1908 when vilen we had oll old ago age pensions for tho the first time we have bave had a great empire for or the first time taking a direct interest Inter cat in tha condition of those aged those infirm those sick and those broken the old theory was that this was beneath the dig anity of an empire the concern of nn an umpire empire was to seo see tut the machinery of human slaughter was perfect that was waa the concern of an empire to tax the food of tha th people that is thinking imperially but to heal beal the sick to feed the lax hungry ingry these are thoughts though ta fit only fora for a parish beadle there was waa a great emperor once onca who added to the luster of hla his tame fame by tho the wounded alter after the tha battle now we wa have got this great british empire for the first time walking the visit visiting ing the sick 1 inquiring abw low the tae infirm ining are getting oa helping them to mend and cirini and d assisting them you ask mv it this la 13 not queed bast atess for a great empire why it lip la adding a new dignity and glory to the empire it to Is tho the beginning of it new ors era in the history of immortal ism fain tho the newest imperialism and we iha boat in a certain old dook boohit it may be 60 read for 1 was waa an hungered hun gred and ye gave garo me meat I 1 waa thirsty thirst and ye je gare me drink I 1 was a stranger and yo 70 took me 6 in naked a and n d ye clothed me I 1 was sick and viala ed me I 1 was J in prison and ye ya camo came unto we me and of tte te great exemplar r of this high duty of f man to man it Is record ed tuat that his empire mall hall have hare no end C 1113 1111 tri joselph TB |