MAJORITY REPORT. 
pan 
cannot bear any further burden at present, and, indeed, that 
the need for some aileviation of the load is most urgent 
and could be readily realised by a substantial reduction of the 
contributions of employers and employed persons under the 
Health Insurance Scheme. They maintain ‘‘ that there is a 
definite limit to the amount of money which any country can 
afford to spend in the providing of social services,”’ and that 
‘“ that limit has in Great Britain already been largely exceeded, 
and particularly so in the case of Health Insurance ’’ (App. 
CVII, 6). They submit the following table to illustrate the 
relative position in the principal European countries and to show 
how heavy in comparison is the burden imposed on Great Britain 
in respect of five of the social services, viz. : Poor Law, Work- 
men’s Compensation, Old Age Pensions, Health Insurance and 
Unemployment Insurance :(— 
Cost of five Social Services per 
hee? F total population. 
ler cent. as compared 
with Great Britain. 
Country. 
I. Great Britain on 
2. Germany ... a 
». France a ps 
4. Czecho-Slovakia ... 
J. Belgiom © J. 
6. Italy... rot op 
147. Special reference is made by the Confederation to the 
increase of contribution required to finance the new Contributory 
Pensions Scheme. Even after allowance is made for the reduc- 
tion in the Health Insurance contribution consequent upon the 
lowering of the age limit from 70 to 65, and the reduction in the 
Unemployment Insurance contribution which came into force 
at the same time, the net result is that the total weekly con- 
tribution for the Insurance Schemes has been raised from 
2s. bd. to 2s. 9d. in the case of men. At the former rate the 
employer bore 1s. 3d., whereas he now bears 1s. 5d. 
148. The following tables show the details of the changes to 
which effect has recently been given :— 
uy 
MEN. 
Health and Pensions 
Health 
Pensions. 
Total for Health and 
Pensions. 
Year. 
1925 
1926 
Em- 
plover. 
bd. 
Aid 
| Worker. 
5d. 
114 
Em- 
plover. 
434d 
| ‘Worker. 
43d 
Em- 
ployer. 
od. 
da 
| Worker. Total. 
bd. 
0. 
10d. 
12 6d