264 



Par lia 3\ r e x r a k y P ltb ltcation s . 



for old age is either encouraged or declared obligatory.. 

 The countries dealt with are Russia, Norway, Sweden, Den- 

 mark, Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, Italy, Austria, 

 and Roumania. Of these eleven countries, Germany and 

 Denmark alone can be said to have adopted a general system 

 of pensions or relief in old age. 



The German Law ot 1889 (in operation since January 1st, 

 1 89 1 ) embraces practically all wage- workers (other than those 

 entitled to pensions in their capacity of public seiwants) 

 above the age of 16 and earning not more than £100 per 

 annum. It fixes the scale of contributions to be paid by 

 them and by their employers, and places the responsibility 

 for the payment of these contributions on the latter, whom, 

 however, it allows to deduct half the amount from wages. It 

 provides for the addition of a sum of £2 10s. per annum, at 

 the cost of ihe State, to each pension acquired under the law. 

 The old-age pension becomes payable after the completion 

 of the 70th year, and is given simply for old age, irrespective 

 of physical fitness ; while the invalidity pension becomes 

 payable after the completion of 235 weeks of contribution, to 

 any person who, irrespective of age, is permanently unable 

 to earn one-third of his or her previous wages. In the year 

 1897 (the most recent for which statistics have been pub- 

 lished) over 400,000 persons drew pensions amounting to no 

 less than £2,750,531, of which £1,079,823 was provided by 

 the State. Of these amounts about one-half was expended 

 on invalidity and one-half on old-age pensions. It has been 

 officially estimated that 12,144,530 persons out of 52,279,901, 

 representing the total population of the German Empire 

 (census of December 2nd, 1895), are liable to insurance under 

 the law. 



In Denmark the system adopted is very different, the Law 

 of 1 89 1 (in operation since July 1st, 1892) providing for a 

 special form of old-age relief to any necessitous person of 

 good character who is over sixty years of age. There are no 

 direct contributions by the recipient, and the amount of the 

 pension, is not fixed by the law, though it must be sufficient 

 for the needs of the applicant and his family. Receipt of 

 this relief does not impose electoral disabilities. In 1896 



