STATE PROVIDENCE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 578, 5 August 1909, Page 5

STATE PROVIDENCE.

FRIENDLY SOCIETIES. I COMPULSORY, CONTRIBUTORY PLAN. CRITICISMS. (Dy Talcgrapll.-Pross Associatlon.-Oopyrlßht 1 '" ■ * (Rcc. August 4, 10 p.m.) London, August t The annual meeting of tho Ancient Order of Foresters at Glasgow was attended by oight hundred delegates, representing 900,000 members. Several Australian, Canadian, and American representatives were present. The High Chief Ranger stated that the High Court was prepared to oppose any Government's undertaking of insurance against sickness and invalidity in opposition to permanent friendly societies. Tho Government, he contended, could not provide benefits giving the same satisfactory results. Nevertheless, the High Court would hesitate to oppose the compelling of wageearners to insure against sickness. He had learned with grave concern that the question was not to be referred to a Royal Commission, as the Government had resolved on legislation.' The' Oddfellows' Grand Master, speaking at a Council at Nowcastlo, said that the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. LloydGeorge, was enamoured of the German scheme of State insurance... It would hav's been''better, if Mr. Lloyd-Georgo had taken tho friendly societies into his confidence. He '.(the speaker) believed that the proposal was .fraught with danger.

, SOCIETIES AND MINISTERS. fhie Chancellor of the Exchequer,.Mr. Lloyd George, has expressly informed the iriendl; societies that whatever legislation., for msui anco was adopted care must bo taken to safe guard the interests of the great friendly some ■ties and to secure their active co-operation n •the working out of .the ,scheme. No proposa .would be tolerable which would inflict dainag; on those organisations which were doing sucl highly beneficent fork for the country. Nevertheless, the Oddfellows' Grand Mastei (Mr. Kilviiigton, York), assorted that thou sands and thousands o( members of fnendlj societies were totally opposed to any Govern wont undertaking the provision of : any. form of invalidity or sickness insurance fortne 'workius' classes. "Let them make provision for the halt, lame, and blind, and thoso incapacitated from conforming to the require■tnonts of a sound friendly society, but if an 'attempt is made to get up a State-aided, comnulsory, and iniquitous lorm of competition with the voluntary thrift movement I fearlessly assert that wo aro setting, the clock a are evidently much divided on jthe subject. Mr. Churchill's Assurance, i The President of the Board of Trade, Mr. Churchill, to show that the central principle 'of the friendly societies and even their ceremonial and regalia will be by the scheme of State insurance against and unemployment, writes to tho Peoples Journal" of Dundee: ■ ... . "The question arises whether the time hat! not como to generalise for the State and the individual, the principle of prop*m«» "P* SMited bv the trade unions and friendly societies; to 'see that provision is made in advance in nil oases, and that in all "»« " shared bv tho individual and the State. Ihftt s the meaning of State-aided insurance. No ndividual neeel fear that ho will lose. anything brsuch a process; he call only gain in security of-benefits, not lose. ■ . "No association conducted on sound lines need fear that it will lose by the process; such delations will bo regarded by tbe State as SSotw its most valuable instruments tor-seour-inetbe good administration of its msnrnn» schemes. Certain changes and adjustments of machinery will no doubt oe necessary.

The German Element... - ■ . . . Some critics have objected to.-* Germany" scheme. In a recent speech, Mi. Llov™-George gave some particulars of the principles uponl-which the British Go*?™""* would proceed in framing -its .»TaUdib and ickness insurance legislation, and touched on. the German scheme. In Germany, he tad, no one wants to go back on the scheme of insurance against invalidity and sickness. Sove-Kelo-es want extensions. The employers now fully realise the advantage they have derived from the expenditure, as it has raised the sandard of workmen- throughout Germany, for by removing that element of anxietrand worry from their lives, it has improved their efficiC °fho cost in Germany is .640,000,000 ai year. Of that amount the State contributes £3,000,000. The British. Government in dealing with .lie problem would be guided by these principles. No-plan can hope to be successful which does not include an element of compulsion, ior financial and other reasons success .13 vmattamablo except on the/basis of a direct contribution from the classes most immediately concerned; there must bo a State contribution substantial enough to enable those 'whose means are too limited and precarious to sustain adequate premiums to overcome that difficulty without throwing undue risks on other competi°No scheme, added Mr. Lloyd-George, would be either profitable or tolerable which would' do the least'' damage to the great friendly societies. It must be the aim of every wellconsidered plan to encourage and if possible, as lie believed it was, to work through thoso societies. ____________