200 MAJORITY REPORT. OEE VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTORS. 469. In considering the classes of persons to be insured under the Scheme, the general principle to be aimed at should, in our view, be to include as far as possible all those persons who cannot reasonably be expected by their own individual efforts to make provision similar to that which may be obtained under the Act. This principle is perhaps of easy application in the case of persons engaged by an employer, but there are, of course, large numbers of persons who are not so employed but whose need for the benefits provided by the Act is equally great. We have considered whether it is possible and desirable to make provision for the voluntary insurance of this class, which includes the small shopkeeper, the hawker, the crofter, and the like. We questioned Sir Walter Kinnear on this subject and may quote from his reply : ©“ 1 may say with regard to the question of voluntary insurance of the small shopkeeper, and persons of that class, there is, of course, no employer in respect of such persons, so that there is no machinery by which we could properly get in the contributions. The Commission are aware that the 1911 Act allowed such perons to be insured as voluntary contributors at a rate of contribution graded according to their ages. The Ryan Committee in 1916 recommended that admission to this class should be abolished on the ground that only some 28,000 persons had availed themselves of the right of voluntary insurance and this number did not justify the troublesome administrative machinery that was required. This was done by the 1918 Act. Under the Contributory Pensions Act passed during this year a very wide door has been opened for a limited time to entry into voluntary insurance of persons who have at some time since July, 1912. had 104 weeks’ insurance or excepted employment. So that, of course, the matter to a large extent has rectified itself. This will meet the case of the great majority of persons not now insured who may reasonably be allowed into voluntary insurance. Tt would not be practicable without a grading of contributions to give a continuing right to uninsured persons to come in 28 voluntary contributors, and we rather suggest that no extension of the existing provisions in this respect is called for, especially in view of the Pensions Act of this year.” (Q. 23,398.) 470. At no time since the inception of the Act has the number of voluntary contributors been considerable, and we are informed that at the present time the number in England is only about 30,000. These are in the main persons who, having been employed contributors, desire to continue in insurance after ceasing insurable work. Voluntary contributors pay the whole weekly con” tributions themselves and receive the ordinary and additional benefits of their Society, subject to the limitation that a voluntary contributor whose total income from all sources exceeds £250