The Magna Charta of the Poor. 



39 



much money is drawn from the funds, in proportion, 

 as from other districts in the neiglibourhood. 'Ihis 

 is registered automatically in the shape of charges 

 upon the fund. Now, when this automatic registra- 

 tion of excess reaches a certain point an inquiry may 

 be obtained. After it is proved that the excessive 

 ill-health is due to insanitary property the owners of 

 iliat property have either to put that property in 

 order or pay the excess charge upon the insurance 

 fund due to the condition of houses from which they 

 have been drawing rent." 



" A tremendous measure of centralisation," I said. 



"Yes," said Mr. Lloyd George; "but the local 

 authorities, left without effective control, have 

 neglected their duty. 'lake the case of Harrogate, 

 for instance, a fashionable watering place in the 

 North of England, which I publicly pilloried for its 

 neglect in certain instances to enforce the regula- 

 tions of the Health Cunmiittee. There was a 

 frightful outcry, but I have no doubt that the result 

 will be that Harrogate will set its house in order, 

 and what Harrogate is doing all insanitary places 

 «ill have to do when the Act comes into operation." 



RELYING ON THE FRIENDLY SOCIETIES. 



"Our scheme is unlike the German scheme as it is 

 based entirely upon the voluntary co-operation of the 

 people. It is a great measure for the ])romoiion of 

 voluntary co-oi)eration. The administration of bene- 

 fits is left in the hands of the people themselves. 

 instead of underiaking, as in Germany, the direct 

 administration of the scheme, the responsibility is 

 thrown upon the shoulders of local committees, in- 

 cluding representatives of Friendly Societies, upon 

 whose shoulders rests the administration of the Act. 

 We found the whole of England covered with a net- 

 work ol Friendly Societies, the majority of which 

 were actuarially insolvent, even upon their own 

 balance sheets. We say to them : ' We will 

 entrust you with the task of administering this Act. 

 We will subsidise you to the extent of twopence a 

 week per head on condition that you collect the 

 money from employers and employed, and that in 

 three years you satisfy the State that you are actuarially 

 sound. If we find that this is not the case you will 

 either have to put a voluntary levy upon members in 

 order to make good the deficiency, or your members 

 will not be able to receive full benefits : it will be 

 either increased contributions or diminished benefits.' 

 If the -Act is properly administered, that is to say, if 

 malingering is checked and proper supervision is taken, 

 it ought to be perfectly possible for any Friendly 

 Society to pay the benefits to its i ontributofs. If, 

 however, a society i.s negligent, then that society 

 must jiay the penalty, and its members must either 

 increase their contributions or sacrifice part of the 

 benefits which would otherwi.se accrue to them. 

 Thus you see the scheme is not only one for pro- 

 viding that every working man may be guaranteed 

 against starvation when he is out of work, but it is a 

 most tremendous engine for developing l<ic nl re- 



sponsible administration of the self-helping kind, and 

 at the same time it provides an instrument for the 

 destruction of slums." 



IS THK LAW POPULAR? 



"What of the opposition to the Bill ?' 

 "The opposition to the scheme proceeds almost 

 entirely from-the articulate classes — that is to say, from 

 the people whom you meet at dinner, the people who 

 write in newspapers, the people who have seats in the 

 House, and, in general, those who have to contribute 

 but who do not draw any benefits. Hence a great 

 outcry, engineered for party purposes or to make 

 a newspaper sensation. But I was very much 

 impressed by the e.xperience of my colleague, Mr. 

 Birrell, the other day. He went down to Manchester 

 and met at dinner the usual people whom a Minister 

 of the Crown would meet at dinner — well-to-do 

 people in good circumstances who looked more or 

 less askance at a measure which placed increased 

 expenditure upon them without any corresponding 

 direct benefit to anyone except their employes. He 

 found them tepid in their enthusiasm, to say the 

 least, and if they were not actually hostile they wt re 

 critical and unsympathetic. After dinner he went 

 down to a great meeting in the Free Trade 

 Hall. The great building was crowded to the 

 ceiling. Mr. Birrell was somewhat depressed 

 and somewhat anxious as to the popularity of the 

 Bill, and with some fear and trembling he approached 

 the subnet by saying : ' Now we come to Mr. Lloyd 

 George's Insurance Bill ! ' He was never more 

 impressed in his life than when he found the whole 

 audience spring to its feet and cheer and cheer again 

 He had never witnessed such a general and prolongeii 

 outburst of enthusiasm for any measure. I think you 

 will find it so throughout the country among the 

 people who will benefit. There will, of course, be a 

 great deal of friction, but the people who benefit wiil 

 soon realise the advantages which the scheme secure.^ 

 for them, and after that you will hear little ol 

 unpopularity." 



THE MISTRESSES' AGITATIuN. 



" What about the servant girls' agitation ? " said I. 



" That was the hollowest bubble that has ever 'oeen 

 I)ricked. I was immensely impressed by the deputa 

 tion of mistresses and servants which waited upon me 

 on the subject. I have never had a deputation in my 

 life which impressed me more with its directness, its 

 sincerity, and its admirable common sense. There was 

 not a su])crficial word s])oken by any woman there 

 One lady made a speech of two minutes, in which she 

 went right to the heart of the thing in a manner 

 which commanded my admiration and respect. Tin 

 servant girls were extraordinarily intelligent, aiiil 

 although some of them came primed against the Bill, 

 1 had no difficulty whatever, by a course ol (jueslion 

 and answer, in conviix ing them that in producing this 

 measure we were looking .ifter their own interests, and 

 the interests of the servants was to support the Hill." 



I 



