— 
51 
COMPULSORY NATIONAL INSURANCE. 
By JOHN WHITTAKER. Sept. 29th, 1891. 
We accept as a grim, but—if there is any hope for humanity— 
temporary, necessity the present Poor Law system, believing 
that whenever society becomes tolerably developed, Poor Law 
relief will have been replaced by other and better methods. 
The advocates of Compulsory National Insurance, starting 
from similar premises, and not content with negative criticism, 
are certain to obtain a patient and kindly hearing at a meeting 
of this nature. For thirteen years past they have been building 
up a scheme or schemes by which they hope to practicaily 
destroy pauperism. ‘The idea common to every plan is to enforce 
payments sufficient either of themselves or with the aid of State 
subsidies to insure against risks of sickness or incapacity, and to 
provide an annuity or pension in old age. 
To Canon Blackley, whose article entitled ‘‘ National Insurance, 
a cheap, practical, and popular means of abolishing poor rates,” 
appeared in the Nineteenth Century in 1878, belongs the credit of 
first giving definite shape to the idea. His scheme proposes, 
upon payment by insurers of one-half the ascertained cost, to 
call upon the Government to grant a pension of £18 per year, or 
5s. per week, upon such insurers attaining the age of 65, and a 
payment in one sum of £5 to the survivors of every such 
insurer, in the event of death before the period when payment 
of pension would become due. 
During the year 1880, a thoughtful article from the pen of 
Mr. Tremenheere, appeared in the Nineteenth Century, giving 
uncompromising support to the idea of Compulsory National 
Insurance. He boldly met every difficulty, and would make all 
insurances self-sustaining. His scheme would provide 5s. per 
week in all cases of sickness, and an annuity of 5s. per week at 
and from 65 years of age. In addition, provision would be 
made for £5 being paid over at death to cover expenses of 
funeral. To effect this he proposes to take one-twelfth of the 
earnings of young persons between the ages of 14 and 21 years, 
or till such time as one-twelfth of the wages shall have reached 
the amount required—£24 5s. 4d. To arrive at this amount, 
Mr. Tremenheere entered into somewhat elaborate calculations. 
which are given in detail in Appendix Table 1. Following 
out a line of thought introduced by Mr. H. Dunckley, we 
find that the end Mr. Tremenheere has in view could be 
obtained by the payment of 5d. per week throughout life, 
commencing at 18, or 7d. per week at and from 25 years of age. 
