Lord Carnarvon on Friday week brought forward, the subject of
compulsory insurance against old age and sickness. His idea, which on this point is, we believe, original, is that every man should insure himself before he reaches manhood, by pay- ing to the Treasury a sum of 210. He would then be entitled to a weekly payment daring sickness and in old age. He main- tained that this sum could be readily paid, and might have added, if he had thought of it, that it is far less than the sum paid till lately in most European countries for exemption from conscription. He suggested also that it should be deducted by the master from the lad's wages. That would not, we think, work, employers and employed being too suspicious of one another ; but the notion of making ahoy provide for his old age while still under control, and sure to waste any surplus money, deserves consideration. If universal military training ever became the practice in England, the plan could be carried out with ease ; and even as it is, it is pot impossible. The substantial impedi- ment in the way is, that as the Poor-law system exists, the lad and his parents have no fear of the starvation against which .only the scheme would guarantee them.
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