WORKERS' INSURANCE

Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 11 August 1909, Page 27

WORKERS' INSURANCE

LONDON, August 3. Mr Winston Churchill, speaking at Branksome Park, said that before Pailiament ended, unless the session waa violently broken by a foul blow, an extensive measure of insurance against unemployment would be passed. The scheme was based on the principle that the workmen -would be able to make some littl« weekly sacrifice, to be joined by the employers' contribution and a State subvention. Th« Board of Trade was now elaborating the scheme. Mr Churchill added that Mr Lloyd-George would introduce next year a scheme, working through the friendly, societies, to enabi* householders to insure against the sickness, invalidity, and the death of the breadwinner. At the annual meeting of the Order of Foresters at Glasgow BCO delegates represented 90,000 members. Several Austr* lian, Canadian, and American represent* lives were present. The High Chief Ranger stated that th< High Court was prepared to oppose anj Government undertaking insurance againft sickness or invalidity in opposition to th< permanent friendly societies. The Government could not provide benefits with the same satisfactory result ; nevertheless the High Court would hesitate to oppose the wage-earners being compelled to insure against sickness. He learnt with gray« concern that the matter would not b* referred to a Royal Commission, rs th« Government had resolved to legislate. The Grand Master of the Oddfellows, speaking at a council meeting at New-e-istle, fa id that Mr' Lloyd-George was »namoured of the German schema o( . State insurance, but it would be bettei if he had taken the friendly societie< into his confidence. He believed that th< proposal was fraught with danger. August 4. The Oddfellows, as a body, resolved ,hat any scheme of Government State insurance would be detrimental to friendly, : ocielie3. The speakers stated that t\\{\ •cheme would only benefit the wastrel* 1 md that the Compensation Act had cau^ec^ such an amount of malingering that th< sickness claims had doubled. The Hearts of Oak, the Rechabites, an<J Jhe Oddfellows resolved to approach th« jkrvernmeufc and to protest against th< jenefite paid by them to their member* >eing taken account of when the amount )f old-age pensions to be paid to applw ants was determined.