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66
sickness by more than 10 per cent., and that such
excess was in whole or in part due to any such
cause as aforesaid.
The amount of any extra expenditure found by the
person holding the inquiry to have been incurred under
this part of this Act by any societies or committees,
where the allegation is made by the Insurance
Commissioners, or if the allegation is made by a society
or committtee, by the society or committee in question,
by reason of such cause, shall be ordered by him to be
made good in accordance with certain provisions.
How any of these allegations are to be proved I do
not know, but if any one of them is proved to the
satisfaction of the person holding the inquiry, the
authority at fault, be it County Council, Borough
Council, Water Board, employers of labour, or what not,
will have to pay, for there is no appeal from the
decision of the person holding the inquiry.
(c) Maternity Benefit.
The Act provides a maternity allowance of 30s. to
the wives of insured persons, or to the insured persons
themselves if they are women workers. So far as I can
judge, this timely help should diminish the infantile
mortality, which is so great during the fatal first month.
Last year 26 per cent. of the whole of the deaths of
infants under one year occurred during the first four
weeks of life, and many of these were due to poverty.
THE RAG FLOCK ACT, 1911.
This Act renders it illegal for any person (1) to sell
or have in his possession for sale flock manufactured