SOCIAL ACTION IN BELGIUM

New Zealand Tablet, 26 January 1911, Page 145

SOCIAL ACTION IN BELGIUM

PROTECTION AND ORGANISATION OF LABOR

After the Catholic party had taken up the reins of power in Belgium (writes the Rev. Dom P. J. O'Reilly, in the Catholic Times), provision was made by the Government for the enlightenment of the toilers by commissioning capable lecturers to traverse the country from end to end, and spread the light of modern agronomic science over the land. Lectures on the proper treatment of animals, the advantageous use of manures, the employment of the latest tools and machines, etc., keep the agricultural classes informed of the progress of science, and enable them better to understand the importance of the adoption of scientific methods if they are to keep abreast of the times, and successfully sustain the strain of competition. 1 he practical necessity of forming farmers' associations has been constantly inculcated. About the year 1891 the Minister of Elucation decided that the elements of agronomy should be taught in the primary schools. To encourage and stimulate the initiative and enterprise of private institutions, such as the. highly successful School of Agricultural Science at the University of Louvain the Government made known its intention" of allotting grants and founding burses of study for the benefit of these establishments. tit j e three chief final schools are those of Veterinary Medicine at Cureghem and of Agriculture at Gembloux and Louvain Secondary teaching is designed for the sons of agriculturists, and they receive it in the secondary M 7'nn Here , lt J ? well .t o Point out that 17 free schools, with 700 registered pupils, cost the State 41,500 francs per annum just a little less than the single official school at Muy, whose 44 students impose on the education budget an annual burden of 42,440 francs! Permanent primary instruction in agricultural matters is imparted in the milk and cheese schools, while extra occasional courses are orfonffons y + i State . lt 4 " ierant Professors. During the year 1904-1905 the registers record 375,153 attendances at 766 courses, consisting of 8992 lessons. A strongly-felt want W. n 6en T phe{i by the establishment of information bureaux and agricultural libraries, for the formation of tousi the Mlnister of Agriculture provides books gratuiProvident Institutions. What considerable progress has been made during the comparatively short period of twenty-six years by insurance societies under State patronage, statistics abundantly prove Provision has been made for every possible contingency' Insurance is obtainable against every kind of risk to which trail, feeble man is exposed—whether sickness or accident unemployment or invalidity, or old age, and-even burial! Alas! for every human creature the last-named risk is commonly believed to be a certainty, and so we need not be surprised to find , that the premiums demanded are proportionately high! Without further introduction let us set "own some interesting figures. The ate Savings 2 Sf'nno !S? \ 37 M 00 . depositors in 1883. counts in 1906 Aoiy,UUo clients. This improvement may be attributed to the confidence inspired by the stability of the Government as well as to • its ! active and . intelligent propaganda work. The increase in deposits during the same space of time is correlative In 1883 169,900,000 francs were lodged in 1 9nS e nn? a 7 lngS ? ar fc„ the amount had increased to 1,204,500 000 francs in 1906. Besides the People's Savings Bank under Government management, there are also private banks for small deposits, such as Raiffeissen's. If the savings bank system constitutes the most satisfactory means for extending the practice of thrift, assurance against old age, accidents, unemployment, and sickness offers the safest and most economical guarantees against misfortune and bad times. It is Under the regime established by the laws of June 23, 1896 and of March 19, 1898, that mutual aid societies have developed with such rapidity in Belgium Central and local authorities have been really prodigal of subsidies to these co-operative—for such in fact they are—societies. To schools, to industrial establishments, to barracks, to club and meeting rooms, the apostles of insurance have come to proclaim the necessary and saving gospel of prudent foresight and wherever this important doctrine has been preached, wherever the light of these great truths has penetrated, the popular mind is illumined, the truth is acknowledged, and gladly embraced. In order to facilitate

