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Persons between 17 and 50 years of age who have their legal demicile in the Canton. Persons who remove to another Canton may remain in insurance by paying an increased annual contribution; persons who settle abroad leave the insurance, but if they return to Switzerland within four years they may re-enter the insurance by paying an increased contribution for the period of their absence.

The funds are raised: (1) by an annual contribution from the Canton of 85,000 fres., together with the interest from the Old Age and Invalidity Insurance Fund and other associations; (2) by an annual contribution from the Communes of 1 frc. per head of the population; (3) by an annual contribution of 6 frcs. from each insured person. The obligation to pay contributions ceases on reaching the age of 65. The annual contributions may be commuted by making a single payment ranging from 125 frcs. at the age of 17 to 470 frcs. at the age of 49. Disablement pensions are payable to persons who, having been insured for five years, become incapable of work on account of illness or other infirmities for at least one year, regardless of their age. Old age pensions are payable from the age of 65. The right to draw an old age pension is conditional upon the insured person having paid altogether at least 400 frcs. (i. e., 33 years' contributions plus interest), otherwise the pension is reduced accordingly.

The amount of the annual invalidity pension begins at 150 fres. and increases annually by 16 frcs., up to a maximum of 300 frcs. for men and 250 frcs. for women. The amount of the annual old age pension is:

At the beginning of the 66th year,
At the beginning of the 67th year,
At the beginning of the 68th year,
At the beginning of the 69th year,
At the beginning of the 70th year & upward,

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A claim to a pension lapses if the insured person takes up his resi dence abroad after beginning to draw his pension; in this case the person concerned may demand the reimbursement, without interest, of the contributions he has paid. The insurance is effected thru the State Old Age and Invalidity Insurance Institution. Special provisions regulate voluntary insurance, to which persons of from one to 17 years of age may be admitted.*

There are also in Switzerland a large number of special funds with definitely restricted membership, such as the employes of the federal railways and of the post-office department. Membership here is made compulsory. The contributions are borne jointly by the insured persons and the federal government.

*Bulletin of International Labour Office, Vol. XI, Nos. 6, 7; 1916.

III. NON-CONTRIBUTORY OR STRAIGHT OLD AGE PENSION

SCHEMES.

ALASKA.

The Legislature of the Territory of Alaska in 1915 passed an act providing that, "Any pioneer of Alaska, regardless of sex, who has attained the age of sixty-five (65) years and shall have resided in Alaska for ten consecutive years or more since the year 1905, and is entitled to the benefits of the Pioneers' Home at Sitka, Alaska, or of the Home for Indigent Pioneers at Fairbanks or elsewhere in Alaska (should the same be established) may in lieu of an application to be received and cared for at such home, make an application to the Board of Trustees of said Alaska Pioneers' Home, for an allowance to be paid out of the revenue of said Home; and thereupon said Board shall investigate the case of such applicant, and if they find that his or her case is worthy, and that he or she is in actual need of such allowance, the said trustees shall enroll him or her as a beneficiary of said Home...and in conformity therewith, an allowance shall be paid for his or her use as provided in Section three and four of this Act... Provided, that if any person pensioned under the provisions of this act, shall be admitted, to the Alaska Pioneers' Home or other Territorial Institutions, any pension granted hereunder shall be suspended during the time such person shall be an inmate of any such Territorial Institution, nor shall any pension be paid to any person who has been absent from the Territory of Alaska for a period not to exceed one year.”

The original bill provided for allowances not to exceed $12.50 per month in any case. This was amended in the 1917 session so that as the law stands now; "Each allowance granted shall be of such amount not exceeding twelve dollars and fifty cents ($12.50) per month, as said Board of Trustees in their discretion shall allow and be specified in the certificate having due regard to the necessities of the applicant; provided that in the case of extreme emergency the Board may, in its discretion, make a maximum allowance to pioneer women, who shall be sixty years of age and otherwise qualified to receive such allowance according to the provisions of this Act, in the sum of twenty-five ($25.00) dollars, per month...and after being granted shall not be diminished in amount, but may be from time to time increased by said Board to an amount not exceeding said maximum. Provided, however, in case the Board of Trustees shall be satisfied that the beneficiary is in position to support himself or herself, or can be supported by his or her relatives, the Board may revoke the grant of an allowance, cancel the beneficiary's certificate, and strike his or her name from the roll of the beneficiaries.”

