.4

The most noticeable feature of the above table is the large percentage of the population of the cities that enjoy membership in sick funds as compared with the percentage of population in rural districts. The relative increase in percentage of membership is also greater in the cities than in the country.

With regard to the percentage of the total population, however, it should be noted that many persons are members of more than one fund and that the percentage of 10.1 given above is, therefore, too high. The true percentage of the population insured in registered sick funds in each of the last seven years was stated in an official report to be as follows:

PER CENT OF TOTAL POPULATION AND OF ADULT POPULATION OF SWEDEN IN REGISTERED SICK FUNDS, 1901 TO 1907.

[Source: Registrerade Sjukkassor Verksamhet, 1907. Utgifven afdelning Kommerskollegii afdelning för Arbetsstatistik.]

As regards the membership of the funds, the report shows that, in 1907, 41 of the funds had less than 25 members each, 1,084 had less than 100, 47 had more than 1,000, while 9 had more than 5,000 members each. As to the distribution of the membership according to sex, 908 of the funds were for males only, 1,345 admitted both males and females, 51 were for females only, and 14 did not report as to the sex of members. In the 2,304 funds which reported as to sex, the total number of male members was 415,326 and of female members 128,593. With regard to the nature of the benefits, 2,152 of the funds, with a membership of 508,295, granted both sick and funeral help, while 164, with 35,194 members, were established purely for sick relief.

The financial condition of the funds can here only be indicated by giving, for a series of years, the collective financial statement and balance sheet for all the registered funds at the end of each year. The table following gives the income and disbursements of these funds for the years 1896 to 1907:

INCOME AND DISBURSEMENTS OF ALL REGISTERED SICK FUNDS, 1896 TO 1907. [Source: Registrerade Sjukkassor Verksamhet, 1896-1907, Utgifven afdelning Kommerkkollegii afdelning för Arbetsstatistik.]

The principal item of income is made up of the contributions of the members, which in 1907 amounted to $1,368,071.36, or 78.1 per cent of the total income, representing an average contribution of $2.52 per member. The state contribution amounted to 6.6 per cent of the total income, 71.4 per cent of the expenses of management, and 8.8 per cent of the benefits paid out during the year. In 1892, the first year of registration, the state contribution amounted to 8,723.27 crowns ($2,337.84), or 3.2 per cent of the benefits paid. The total amount of state aid rendered from January 1, 1892, to December 31, 1907, amounted to 3,220,792.25 crowns ($863,172.32).

The total benefits, including medical expenses, were in 1907, 87.3 per cent of the total disbursements, the expenses of management forming 10.7 per cent, while the remaining 2 per cent consisted of the other disbursements. With regard to the item "medical fees," it may be said that many of the funds give free medical attendance in addition to sick relief. The average amount of sick relief paid out during the year was $2.04 per member. The excess of income over disbursements amounted to $237,672.64, an average of 43.7 cents per member.

In the table following are given the assets, liabilities, and surplus of the registered sick funds for the years 1896 to 1907.

ASSETS, LIABILITIES, AND SURPLUS OF ALL REGISTERED SICK FUNDS, 1896 TO 1907. [Source: Registrerade Sjukkassor Verksamhet, 1896-1907. Utgifven afdelning Kommerskollegii afdelning för Arbetsstatistik.]

The details of the assets and liabilities of all registered sick funds on December 31, 1907, are as follows:

The surplus of assets over liabilities was thus $2,765,405.01 held as reserve funds. The average amount of such reserves per member has been gradually increasing, as appears from the table above.

During the year there were 145,398 cases of sickness in which relief was paid. The total combined duration of sickness amounted to 3,195,258 days, being thus an average duration of 22 days for each case of illness, and 5.9 days per member. The average amount of relief paid was 27.42 crowns ($7.35) for each case, or 1.25 crowns (33.5 cents) per day. The statistics regarding deaths and funeral help are unsatisfactory, and are therefore excluded from the report.

The report contains a considerable amount of data regarding the rules and regulations of the various funds. In 152 of the funds, 143 of which were both sick and funeral funds, membership was obligatory. These were the funds established by employers for particular factories or institutions.

In 895 of the funds the right to receive sick relief was acquired upon entrance, there being in these funds no prescribed period of waiting. The other funds required that a person must have been a member for a certain length of time before he could receive any benefits. In the majority of the funds this waiting time was less than three months. Nearly all the funds had some rules regarding the maximum length of time during which relief would be paid in any one year, as shown by the following table:

MINIMUM AMOUNTS OF FUNERAL BENEFIT PAID BY REGISTERED SICK FUNDS, 1907. [Source: Registrerade Sjukkassor Verksamhet, 1907. Utgifven afdelning Kommerskollegii afdelning för Arbetsstatistik.]

MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF FUNERAL BENEFIT PAID BY 200 REGISTERED SICK FUNDS PAYING COMPARATIVELY LARGE AMOUNTS, 1907.

LIMIT OF PERIOD DURING WHICH SICK BENEFITS ARE PAID BY REGISTERED SICK FUNDS, 1907.

[Source: Registrerade Sjukkassor Verksamhet, 1907. Utgifven afdelning Kommerskollegii afdelning för Arbetsstatistik.]

There were in addition various rules regarding payment of relief in cases of prolonged or often recurring disease, such as reduced rates after a certain length of time, a maximum amount payable to any one person, or a maximum length of time, etc.

The annual dues varied considerably, being 3 crowns (80.4 cents) or less in 260 of the funds, from 3 to 12 crowns (80.4 cents to $3.22) in 1,053, and more than 12 crowns ($3.22) in 91 funds. Other funds had various combinations of dues and assessments, while 162 of the funds had no regular dues.

The amount of sick relief payable ranged from 3.50 crowns (93.8 cents) per week or less in 69 of the funds to more than 10.50 crowns ($2.81) in 184 funds. In 1,295 funds the weekly sick relief was between 3.50 crowns (93.8 cents) and 10.50 crowns ($2.81), while others had various combination rules in force.

INVALIDITY AND OLD-AGE INSURANCE.

Government insurance against old age and invalidity exists in Sweden only for government employees. Public officials generally are entitled to pensions upon being retired for old age, but aside from this the Government has provided compulsory insurance against invalidity and old age as well as provisions for widows and orphans of certain classes of public employees, notably for the employees of the state railroads and state telegraphs.

The State Railroad Pension Institution was established by the law of September 6, 1872. According to this law every person in the ordinary service of the state railroads is a member of the pension institution and has to pay, by deduction from his salary, contributions consisting of a percentage of his salary graded according to his age at the time of his entering the service. The following are examples of these percentages for every ten years of age: Age at entry, 30 years, 1.5 per cent of salary; 40 years, 2 per cent; 50 years, 2.5 per cent; 60 years, 3 per cent; and over 60 years, 3.5 per cent of salary. In addition to these contributions the institution also receives a subsidy from the State.

A member is entitled to a pension under any of the following three conditions:

(1) If permanent invalidity is caused in any manner through his work in the state railroad service;

(2) If invalidity results from any cause after ten years of service; (3) When, after 30 years of service, the sum of his age and the length of his service amounts to 95 years.

The amount of the pension is equal to a certain percentage of his salary, depending upon the length of service, as follows: After 10 years of service, 20 per cent of the salary; after 15 years, 27.5 per cent; after 20 years, 35 per cent; after 25 years, 42.5 per cent; and