the foundation and successful working of provident institutions, the Ministry of Industry and Labor has, within a tew years, advanced its credit from 35,000 to 350,000 francs 10-day we see in existence 103 federations— receiving important Government composed of 7762 branches and claiming a membership ,of 1,200,000. We look back to 1883, and what do we behold? Only 196 independent societies, supported by 2121 members! In the short period of ten years 2685 insurance societies against sickness have disbursed 32,000,000 francs in payments to sick members, and yet notwithstanding this depletion they can boast of reserve funds to the amount of 10,000,000 francs. In 1883 *. he onni grant to these provident associations was limited to 600 francs; we tell you with pride and admiration the figure now stands at the vast sum of 4,100,000 francs All account books are controlled by auditors of the Office of Labor. Information and propaganda bureaux are to be found scattered over the whole country, and, like the cooperative societies themselves, submit all their operations to the inspection of the Standing Committee of the 'Societes Mutuelles ' presided over by Senator Count Hoodenbeek; they submit them also to the scrutiny of the Office of Labor, whose worthy president is M. Dubois. lo help in assuring the workman the means of subsistence at a period of life when his arms refuse toil and his strength is gone, the Office of Labor has obtained special grants from the Treasury for the purpose of encouraging the affiliation of private companies to " The State Pensions Fund. To affiliated societies large bounties are allocated year by year. The laws of May, 1900, and August, 1903, set apart a sum between twelve and fifteen millions in aid of the Government pensions credit scheme, while it sacrificed, in 1907, the sum of sixteen millions as an endowment in perpetuity of the State Pensions Fund. The number of Ann m Ann rs affiliated to the Caisse de Retraite in 1908 was yiJU,UUIJ. They were contributors to 5600 private old-age pensions societies. In 1906 these various societies received r ?™ ™ Government in vol untary subscriptions and loans 0,100,000 francs. ' Societes de Mutualite' federate with the object of more easily guaranteeing members against the risks of prolonged illness and presumed invalidity. It is worth while pointing out, in conclusion, that the State gives to the treasurer of the federated societies, the 'Caisses de Reassurance,' a premium amounting to 60 per cent, on every single payment received. As a final word on this part of my subject I cannot help exclaiming: 'England Protestant England, follow thou virtuously in the footsteps of Catholic Belgium.' * In addition to associations of insurance which are designed to guarantee the toiler against unfortunate contingencies, there have been formed Patronage Committees whose whole aim and endeavor it is to ameliorate the present lot of the workman. It was laid down in the law of 1881 concerning the ' Comites de Patronage' that the objects of these committees should be threefold—lst, to encourage the building of suitable workmen's dwellings, and the sale thereof to workmen; secondly, to study all that relates to the salubrity of workmen's dwellings, and the hygiene of localities where they may be erected; thirdly, to promote the development of savings, insurance, assurance, people's credit, and old-age pensions societies. The law provides for the formation of a committee in every administrative division of the kingdom. Each committee is composed of at least eight members; the- number may be increased to eighteen. As soon as the law was passed, fifty-eight committees were established. Labor inspection was introduced to secure full conformity with the laws that regulate labor, commerce, and industry. Three official, obligatory, Inspection Councils exist in Belgium—of Public Health, of Public Food, and of Labor.

The Inspection of Labor, is carried out by mining engineers, and by members of the Labor Council. The former are appointed by competitive examination; the latter are nominated by the King. Fifteen inspectors superintend the working of Labor Acta throughout the nine divisions into which the country has been divided for the purpose. There are five medical inspectors besides those already mentioned. They are entitled to visit all establishments in their district where hired workmen are employed, they can exact whatever information they deem necessary in the execution of their charge from both masters and men, and they are empowered to prosecute offenders against the law. The Council for the Inspection of Labor is divided into several departments, such as the Committees of Commercial Inquiry and of Agricultural Interests, the Labor Office for publication purposes, the Commission of Labor, and the Committee of Research. . Laws of Protection benefit the entire working population without distinction of age, sex, or employment. Child and female labor especially is supervised and safeguarded. Ihe law of 1889 was the first big step towards the protection of labor. It proved to be a defence for the defenceless. It was a proclamation of the rights of labor It was the Magna Charta of the vast majority, who suffer most keenly from the bitter, the olden curse— ‘ Thou shalt win thy bread ,m the sweat of thy brow.’ Its object as defined y. M. Lammens in the Senate, is to prevent excessive hours and the premature and unduly prolonged labor of

