What Is The Workless "Dole"?

NZ Truth, Issue 997, 3 January 1925, Page 5

What Is The Workless "Dole"?

A Fruit Of Insurance ■■■■■• . ■ ■„/■' Twelve Million Contribute, \\ Million Receive Benefit What Happens When An Out-Of-Work Draws More Than His Contributions (By MAT MATTHEWS.) . During my recent trip to England and Scotland I had an op- ,, portuni.ty of personally visiting many of the important industrial centres m both countries, and as a result I consider that-un-employment insurance i® one of the most effective experiments ever attempted m social legislation. It has enabled Britain to successfully face the problems of re--1 construction as a result of the aftermath of the war. Queens- ' land is the only Australian State that has this isystem, and it now remains for the Commonwealth Government to fall into line.

The British scheme of insurance against unemployment embodied m the Unemployment Insurance Act, 1920, is an extension of the scheme introduced by Part 11. of the National Insurance Act,. 1911, by Mr. Lloyd George. The Ministry of Labor has the entire administration of the; Act through the various Labor Exchanges m Great Britain. • ... The scheme is compulsory, and with the exception of agriculture and. private domestic service applies to all who are included m the State scheme of health insurance, other than. put- workers" (that is, persons -who : take out work to be done m their own-homes). Excepted. Employments. All persons of the age, of 16 years and upwards who are employed under a contract, of service, or apprenticeship are compulsorily insured against unemployment, except apprentices without money payments, and persons m the following excepted occupations:— (1) Agriculture, including horticulture arid forestry. (2) Domestic service, . except where the employed person is employed m any trade or business carried: on for the purpose of gain. ' (3) Service m the Navy, Army, or Air Force. " , (4) Persons serving m an established capacity m the permanent service of the Crown. (5) Any of the following employments, if the Minister for Labor certifies;; that the employed person is not subject to dismissal, except for misconduct or neglect of or unfitness to perform, . his duties; and that the terms and. conditions of his engagement make insurance against unemployment unnecessary:- — • (a) Under a local or other public authority; (b) police force; (c) ser- . vice of a railway company; (d) company undertaking supply of gas, water, hydraulic power or electri- . city; (c) m the service of a dock, canal or tramway undertaking; (f ) m which employed persons are entitled to rights under a statutory superannuation fund; (g) teachers entitled to statutory superannua- . tion rights, and other classes of teachers; (h) agents paid by commission or fees; (i) persons employed otherwise than, by way of manual labor at a rate of remuneration exceeding .m value £250 a year; (j) employment of a casual nature otherwise than for the purposes of an employei''s trade or business; (k) certain employment ' declared by the Minister of Labor . to be subsidiary employment only; (1) crews of fishing vessels wholly, remunerated by shares m profits of the earnings; (ni) wives employed by their husbands and husbands employed by their wives; (n) employment "for. which' no ' wages are paid if , the- person employed is the' child of or maintain ed by. the employer. The Minister of Labor may, how- '. ever, by order, extend the scheme to any of the above excepted employments. . , . ... Persons over 70 (other, than' old :age pensioners) are not excluded under the scheme. ?■ - Contribution Scale. The contributions are collected by means of special unemployment insurance stamps, which are. sold at the. Post Offices. „ These stamps must be affixed by the employer to the ; unemployment book.. . The employer /must m the first payriient of wages to the employed, person, and at' each subsequent payment, so long as the employment continues, affix to the employed person's unemploy-t

ment book a stamp of the appropriate value as follows:- — For each calendar Week (commencing Monday m which there has been any insurable employment) : (a) In the case, of men of the age of 18 or upwards (8d contribution). (b) In the case of women of the age of IS or upwards (6%d contribution). (c) In the case of boys of the age of 16, and under the age of IS years (4d contribution). (d) In the" case of. girls of the age of 16, and under the. age of IS (3%d contribution). After affixing an unemployment insurance stamp to the unemployment book the employer is entitled (unless 1 the employed person receives ho wages or other money payment m return for his services) to recover a part of the value of such stamps by deducting from wages m accordance with the following table :— . - Men, aged 18 years and upwards, 4d;> women, aged 18 years and upwards, 3d; boys, aged 16 years. and under 18 years, 2d; girls, 16., years and under 18 years, l%d. . The State contributes an additional sum:— For 'each man's contribution, 2d; for each woman's contribution. I 1 2-3 rd; for boy's contribution, 1 l-3rd;' for girls': contribution, Id. v ■ A; visitor m. England frequently hear 3 vague allusions to what is colloquially called "The Dole." Mans' English people, especially of the better classes, are very ignorant of the wonderful system of unemployment insurance. They seem to think that Government money is doled out to the unfortunate out of work people, and that the whole burden^ of financing the contributions is borne by the taxpayers.: However, a visit to .one of the bit? labor exchanges round London, say Poplar, or Depsford, would enlighten them considerably. Every district has its own local labor exchange, where the workers, men, women, and juveniles, resistor for employment, and present : then* pence cards when claiming unemployment benefit. The women's section has a manageress,. and is staffed entirely by. women. How. .the Scheme Works. The person claiming benefit, having registered at the exchange, presents the card containing stamps which have been affixed /by the employer: The official m charge, having investigated the claim by reference to the employ - er, pays ,over the amount of money — 15/- weekly for women, and 20/- for men. .. . These amounts cover a certain number of days per annum. When a claimant has exhausted tlia amount of contributions, and. is still unemployed, he or she can make a claim for, extended or unextended benefit. : ' • It is necessary for these claims to be referred to local committees which act m a . voluntary capacity with the local ' labor exchanges. The committees consist, of equal representatives of employers .and employees, and thoroughly investigate all cases of extended benefit. The Unemployed Insurance Act was recently amended to provide for increased benefit. The amount payable to women, T^as raised. from 12/- to 15/---weekly, and for men from 15/- to 20/---weekly. In the course of the discussion m the- - House of Commons,' the Minister for Labor (Mr. Shaw) stated that there were . 12,000,000 contributors to the scheme, and 1% million' receiving benefit . .