The Icelandic Canadian - 01.12.1964, Blaðsíða 36

34
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Winter 1964
of 4,392 crowns a year is paid in be-
half of each half orphan under 16 and
6,588 crowns a year for each full
orphan. A lump sum of about one to
four years’ pension is payable for an
invalid child over 16 according to the
degree of support of the insured.
Contributions for this phase of in-
surance are collected by revenue agen-
cies at rates assessed by the director of
taxation on the basis of risk. The State
Social Security Institution administers
the program through local offices man-
aged by a board elected by parliament
and a director. General supervision is
under the Ministry of Social Affairs.
Iceland, to most of the world a re-
mote and hard-featured country, one
of small and scattered population,
one unable yet to educate its own doc-
tors who, qualifying, apparently re-
ceive but meagre reward for their
arduous labors, nevertheless from quite
early times seems to have maintained
high ideals of national health. Its sys-
tem of social security exhibits a degree
of originality in conception and oper-
ation, compulsorily functioning
through small largely autonomous
bodies. The fact that the nation ranks
comparatively low internationally in
number of citizens and economic impor-
tance and influence has in no way de-
terred it front planning along progres-
sive lines to provide all varied seg-
ments of the population with protec-
tion against major health contingencies.
Biennial Meeting of Canada Ethnic Press Federation
A most successful biennial meeting
of the Canada Ethnic Press Federation
was held in Toronto, October 23-25
this fall. There was representation at
the meeting from Montreal, Toronto,
Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver.
The main speakers were Hon. Rene
Tremblay and Hon. Mitchell Sharp
representing the Government of Can-
ada; Hon. John Yaremko and Hon.
Allan Grossman representing the
Government of Ontario. Two mem-
bers of the Royal Commission on B
and B were in a panel of four on a
discussion of bilingualism and bicul-
■turalism in Canada.
A number of resolutions were passed
one of which was that the Federation
would support a Canadian flag recom-
mended by a majority of the Flouse of
Commons.
Officers elected were: Patron, the
Governor General of Canada, George
P. Vanier; Honorary President, Hon.
Rene Tremblay; Founder and Life
Past President, Hon. W. J. Lindal; Im-
mediate Past Pres. Bruno Tenhunen
of Toronto; President, Charles E.
Dojack of Winnipeg; 1st Vice-Pres,
Frank Glogowski of Toronto; 2nd Vice-
Pres. Leo J. Lezack of Winnipeg; Sec.
John H. Syrnick of Winnipeg; Treas.,
P. V. Havlik of Toronto. There are
six Directors, one from Montreal, three
from Toronto, itwo from Winnipeg
and one from Vancouver.