The Daily News. MONDAY, MAY 16. INSURANCE AGAINST DISTRESS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 390, 16 May 1910, Page 4

The Daily News. MONDAY, MAY 16. INSURANCE AGAINST DISTRESS.

The people of Australia and New Zealand do not need to be told that the chief need of both countries is population, or that either place is very often called "the working man's paradise." In point of fact every man ma,kes his own earthly paradise, whether lie is in Kensington, Hong Kong or New Plymouth, but the States to which men belong very often give t/hem the materials. T'he reason why Australia and New Zealand have gained their envi- • able title, is that the States have by many enactments given to organised workmen what is considered to be a fair return for and protection of labor. Indeed it must be recognised that as a general thing men are paid more nearly the value of their output in the colonies than elsewhere. The mere worker, however, who earns a living wage as long as he is physically fit, formerly, when unfit, depended on charity for his further sustenance, for except by increment the average man is unable to make a competence for the later days of his life. Nowadays the worker is worn out earlier than his forefather was, and as a consequence nearly all States of ihe world are faced with the great problem of keeping the men they have in their own country by making provisions for their comfort, their employment, and their old age. The colonies desire more than anything to attract workers from overseas, but there is a greater desire to attract people who have money. It is unlikely that the colonies will attract large numbers of people with capital, for the simple reason that money can buy comfort in other places jbesides Australia and New Zealand. People in the colonies are sometimes a little apt to believe that the foreigner of whatever kind is quite unused to decent condition, the fatherly care of the State from whence he came, or inducements to keep him in his own country. A man who is earning a good living in London would, for instance, not be likely to leave his job to come to New Zealand because of the Olcl Age Pension or the Preference to Unionist clause. In our desire to attract Workers from outside, it is necessary that we should be more definite. It is not enough for us to tell them that prosperity grows on every tree, and that the Government will watch him from the wharf to the deathbeu. He has to be fitted to a job, to be practically insured against idleness, sickness or accident. It is not sufficient that the worker in the first flush of vigorous youth should (be able to earn good wages. The country that can ensure continuance of liis wages, compensation for accident, and payment while he is sick, is the .-country that will keep its men. To the worker there is always the dread of enforced idleness or sick-; ness, and slowly but surely the nations are recognising that it is to the ad-' vantage of a State to have everyone employed, and everyone healthy. Germany compels the worker to ensure against sickness, at trifling cost. There is in New Zealand much splendid work done by the friendly societies, but people are not compelled to join friendly so-[ cieties, and to therefore ensure against' sickness. This is one reason why, al-i though unskilled Germans are not high-: ly paid, there are fewer cases of real; poverty in German towns than in English cities or even Australian capitals. New Zealand has as yet no machinery for insurance against unemployment, but through Europe (from whence, we J believe, we ought to be able to indiice the :best citizens to come to New Zealand) such insurance is the rule. The system in Denmark and Norway is national. France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Holland and Switzerland have systems run 'by the municipalities. In every European country the municipality has a great deal more concern with the lives and occupations of the people than the municipalities of New Zealand. Although we may vaguely tell the Dane or the Swiss that he would be a great deal ibetter off in New Zealand than at !home, we are unable to show him in; what particular way he would be en-j riched by leaving his own land. Eng-! land is really the only country that in-! duces its own people to leave it, but then England is in the position of pointing to the colonies, where its own peo pie may still live under the same flag England merely transfers drafts of fol from one spot to the other. But even now England is 'beginning to understand/ that to send its best bone and sinew) abroad is rank foolishness. If its west bone and sinew is fit for Australia or| New Zealand it is fit for Britain. As' for the other nations, they do not want to see their industrial and fighting ] strength leaving for pastures new, and; so if in the great competition for menj New Zealand wants to beat the other! nations, she will have to prove to out-| aiders that this is as good a country in I reality as it is on paper. And although, to most of us it seems impossible that' New Zealanders know less than other! folk, there are still points in t(he treat-! ment of 'the people, and insurance against distress is one that we might! well copy. The Government has recognised the defect in our system, and not too soon. According to the Premier at Winton, provision will be made in the National Annuities Bill, to be introduced during the coming session, for the relief of accident and sickness in the case of every worker whose income is less than I £'2oo a, year, and every worker who be-1 longs to the fund will have paid to him in the event of il'cing incapacitated by sickness or accident, an allowance of 7s fid a week for each child under the age of fourteen during the period of incapacity. When he reaches the age of sixty he will have an annuity for the' rest nf his life, while the cost to him, according to the Premier, can be very easily borne by my thrifty man. This is a step m the right direction, n»d ; should receive the sunport of every section of the community.-

! THE COUNTRY'S FINANCES. 'The figures published iu Friday's issue relating to receipts and expenditure under the Consolidated Fund for the year ended March 31, 1910, disclose a satisfactory condition of affairs. The year ended with a surplus of £432,31 C : which, however, included last year's surplus of £ 164,316. The revenue iby £237,076, and the expenditure by £205,409, the difference between 'he two being thus only £31,495. Trie increase in revenue reflects the buorancy of the Dominion, and marks the turning point in the "depression." On tue other bland, the need for the reveachment made last year is strikingly apparent. Had it not been that a sum of £210,211 was in this way saved in eleven departments, the accounts would not have made very pleasant loading. The permanent charges are annua Vy becoming heavier. Last year the pui eminent appropriations ordered by Parliament for such purposes as subsidies to local bodies, interest and sinking fund endowments, the civil list, etc.y increased by £304,379. And it is unlikely that they will grow less in future, tin ihe contrary, with the extra cost of the defence system and naval protection, the annual charges must increase to a considerable extent; possibly they will nor<? than account for the natural increase in the revenue. As a matter of tact, the Government made a mistake in iemitting the taxation they did two yeaia ago. The abolition of the sugar duty and the reduction of the duty on drapery and other lines, as well as the reduction in the railway charges, have not benefited the community to an appreciable extent, and it seems to us it would have been wise to leave thm,»3 as they were and devote the money to the prosecution of public works and borrowed less for that purpose. As it is, no appropriation to the Public \\j.ks Fund out of revenue has been mule this year, or is likely to be in the. future, unless fresh avenues of revmue are tapped. Last year the expenditure on public works showed a decline f.-om £3,678,708 to £2,460,800. We believe in a vigoros public works policy being persued, even if it involves extra taxation, because the country must be developed—roads and bridges constructed, and the people helped on to the land. In the absence of such a policy the progress of the Dominion must be slow. The Government is to be complimented upon applying the pruning knife and keeping clown departmental expenditure, and upon the state of the accounts generally.