Page:The Annual Register 1899.djvu/333

 1899.] The Netherlands. — Workmen s Insurance. [325

representation. His success on this occasion, the authority with which he spoke, and the impression he produced, could not fail to give the President of the Council some anxious moments, but the bill was passed (Dec. 22) by 61 to 26 votes and 6 abstentions ; and nothing occurred before the close of the year to disturb M. de Smet de Naeyer's tranquillity.

The Luxemburg Chamber of Deputies, of which one half had to be re-elected during the year, occupied itself with modest domestic reforms dealing with the reorganisation of Savings Banks and the establishment of Laird Banks in the agricultural districts.

II. THE NETHERLANDS.

The parliamentary year in the Netherlands was one ol singular sterility. The sittings of the States-General were short, few and noisy, and the Cabinet saw its majority slowly dis- appearing. In vain ministers set themselves conscientiously to elaborate and prepare measures of wide and practical utility. The Chambers could find no time to pass them, and many of the members complained that they were unable to understand the arguments upon which the bills were founded. The earlier part of the session was occupied in debating a measure brought forward by the Ministers of the Interior and of Trade to determine the compensation payable to workmen on account of accidents in their calling Legislation on this point had been found opportune in England, France and Germany, and its working had been generally smooth. The employers of labour, however, at Botterdam, Dordrecht and Amsterdam were almost unanimous in opposing the adoption of the bill, which they declared was an act of spoliation. They alleged, however, as their chief objection that the proposed law tended towards cen- tralisation, and thereby endangered the conditions of labour. Petitions were signed, meetings held and a general opposition organised, at the head of which the great Liberal firms, such as the Van Marken, Storte and others, ranged themselves in opposition to the Ministry. The report on the petitions against the bill was in due course presented to the Chamber, which referred it at once to the Minister of the Interior, who, however, de- clined to accept it, and after a very curt delay announced the intention of the Government to stand by their proposals. There- upon Herr Kuyper, chief of the anti-revolutionists, presented a counter-proposal which, whilst retaining a State savings bank (the feature of the Government measure), gave to employers the right to form syndicates, provided that such bodies should be composed of not less than five masters employing not fewer than 5,000 men. These syndicates would undertake to pay into the State bank a lump sum sufficient to pay the annuities fixed in the event of the death of those entitled.

This counter-proposal was debated at great length ; but the regular business of the session was seriously hindered, and sub-