INSURANCE BILL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1304, 6 December 1911, Page 7

INSURANCE BILL.

HOSTILE AMENDMENT. UNEQUAL IX ITS OPERATION. Bj TeieEroDb—Press Association- Copjrlsht (Rec. December 5, 9.23 p.m.) London i December 5. On the ground that it has been inadequately discussed, Mr. Henry W. Forster (Unionist M.F. for Scvencaks), moves to-morrow that n-hilo approving the objects of .insurance, the llohso is oj opinion, that under Part 1, Public Funds, individual contributions would not bo' used to tho best advantage, the Bill was unequal in its operation, and steps should bo taken to enable further consideration to bo given Part I in 1912; and that a draft of the regulations should in the meanwhile be published.

■ REPORT STAGE CONCLUDED. (Rec. December 5, 11 p.m.) London, December 5. The Teport stago on the Insurance,Bill las concluded after ineffectual Opposition attempts to secure varying rates of contributions and graduation of benefits. Mr. Ramsay Mac Donald's amendment to fix workmen's contribntions at 3d., • instead of id., was negatived by 188 to 150.

CONCESSIONS OFFERED. (Rec. December a, 11.25 p.m.) London, December 5. Mr. Lloyd-George declares that tho Insurance Bill as amended meets to some extent trade unions and Friendly Societies' objections, and adds that the regulations would bo so framed as to allow ono application-for recognition as an approved society to cover all membership throughout the Kingdom. This concession is.dne to tho threatened defection of the Labour party.

BILL SHOULD BE PASSED. • ' London, December i. The "Saturday Review" '(Constructive Tory), 'Tall Hall Gazette" (Unionist), find "Observer" (Unionist), urge- the Unionists not to oppose the National Insurance Bill, holding that it is better that tho foundation of a contributory .insurance scheme should bo laid than a purely Socialistic Bill should be introduced later.

' GREAT NUMBER OF PROTESTS. London, December i. Members of the House of Commons have roceived 750,000 protests against the Insurance Bill. The clerks as a class are organising largely to opposo the measure. TAXPAYERS AND THE INSURANCE • • BILL. Commenting on the Government's Insurance Bill, tbo "Investor's Review" considers that there might bo other ways of preventing mutual benefit societies from becoming insolvent than for the Govern-

went to take over the entire responsibility, nnd hand it on to the general taxpayer. On the subject of sickness provision, our , contemporary has tho following:—"As readers know, the cost of universal insurance is put at ninepence per week for a Jijim and cightpencc for a woman. Of the- ninepence tlif workman is to pay fonrpenws, tho. employer threepence, • and' the State twopence, so that 'for four pence n week the workman gets ninepenny worth of benefit. . Who is tho State? The State in this instance is not specially tho bilreaucvat; it is the general consumer, tho average taxpayer of small income, and most incomes,are very, small, -even outside the wage-earning 'classes. There are Je,ss thnn-ll.OflO income-tax payers liable, because their incomes exceed ,£SOOO per annum, ..to .tho supertax in this country, with -a 'population appronrhing 45,000.000. The small taxpayer is therefore to bear tho brant of this chargo of twopence a week, levisd in order to keen down, for the benefit of tho employers of hbour, the average, scalo of wages paid. That is the practical result of-'Stato insurance, ■ jijst as it is "of Stato and municipal service Tensions or bank pensions for employees. The benefit from insurance i? reckoned in in fixing tbo rate of wages, and oue thing that the Chancellor of the Ex-

rherjue'r's Insurance Bill will almost infallibly fend to do is to lower the average Tute of wage throughout the Tmited Kingdom. It will do another thing also: it ■will spirit away independence of mind

from amongst the working classes. They will become a mob of lean-tos, men without initiative, and bereft of manliness, reproductions of the panem et circenses citi7j;ns of old Komc. That is why we canuot find it possible to support this measure. It is economically aud morally diseased, a product of false phiUnthropy, a measure that before many years aro over may work havoc, amongst tho sources of employment. Its enactment can hardly fail powerfully to strengthen tho position of the l':o----tectionists."