children and women. In 1897, 8648 establishments, where 42,075 children and females were employed, received a visit from the inspectors. ~.,,. .i * c Amongst the enactments which illumine the pages ot the Statute-Book respecting labor are the regulations against accident and disease. In this connection we may mention the Act dated August 4, 1898, which has regard to the health and the security of the workman, and the law made to prevent the adulteration of food and drink. But more than the preservation of the physical health, the .preservation of the moral health of the community demands the interference and the protection of law; hence the passing of laws for moral protection, the Acts dealing with Public Inebriety (August 16, 1887), concerning the supervision of children employed in itinerant trades (May 28, 1887), and the repression of mendicity and vagrancy (May 28, 1891). To Monsieur le Jeune is due the honor of having humanised the penal code by bending the law towards the reclamation of the criminal (November 27, 1891). Still it is not sufficient that the physical and the moral health of the workman be not endangered, it is not sufficient that he be given every means for maintaining and developing his material and moral physique. For he toils, and he should receive the fruits of his toil. _ He should receive a just, a living wage, in return for his work. Therefore between the years 1887-1891 the Government introduced and succeeded in passing several important laws whose end is to ensure justice in the remuneration of labor. They are the laws of May 16, 1887, on the payment of wages; of June 18, 1887, on the forfeiture of wages and the substitution of goods for money payment; of April 26, 1896, on the privileges of workmen; and that of June 17, 1896, supplementing the previous law on the payment of wages. In the forefront of societies for the defence of workmen's rights and interests must be placed The Trades Unions. They are federations' composed of persons following a common trade, formed for its protection, and the general good of its members. The necessity of these organisations is clear, while the advantages accruing to society in general from their existence are equally clear. Here I will call attention only to a few of their uses. They facilitate professional training by the organisation of technical instruction, they encourage the growth of the once flourishing regime of apprenticeship, and by arranging visits to foreign countries, they study the conditions under which their brethren live who dwell beyond the borders of their own small world. They supply their members with the means of subsistence in times of sickness or unemployment, on the occurrence of accidents, and during old age. In virtue of the law on the Wages Contract, they can agree upon a fair scale of wages, upon reasonable hours of work, and the provision of moral and religious guarantees. Legal existence was conferred on the unions by the Act concerning them under the date March 31, 1898. A number of workmen's associations have merely an unofficial existence. Their status is not recognised by law. Not that they work at any particular disadvantage through not being marked with the seal of the law. In large towns such societies are remarkably active and powerful. At Ghent, for instance, the glass-blowers are splendidly banded together— to shoulder faithfully they stand —while the cigar-makers and the weavers .are united in a strong organisation. Women are not bereft of the arms of defence supplied by the unions. They have formed several associations for the protection of their rights. Women's rights! Ah, yes 1 Women have rights, but fewer, perhaps, than men. , Would it then be unkind to ask, en passant, in view of the present agitation in England, whether the suffrage is a right to which women can lay no claim? In the absence of official statistics it is not easy to determine accurately the numerical importance of these organisations. However, we can compute the strength of the " Syndicats Chretiens.' The zealous Dominican social worker, Pere Rutten, is our informant. He tells us that there were 10,000 members of the specifically Catholic trade unions in 1904. Their numbers to-day are estimated at 40,000. - Agricultural co-operative societies have grown considerably within the past few years. These rural guilds have, for the most part, become affiliated to the national agricultural league known as the ' Borenbond Beige.' The Borenbond has been entrusted with a triple mission—(a) the defence of the religious, moral, and material interests of the peasants; (b) the amelioration of agrarian legislation (c) the organisation of agriculture on a co-operative basis. It is ' A Vast and Powerful Organisation, with ramifications extending far and wide. But its influence is felt mainly in the provinces of Brabant, Antwerp, and Limburg, while it is also very active in certain districts of West Flanders. Its serried ranks are composed of 45,000 men. No wonder such a splendid society enjoys the cordial support of the Government! So many are the institutions founded or patronised by the Government for the promotion of the physical, moral, intellectual, and religious well-being of the workman, that we would far exceed the already generous limits of the present article were wo to attempt to speak of them all. Therefore, without stopping to describe the work of the ( cercles ouvrieres,' which are centres of union, of social

