IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 295, 8 May 1911, Page 5

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

INVALIDITY AND UNEMPLOYMENT. FURTHER DETAILS OF THE BILL. Bf Cable—Pitob London, May 5. The sickness funds will be collected by means of cards, to which the employers and' workmen will affix stamps, which the workmen will send to various approved benefit societies having local committees, such as Foresters and Oddfellows. The contributions of workmen who are not members of a society will be collected in a body and called post office contributors.

The unemployment proposals deal only with the engineering and building trades, in which the employees number 2,400,000. The employers and workmen pay 2y 8 d each weekly, the State bearing a fourth of the total cost. There are special abatements to employers paying men by the year. Unemployed engineers will receive weekly payments for fifteen weeks, and men in the building trades for six weeks, the payment to be seven shillings a week. Nothing will be paid when the men are dismissed for misconduct or in case of strikes or lockouts. The men's contributions will amount to £1,100,000, and those of the employers to £900,000. The cost to the State begins at, £750,000. Claims will be made through the labor exchanges, which will offer work when available. A court of referees will decide whether men must take a job. Trade unions insuring men against unemployment will be allowed to pay the benefit and receive the amount the State offers. The two schemes do not involve additional taxation, but there will be no remission. Mr. Austin Chamberlain promised his goodwill and assistance to the proposal and reserved his criticism.

A CLAUSE OBJECTED TO. WHERE THE SHOE PINCHES. London, May 5. There is, strong criticism regarding the clause in the Invalidity and Unemployment Insurance Bill providing that the deficiency due through a workman' 6 smaller contribution when earning less than 15s a week should be made up by the employer. The Pall Mall Gazette states that, while cordially recognising Mr. LloydGeorge's fearless initiative and bold imaginative powers and that the general advantages of the scheme are indisputable, still it must pinch somewhere. There is no effective difference between taxing the people's food and taxing wages by deducting £11,000,000 annually.

AN INSTANCE. Received 7, 5.5 p.m. London, May 6. The Great Western and the London-, North-Western railways have 200,000 employees. The sickness insurance would cost them £130,000. Typists, bank clerks and domestic servants arc included in the scheme. Mothers of illegitimate children will receive the maternity allowance. MR. LLOYD-GEORGE INTERVIEWED. SDI JOSEPH WARD'S FAVORABLE OPINION. PLEASES THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER. Received 7, 5.5 p.m. London, May "0. Mr. Lloyd-George, interviewed, states that he has been deluged with telegrams of congratulation, the younger Tories being particularly favorable. Sir Joseph Ward had written expressing his profound admiration of the scheme. Mr. Lloyd-George added tnat ft was no small tribute for the scheme to receive the approbation of a colony «hich had taken so heroic a lead in this farm of social legislation.

THE PARLIAMENT BILL. I London, May 5. Mr. Asquith has given notice that the Parliament Bill will be read a third time on May 11. WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE. London, May 5. An amendment to reject Sir George Kemp's Bill, which provides for female franchise exclusively on householder lines, was negatived by 255 to 88, and the Bill was read a second time. AN ELECTION PETITION. London, May 5. The petition against the election of Viscount Lewisham for West Bromwich has failed.