I gather the Unemployment Insurance Commission is about through with
its work. As in the case of the interim recommendations there will be two reports, the vigorous Mrs. Rackham and the less vigorous Mr. Astbury making up the minority. Judge Holman Gregory and his remain- ing four colleagues want a big relief scheme, complete with means test, as foundation of everything. On that they build a contributory insurance scheme giving benefits as at present, but with new safeguards to make it actuarially watertight. All needy unemployed will be picked up by the relief scheme in so far as they have exhausted their legal rights to benefit or have been in uninsured employment (e.g., agriculture, for: apparently the Commission is not enthusiastic about insuring the agricultural labourer). This; of course, will not satisfy the minority, who. stand for a kind of debased-insurance scheme; giving benefits as a right for ever—which is neither practicable in this imperfect world nor good for it.
Previous page
