Agricultural relief: Agricultural relief

Report of the Royal Commission on National Health Insurance

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Multivolume work

Identifikator:: 1831932415

Document type:: Multivolume work

Title:: Agricultural relief

Place of publication:: Washington

Publisher:: Gov. Pr. Off.

Year of publication:: 1928

Collection:: Economics Books

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Volume

Identifikator:: 1831935406

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-232218

Document type:: Volume

Title:: Agricultural relief

Volume count:: Pt. 9

Place of publication:: Washington

Publisher:: Gov. Pr. Off.

Year of publication:: 1928

Scope:: III S., S. 591 - 642

Digitisation:: 2022

Collection:: Economics Books

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Title page

Document type:: Multivolume work

Structure type:: Title page

Collection:: Economics Books

MAJORITY REPORT. OT — ve Lo it 8. Ce ne nie T= a, In, ). ty at 1S- he at tal 1 le- he al er BT) 1, is, of id. 1, Ce to Ii at les W=~ nd in 20) ns it th 23, ny Ve ial he largest Societies associated with Industrial Assurance Companies there is no effective means whereby the members could exercise control over the affairs of the Societies, whilst in many other Societies where the rules do contain provision for enabling such control to be exercised, the vast majority of members, mainly, no doubt, by reason of indifference or apathy, do not avail themselves of their opportunities and evince little or no interest in the affairs of their Societies. We, therefore, think it worth while to examine at some length this question of control by members and to consider what standard should be aimed at and could reasonably be expected. 232. The Act, as has already been indicated, makes express provision that the constitution of every Approved Society ‘* must provide for its affairs being subject to the absolute control of its members.”’ The Act, that is to say, insists on the opportunity of control, but even an Act of Parliament could hardly insist on this control being exercised. We cannot share the surprise which is sometimes provoked by contemplation of the apathy of insured persons in these matters. The world makes so many claims on everyone that the number of things in which any of us can be keenly interested constitutes only a small fraction of those in which, as public-spirited citizens, we ought to be interested. Though we may conspire to conceal it, the truth seems to be that those who have time to be both actively and intelligently interested in all the things that affect them, individually or as citizens, are exceptional. Nor is this peculiar to any class of the community. The placidity of a County Council election, the harmony of the necessary quorum at an ordinary shareholders’ meeting, the unreasoned faith of the simple man in his Bank or his Life Assurance Company, alike bear testimony to the fact that in such matters *“ men are unwise and curiously planned,’’ and that most of us are content not to be too keenly interested even in matters which may directly affect us. There can be but few who, surveying their scanty and superficial knowledge of the facts underlying current controversy, can truthfully declare that they have maintained that degree of interest in public affairs which good citizenship postulates. 233. Applying these considerations to the apathy of insured persons, the situation surely is one which, however regrettable, is not merely wholly natural, but is in fact paralleled in nearly every department of the public life of the community. To expect that the great bulk of insured persons should display an active interest in the administration of the Act is to court dis- appointment. To put it no higher, it is not an attractive field of study, and it is probably asking too much of insured persons to suggest that they should attend meetings to discuss, for example, the propriety of the claims for sickness benefit which some of their fellows, unknown to them personally, are making, or the intricacies of particular regulations which, for the time being, have become of special interest to the Society.

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