Unemployment Insurance.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume X, Issue 17, 3 January 1920, Page 5

Unemployment Insurance.

NEW BRITISH BILL. NEARLY TWELVE MILLION. COVERED BYNEW SCHEME(By Cable.—Pram A»eoci*tlon.—Copyright.) (Received 3, 8.50 a.m.) London, Dec. 31. The Unemployment Insurance Bill extends insurance against unemployment on a contributory basis to substantially the whole of the employed population between the ages of sixteen and ‘seventy. The total numbers of workers, manual and non-manual, affected is estimated at eleven and three-quarter millions as compared with three and a-third millions covered by the existing scheme. Opportunity is given for industries: to contract out of " the general scheme by setting up a special scheme such as may be approved by the Minister of Labour and which may give equal or superior advantage. The scheme comes into operation on Ist October.

■ Agriculture and domestic service is not incluSed in the scheme.

Other exceptions include persons other than manual labourers earning more than £250 per year, employees of public authorities, police, railway servants, or employees on other statutory undertakings where such persons having rights under a statutory superannuation fund make insurance against unemployment unnecessary. Weekly contributions vary from threepence per week for girls to sixpence per week for men, employee and employer contributing half each, with the State adding a sum equal to one-third of these contributions. k Rates of benefit vary from 6/- per week for girls to 25/- per week for men.—(Reuter.) BRITAIN’S REVENUE. (Received 3, 9.5 a.m.) London, Jan. 2. British revenue for the past nine months totals £696,251,000, to which Customs contributed £11,477, excise £94,656, income tax £137,144, and excess profits tax £202,826. —(A. and N.Z.)