NATIONAL INSURANCE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXII, Issue LXII, 6 May 1911, Page 5

NATIONAL INSURANCE.

f IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT SCHEME 6Y CABLE—PBESS' ASSOCIATION—COPYBIGHX. LONDON, May 5. The House of Commons was crowded when Mr Lloyd-George, who was greeted with general cheers, spoke for two and a half hours unfolding his National Insurance Bill, which is proposed to come into operation on May 1, 1912. Mr Lloyd-George paid a tribute to | Mr John Burns' services. His scheme I was that in the first year the employers would contribute £9,000,000 for sickness and insurance, and the workers £11,000,000. The State in the first year would find £742,000; in the second year £3,359,000; in the third year £4,563,000. The first year's benefits would be £7,000,000, and would rise to £20,000,----000 in 1916. Accidents were not included in the scheme. County healthy committees would be formed to administer the sanatoria. Thirty shillings maternity benefit would be, allowed, with a provision that a woman should not return to work within a month. No sick pay would be giyen Avhen illness was due to a man's misconduct. The doctors would be paid above the friendly society scale, and medicines obtained from the chemists. The Bill applied to men and women not liable to income tax. He estimated that there would be 9,200,000 men and 10,900,000 women compulsory contributors and 1,600,000 persons voluntary contributors, the latter including waiters, cab drivers, and boys and girls under sixteen. Special arrangements would be made for soldiers and sailors. The Unionist Commoners are delighted with the Sickness and Invalidity Bill, though less emphatic in their approval of the unemployment provisions, believing it will add to the cost of manufacture and should be accoml--panied by some form of protection against goods produced under other conditions. The Liberals are enthusiastic over the whole scheme. The Laborites generally approve of it, but regret that the unemployment insurance is not more general. (Received May 6 5 8.5 a.m.) LONDON, May 5. "Sickness funds collectable" means cards whereto employers and workmen affix office stamps, which the workmen send to various approved benefit societies having local committees, such as Foresters and Oddfellows. Workmen not members of a society are to be a collective body called "post office contributors." The unemployment proposals deal only with the engineering and building trades, numbering 2,400,000 employees. Workmen pay2£d each weekly, the State bearing onefourth of the total cost, and special abatements _ are allowed to employers payings their men by the year. Unemployed engineers receive six shillings weekly for fifteen weeks, and building trades seven shillings. Nothing is paid when an employee is dismissed for misconduct or during strikes or lockouts. The men's contributions amount to £1,100,000, and the employers' to £900,000. The cost to the State begins at £750,000. Claims are to be made through the labor exchanges which offer work, and a court of referees will decide whether a man must take a job. The State offers two, schemes, which will not involve additional taxation, but there will be no remission. . Mr Chamberlain promised his goodwill and assistance, but reserved criticism. ' i