Many fraternal organizations have old-age benefits. But the early history of this movement is strewn with financial wrecks, because the rates were too low and philanthropic impulses outweighed scientific methods. Very few of these organizations had anything that can be called old-age pensions or benefits, although some of them are now coming to do so. A few trade unions have superannuation features, particularly the International Typographical Union and the Amalgamated Societies of Engineers, also carpenters and joiners. But here, again, benefits are small. Industrial insurance is really life insurance for small amounts and is designed for wage earners, with premiums payable weekly, collected from homes by agents, and the premiums graded in multiples of five cents. This method really began in London in 1854 and despite initial errors the movement has grown rapidly, so that there are now many millions of industrial policies in force in that country. But only very recently have they attempted specific insurance against old age. Here the premiums usually cease at 65 and the annuity is rarely over $100. The Krupp Company at Essen had, before the war, one of the most elaborate systems of age insurance, conducted solely for the benefit of the employees and to which the Company contributed largely. The scheme is complex and was often interpellated in the _Reichstag_, especially on the point of forfeiture of payments of members who leave the firm. Each workman pays 2½ per cent, which is deducted from his wages. The system is chiefly for those who do not earn over 2000 marks a year. Retirement is permissible after 20 years of service or on reaching the age of 65. After 20 years the workman receives 40 per cent of his earnings, increasing yearly by 1½ per cent up to a maximum, after 44 years, of 75 per cent. If he dies, his widow receives half his pension, and each child 10 per cent. If the mother dies, each child receives 15 per cent. The total membership varies from 30,000 to 40,000, and the average pension is 683 marks. A number of other large German industrial concerns have adopted certain features of this scheme. Most of the Friendly Societies of Great Britain make provision for old age insurance but only to a limited extent, insuring at the same time against sickness, unemployment, providing death benefits, etc. The germ of all such work is found in the medieval trade guilds, and the necessity of it was immensely enhanced by the development of the factory system and what is called the Industrial Revolution.