Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 2.djvu/797

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INSURANCE AGAINST NON-EMPLOYMENT 7&I

$40,000 of government bonds. No data for further comparison are at hand. The Swiss systems all receive state aid. The con- tributions at Berne were as follows: for 1893-4, membership fees, 1125 francs; employers' contributions, 949 francs; dona- tions, 1005 francs; canton Berne, 4735 francs; total, 7815 francs ; or only 15 per cent, from the insured. In 1894-5, mem- bership fees, 1366 francs; employers' contributions, 1703 francs; donations, 2970 francs ; canton Berne, 5000 francs ; other sources, 616 francs; or a total of 11,665 francs, of which less than 12 per cent, was contributed by the insured. Under the new plan, while the contributions from the insured were increased, so also were the benefits, necessitating a further increase of the state subsidy. This amounted to 7000 francs in 1895-6. The pro- portionate size of the contributions was not materially changed.

In 1895-6 (July to July) the St. Gall system received about 21,000 francs from premiums, about 28,300 francs from the state, then leaving a deficit of about 1750 francs. The pre- miums here amounted to 42.6 per cent, of the total contribu- tions. The final report for the remainder of the year 1896 is not at hand. At Bale the employers are compelled to contri- bute for each person insured in the first, second, and third group respectively 10, 15, and 20 centimes per week. The city bears all the expense of administration and contributes 25,000 francs in addition.

The Swiss systems thus have the guarantee of the local gov- ernments, which take the initiative and bear the burden of the financial support. The Cologne system has the partial support of the local government and is entirely guaranteed by public organization. The Bologna bank is the sole guarantor of that system and only to the extent specified. It is especially pro- vided that the assistance is to continue forty days only in case of sufficient income from the funds appropriated. The Chicago company has the guarantee of the promoters of the enterprise based on private contract. That is. the association is a limited copartnership. The laws of incorporation in their existing form do not permit of its incorporation in any state. No better