In favor of such a method the advantages of a wider distribution of the cost are empha sized. It is argued by some students that the same advantages can be achieved in a very much simpler way by putting the total cost at once upon the state. This has expressed itself in the old age pension systems of Great Britain, Denmark, France and some Australian coun tries, in a few maternity pension acts and some 20 mothers' pension acts in the United States. Further extension of this method of gratuitous pensions, at least in some branches, does not appear impossible.
Development in United Interest in social insurance problems in the United States is very recent, and scarcely extends over six or seven years, though of mutual efforts toward insurance of workmen there have been many. Trade unions, fraternal societies, large employing corporations, railroads, municipalities and some other political entities have tried to build up some systems of insurance protection of wageworkers. In a legislative way the prob lem began to attract attention only toward the dose of the first decade of the 20th century, when the movement of compensation legislation spread throughout the country. Though the early acts were declared unconstitutional in 1911 and 1916, 32 States passed accident com pensation acts, and compensation is almost uni versal outside of the black belt. Almost simul taneously with that, from 1913 a very active agi tation for mothers' pensions developed which proved successful in more than 20 States. Old age insurance and pensions have been discussed for some years, and were made the subject of several State investigations with occasional en dorsements of the underlying principles, but as yet without any specific recommendation for immediate action. The unemployment situation of the years 1913 and 1914, especially coming after the establishment of the compulsory un employment insurance system of Great Britain, has stimulated interest in this most difficult branch of social insurance. But the strongest recent development has been in the direction of social health insurance. In 1913 an investigat ing social insurance commission was provided for in California, and in 1916 in Massachusetts, both specializing in the problem of health in surance. The American Association for Labor Legislation has a standing committee on social insurance since 1912, devoting most of its work to health insurance. The first National Con
ferences tin Social Insurance were held in Chi cago in June 1913, and the second one under the auspices of the United States government in December 1916. The California commission in its report recommended health insurance legislation as the most practical solution of pressing social problems after workmen's com pensation. It advised the adoption of the com pulsory system. Because of the probability of a law of this kind being declared unconstitu tional by the State courts, a constitutional amendment was submitted to the voters in 1918, and meeting with violent opposition from the Christian Scientists and from the commercial insurance companies, was rejected. Up to beginning of 1919 Massachusetts was the only State which provided vocational training for industrial cripples as part of its compensation scheme. Eight State legislative commissions were investigating the subject of health insur ance in the winter of 1918-19. Organized labor was pressing more insistently for the enactment of compulsory health legislation. , The New York State Federation of Labor placed health insurance first among its demands on legisla tive candidates in 1918. Despite this a reaction ary legislature in the 1919 session defeated all efforts to enact health insurance legislation in New York. Members of the medical profession were opposed to such legislation. The Massa chusetts commission reported in favor of ((sickness prevention') in 1918, but made no very definite recommendations as to methods. Among the States which have appointed commissions to investigate social insurance problems are Con necticut, Illinois, Ohio, New Hampshire, Penn sylvania and Wisconsin. Compensation and in surance for soldiers and sailors and allowances for their dependents were provided by Federal enactment in 1917. At the close of hostilities in November the government reported that nearly $37,000,000,000 had been taken out in life insurance by our over 4,000,000 men of the army and navy; this was the greatest insurance, for such it is, that the world has witnessed hitherto, since the total amount of life insur ance carried by commercial and other companies is estimated to be $3,000,000,000 less than this amount. It is generally admitted that health insurance of a compulsory character will be the logical development from compensation legis lation.