A HUMANE MEASURE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 10760, 6 May 1911, Page 4

A HUMANE MEASURE.

air -i,i.o vi)-(: r<:<) u1: irs sen k mi:. [Bt'Electp-k! Tklkchapii—Copvkicii r.; .(Per Press Association-.) Received Ma}- fj, a: n.o a.m. London. Mav o. j The Hoi isc was crowded, and Mr > Llovd-George v.-a.-. with general ! cheers. His voic-- was fairly strong. | It took him two and a-Lalf hour. t 1 j unfold the National Insurance 15ili. Tie- ; Bill comes into uper.ii i.m i-n Mav 1-t. ] 191?. Mr L!oy.i-(pai.l a I to Mr John iiiiri: ' vir. > u: iiiei scheme. , i •In the fir.-i ii.e ea.plo'.eiN contribute 'j! l .').•: 1.!:-■» towards s : .'-ku» s ; . insurance, and the '.vorkvrs. £ll AW.'"!'}. The State in the -h'st year would contribute £1.742.'.:' in the .-eeoml 3''-:"' £3 1 350.0\KJ, stttd in tiie third war £4j563'.C00. _ The ilr-t year's benefits would be tT.tiO".'ivJw-h would ri.se to £20,000.000 in 1910. Accident was not included in the ,-chemt?. County health coinmiiie-"- would ij * - icrmed to administer the =anatona. Thirty shillipgs .maternity benetits would be allowed, .with a provi-ion tha: a woman trpultl not return to work within a month. There would be no sick pay when the illness was due to a man s misconduct. Doctors would be paid about tlie friendly societies' scale. _and medicines are to be obtained from c&emists. This applies to nun and women not liable to income tax. It is estimated that 0.200,000 men and 3,900,000 women will make compulsory and I.G'j'I.OOU persons voluntary contributions. the latter including waiters, cab-drivers, and boys and girlr> under 16. There would be special arrangements for soldiers and sailors. London, May

"Die Unionist members of the House of Commons are delighted at the Sickness and Invalidity clauses, but are Jess 'emphatic in their approval of the unemployment provisions, believing they will add to tiie cost of mantnaciure. and should be accompanied by some form of protection against goods produced in oilier countries. The Liberals arc enthusiastic over the whole scheme. The Lahorites generally approve, but regret that the unemployment insurance is not more general.

Receive*! May G, at 8.5 a.m. London, May 5. . Sickness funds will be collected by means <>i cards whereto employers and workmen will affix a stamp and which the. workmen will send to various approved benefit societies having local committees, such as I'orcsters and Oddfellows. Workmen not members of societies will be collected in a body and called past office contributors. .Thi? unemployment proposals deal only with engineering and building traces, with workers numbering 2,400,000. Employers and workmen will pav 2Jd each weekly, the State bearing a. fourth of the total cost. Special abatements will be made in the case of employers paying men bv the year. Unemployed engineers will receive 15s, men in the building trades 6s to 7s, but nothing when dismissed for misconduct, or for strike lockonfe. The men's contributions will amount to £1,100,000, and employers' to £900,000. The cost to the State begins at £750,000. Claims will be made through labor exchanges. which will offer the work. ' A cbtirt of referees will decide whether men must take a job. Trade unions insuring men against unemployment will be allowed to pay the benefit_andi receive the amount- tlio State offers. The twa schemes will not involve additional taxation, but there will be no remission. 1 ' 'Mr Chamberlain promised his goodwill and assistance, but reserved criticism.

Received May 6, at 9.30 a.m. London, May 5. There is strong criticism regarding the clause" in the Invalidity and Unemployment Insurance Bill providing that tile deficiency iUte through a workman s smaller contribution, when he is earning lpss- than los' weekly, should be made up. the. employer. :JEhe Pall Mall Gazette states that wl»a» cordially recognising Mr Lloyd(reorge's fearless initiative and bold imaginative powers, and that the generial -advantages of the scheme are indisputable, still it must pinch somewhere, and that there is no effective difference bptween taxing the people's food and taxing." wages by deductuig £11,000,000 ajannally. -