training, and of general self-improvement for their members, and while satisfying ourselves with a mere mention of their existence, we feel the society for The Erection of Workmen's Dwellings and lodging-houses calls for a few words. The question of cheap dwellings lor workmen was settled by the Acts of August 9, 1889, and July 30, 1893. In order to further the improvement and multiplication of workmen's dwellings, the law of 1889 provides for —(1) the constitution of Patronage Committees, (2) grants the necessary authorisation to savings banks to advance loans, (3) grants certain privileges and exemptions to building societies and workmen proprietors. Prior to 1889 we find only ten societies for the building of workmen's dwellings; now there are 163. Eight years ago loans accorded for the building of ' habitations ouvrieres' reached the colossal figure of 40,028,099 francs. And the Society for the Purchase of Small Holdings merits more than a passing notice. What do we read of its labors and progress? One report, presented to the general assembly in January, 1902, tells us that the society had provided 600 small holdings, the concession of which benefited 3000 persons. Labor Exchanges and Unemployment Committees assist the victims of immoral competition by providing them, when and wherever it is possible to do so, with work and monetary aid. Schemes of moralisation have been the constant care of this Christian Government. As a Christian Government it has in diverse ways, and at various times, mercifully pronounced the sentence of death against the ape and the tiger and the savage in its sin-stricken subjects. Total Abstinence and Temperance Societies have received every encouragement from the State, and hence they give evidence of unceasing growth. By taxes on alcohol and public balls, the Government has done its best to combat the spread of certain particular evils, most dangerous to society. Since 1896 a notable decrease in the general consumption of alcohol has happily taken place. The foregoing account of a Catholic Government's legislation leads to reflection of various kinds. Yet I will not venture to disturb the thoughts of those who read these lines by suggesting certain evident conclusions that will leap to their minds after having followed my narrative of a great Government's achievement during a period which, as the aforementioned writer in the Catholic Times remarked, has no parallel in the history of modern parliamentary government. But, very naturally, you may ask:, Do Belgian Catholics, as such, co-operate with their Government in this great work of social regeneration? To this question, in drawing to an end, I will give, with pleasure, a brief answer. Private zeal shares in and completes the work of the Government in its efforts to uplift and Christianise its people. Confraternities are devoted to the Christian instruction and the moral and physical education of children and youths. Retreats play a leading role in the cause of social betterment. The power and influence of retreats are wonderful. There is no persuasive to a life of virtue, there is no dissolvent of a life of evil, like a retreat. At Fayt, at Ghent, at Lierre, at Liege, at Arlon, and Aiken, retreats are given weekly to groups varying in numbers between 20 and 50. The object of the retreat is to awaken and to develop the consciousness of the Christian man with regard to his mission and destiny, to engrave on his mind and heart the principles of the Christian life, to strengthen him to resist evil tendencies within himself, to render him impervious to the corrupt forces to which he is ever exposed, and to teach him to exert a moral influence in his own sphere of action; in a word, the object of the retreat is to make a truly Christian man of the exercitant, who will labor zealously for the salvation of his own soul, as well as for the salvation of the souls of his fellow-men. Who shall tell of the secret conquests, of the victories for Faith and virtue that have been effected within the secluded walls of the houses of retreat? The history of these houses, if it could be written as God knows it, would be a glorious history. Retreat work for women and girls has been successsful likewise, and steadily has it progressed, with every sign of progress still. May the retreats continue to flourish! For every retreat gives birth to new apostles, who return to their homes to labor for the advancement of the Kingdom that shall never pass away. Henceforth brave Christian soldiers they will be, and more, loyal and devoted citizens, and faithful* defenders of that party whose name and deeds are, and always have been, synonymous of Justice, Charity, Liberty, and Progress. "'