830 REPORT— 1892. 



Ilerr von Botticber congratulated himself that a larger number of persons called 

 upon to insure had not absconded, and that the discontent caused by it was not 

 greater, adding that no wish was felt in the country for a continuation of social 

 reform laws. This latest social law certainly does not appear to have been 

 attended with encouraging results. Already a popular movement for its repeal 

 has made some way in Bavaria, but there is of course but little prospect of getting 

 rid of it at present. Meanwhile the self-help societies liave either ceased to exist 

 or have been greatly crippled, and Mr. Bode can only hope that they will one by 

 one come back, and that the energy of German manhood, sapped by the compulsory 

 system, ^^^1I return, and the dishonesty which it fostered die out. His article 

 concludes with an earnest appeal to England not to encumber herself ' with any 

 big scheme of any impatient State socialist,' but to remain, 'what she has been so 

 long, the chosen land of the free — of the men who help themselves.' I think such 

 an appeal should touch us nearly. 



In June 1891 a Bill was presented to the French Chamber of Deputies by 

 M. Oonstans, then Minister of the luterior, and M. Rouvier, Minister of Finance, 

 for the creation of a ' Caisse Nationale deo Ketraites Ouvrieres,' or pension fund for 

 the benefit of workmen and others employed in trade, farm labourers, and domestic 

 servants of both sexes, whose income does not exceed 3,000 francs (120/.) per 

 annum. All persons in this position will be considered to be willing to take 

 advantage of tlie benefits of the fund, unless they make a declaration of unwilling- 

 ness before the maj'or of their place of residence. It is proposed that the fund 

 should be formed by equal contributions from the depositor and his employer, 

 which are either to be paid into the newly established ' Caisse,' or into duly 

 authorised provident societies already existing, and by an addition to be made by 

 the State equal to two-thirds of those contributions. The latter are to consist of 

 not less than five centimes nor more than ten centimes per working-day contri- 

 buted both by the workman and his employer ; and, taking the average number of 

 actual working-days in the year at 280, so as to allow for holidays, slackness of 

 work, and sickness, it is calculated that, after thirty years of continuous saving, 

 five centimes per day put by from each source, and invested at 4 per cent., should 

 amount to a pension of 180 francs, and ten centimes per day to a pension of 360 

 francs, per annum. These amounts not being considered sufficiently high to tempt 

 the class whom it is desired to benefit, it is proposed, as mentioned above, that the 

 State should materially add to them. The term of years over which the contribu- 

 tions are to spread is limited to thirty, as, owing to compulsory army service, it is 

 considered that contributors will hardly have settled down to steady worlc before 

 the age of twenty-five, and that but few persons would be willing to continue the 

 necessary payments beyond the age of fifty-five or fifty-six. On arriving at the 

 time for pension, the contributor must be able to prove that his income is not more 

 tlian 600 francs per annum. The Bill also contains provisions for life insurance, 

 the State contributing towards the payment of the annual premiums ; for the 

 payment of their pensions to contributors who have become permanently incapaci- 

 tated through sickness; and for the relief of those who may be obliged on account 

 of accidents to interrupt their payments into the fund. Several other Bills have 

 been brought forward by independent deputies with analogous objects, into the 

 details of which time will not permit me to enter. It is interesting, however, to 

 note that some of the methods proposed for raising the funds necessary to enable 

 the State to grant pensions are hardly such as would commend themselves to our 

 ideas ; as, for instance, tlie proposal in a Bill presented by several deputies that all 

 collateral successions to property should be suppressed, and that a sliding scale of 

 succession duty should be fixed, rising from 1 per cent, on sums below 10,000 

 francs to no less than 75 per cent, on sums above 1,000,000 francs. Hardly less 

 interesting is the suggestion of another enthusiastic legislator that, at the central 

 office of the pensions department, to be placed in the Louvre, there should be a 

 museum in which a ' golden book ' should be kept for inscribing the names of 

 donors of not less than 100 francs to the pension fund, while the generosity of 

 donors of 10,000 francs should be recorded on a marble tablet, and that of princely 

 subscribers of not less than 100,000 francs by a bust. 