The Legislature in 1917 also provided that, "the sum of thirty thousand dollars or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated for the purposes of this act;... provided that the Board of Trustees shall not grant allowances calling for an expenditure in excess of fifteen thousand dollars in any one year; and further provided, that any excess fund not issued the first year shall be available for use the following year."

ARIZONA.

At least one State in the Union, Arizona, enacted in 1915 by initiative petition and popular vote legislation granting old age pensions. These are given to all needy citizens of the United States who have been residents of the State of Arizona for at least five years prior to application therefore and who have reached at least 60 years of age. The pension amounts to $15.00 per month and is given so long as the pensioner continues to live in the State. This act had been held unconstitutional by the Superior Court of Arizona, in November, 1915, and an appeal was then taken to the Supreme Court of the State.

AUSTRALIA.

The Australian old age invalidity act was passed on June 10, 1908, and became effective July 1st, 1909. This act supersedes the previous old age pension systems established by the separate States of New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. The new law which was amended in some essential respects in December 1912, applies to the entire Commonwealth, including the States of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, West Australia, Queensland and Tasmania.

The law provides for the granting of pensions to all males over 65 years of age and females above the age of 60. Pensions are given to persons who have been residents of Australia for at least 25 years. They must also be of good character and not to have been imprisoned for four months within 5 years in the last 25 years. Pensions are refused to claimants who are wife-deserters, drunkards, etc., and are not given to those who own property above £310 ($1,509). The law also excludes from the pension right, Asiatics or aboriginal natives of Australia, Africa, New Zealand or the Islands of the Pacific.

In addition to the old age pension the Australian act also provides for an invalidity pension payable to any person above 16 years of age, who is permanently incapacitated for work, provided that the person shall have resided in Australia for at least 5 years. The claimant for an invalidity pension must also have no claim upon an employer

for accident compensation and not to have property or income in excess of the pension amount. The act of 1912 also specifies that gifts or allowances given to a pensioner by children, grand-children and relatives, etc., are not included in the income. The above act also made naturalized citizens entitled to pensions from the time of their naturalization, instead of after three years of waiting, as was required previously. The law also provided that permanently incapacitated persons should include the permanently blind. By the Acts of Nov. 1912 and Dec. 1914, the government of Australia set aside a credit of three million, and five and one-half million pounds respectively, for the purpose of the invalidity and old age pension funds.

No uniform or fixed pension amount is provided. The law specifies that the amount of pension shall be "at such rate as, having regard to all the circumstances of the case, the commission who determines the pension claim deems reasonable and sufficient." The pension must not exceed, however, £26 ($127) per year. And no pension may be paid of such amount as to bring the pensioner's total income above £52 ($250) per year. Where the pensioner has property, the pension is reduced to the extent of one pound ($4.87) for every ten pounds ($48.70) of the net property exceeding 50 pounds ($243) exclusive of the home, or above £100 ($487) including the home. When both husband and wife are pensioners, deduction in case of each of them shall be one pound for every 10 pounds of net property above 25 pounds.

The number of pensioners in Australia has been increasing steadily, the following figures show the steady rise:

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The cost of administering these pensions rose from £37,146 in 1910, to £48,407 in 1915. This amounted to £2, 9s, 7d. per cent. per 100 pounds distributed in 1910, and decreased to £1, 15s, 5d per cent. in 1915. The average fortnightly pension amounted to 19s, 1d in 1910 and 19s, 5d in 1915.

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The following two tables give a detailed account of the pensioners admitted during the fiscal year of 1916-17:

TABLE NUMBER 72

Old Age Pensioners Admitted During the Year 1916-1917 by the Dif ferent States of Australia.

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Age and Sex of Pensioners Admitted in Australia During 1916-17.

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