A CALL ON THE WORKER.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 76, 1 April 1910, Page 2

A CALL ON THE WORKER.

#„ , ■ 17,000,000 FRENCH PENSIONS. THE AMENDED PROPOSALS. The national provision lor old age instituted in the colonies, furnishes in several respocts an interesting contrast to the pensions system which France, after years of careful calculation and debate, is likely to adopt within the next few months (writes a London correspondent). The Bill passed by the Chamber of Deputies two years ago has been improved and unanimously passed by the Senate. As the changes made in it are considerable it will have to be reconsidered by the Lower House; but it is now generally understood that the measure will pass into law veithout substantial further amendment. The principle of obligatory contributions from the worker has been vigorously maintained by the Minister of Labour, M. Viviani, and democratic France is apparently prepared to give practical effect to views which, according to English politicians in a hurry (who probably misrepresent popular opinion ir this matter, as they have misrepresented it in others), would never be accepted in this country. A bare suggestion trom a few members of the House of Lords that it might be wise to make the Englifh pension system contributory, wa6 referred to at the general election, in the theatrical fashion of the hour, as an "outrage." The workman who is asked to pay a few pence per week towards his pension would, it is held be, harshly burdened; the .same- Workman is commended for "manly" acceptance of extra charges upon his tobacco and beer exceeding by three or four times the sum whith would serve ass a reasonable contribution to his pension. As the French Pensions Bill has undergone several changes, a short outline of its main provisions, as now adopted by the Senate, will be of some interest. The benefits are to be made available to about 17,000,000 male and female workers. The Paris representative of the Times supplies a convenient summary of the amended proposals. All the wage earners, with the exception of railway servants, miners, and those of the seafaring population who are on the special reserve list of the navy, come under the operation of the bill, as well* as the more needy small landowners, tenant farmers, and farm labourers. All those who are entitled to a "rente" calculated on the basis of the total of their obligatory contributions will receive it, together with" a fixed' viagere, or State annuity, from the Government when they attain" the age of 65 ; but they will be entitled to claim the rente on a proportionately reduced scale, and without the viagere, at the age of 55. The male pensioner's contribution is fixed at 9f a year, or about 7£d per month ; that of the female at 6f, and that of the boys under 18 at 4f 50c. In each case the same sum is to be contributed by the employers. On p&y day the.employer is authorised to deduct the weekly amount of the contribution from the wages of each of his employees, and obliged to affix to 8-n old-age pension card with which the employees are to be provided by the State a stamp of the total value of his own and their contributions in each case. In order to have a right to a pension, a working man or woman must have been a wage-earner for thirty years, but State - assistance, , cannot be.jcounted nponitjntil the pensioner has reached the age of 65. At that period his pensions, including the annuity of 60f (£2 8s) to be paid to him from the State, will amount in the most favourable circumstances to aßout 414f-(£l6 11s).Workmen who at the date of the application of the proposed law are too old xo contribute for the required period of 30 years will nevertheless benefit hy the law. Thus, a man of 64 jwars of age will receive, besides his annual pension — a very minute amount, calculated in this case on the basis of one year's ■subscriptions — the sum of 100 f. (£4) from the St,ate, and a man of 63 years a somewhat smaller annuity from the State ; but his .total pension will exceed that of his senior owing to the high er rate of the annuity which he receives. It is indispensable, the Minister of Labour maintains, that work people and employers should subscribe. "The toiler owes it to his dignity and his interest to do l so, and the employer is bound to assist persons who collaborate with him. As for the State, it cannot look on passively while both classes «ire enriching the patrimony of the nation, so it has to participate in the pension, too." M. Viviani adds that the Senate has been more generous than the Chamber of Deputies showed itself to be, but. he is confident as lo the final result. Tho French friendly societies are to be allowed to collect the contributions of their members under the pensions scheme, and they "will be indemnified for their trouble by receiving a Government allowance of 1 f. 50 c. for each person contributing through their agency, this rebate to be devoted to the reduction Of the contributions and subscriptions to the society's pick fund by the amount o£ the rebate. Similar airangements will be made in the interest of the existing employees and workingmen's mutual aid societies and the trade union insurance societies. On a rough calculation the Bill, as it stands, is expected to provide for those who, reaching the age of 65, benefit by it during the first year of its operation, a total pension of £4 Is 6d ; in the tenth year of its operation, £4 7s 6d ; in the twentieth year, £6 6s ; in the thirtieth year, £7 17s 2d : in the -fortieth year, £11 12s ; and, when those future beneficiaries who have subscribed from the earliesit contemplated period ot their lives come into their pensions, £16 11s.

In about three weeks' time the- patients of the Mount View Mental Hospital should be ready to move into their new quarters at the Porirua Hospital. Good progress has been made with the two new buildings 'erected at Porirua for the accommodation of the patients from the city institution. One of the buildings, to take 60 patients, has been put up by tne Public Works Department, and K the other has been built by contract. They will not take all the patients at "present at Mount View, but some will be drafted off into other mental hospitals of the Dominion. As soon as the patients are all away from Mount View, the buildings will be speedily demolished, excepting the laundry, which will remain in order to serve the requirements of. the new Government House. It is hoped that by the time the new building is ready for gubernatorial occupation the front of the residence, towards Newtown, wtll^ face the broad and open space which had been originally occupied by the Mental Hospital buildings.