40 



The Review of Reviews. 



NO PASSIVE RESISTANCE POSSIBLE. 



" Do you think," said I, " that there will be any 

 passive resistance offered to the Bill ? " 



Mr. Lloyd (leorge smiled. " No, I do not think 

 so. Any employer who refuses to pay his weekly 

 contribution renders himself liable to a civil or 

 criminal process. Moreover, employers will soon 

 realise— as they have realised in Germany — the great 

 advantages that accrue to them from the increased 

 efficiency and contentment of their workmen, and I 

 confidently anticipate that here — as in Germany — the 

 scheme will win their cordial support." 



THE PENALTY ON SWEATERS. 



"You have mentioned the limit of;^i6oa year, 

 beyond which benefits do not apply," I said, " and 

 you have special terms, I believe, for people earning 

 very low wages ? " 



" Yes," said he, " that is a kind of fine, as you might 

 call it, upon those who pay starvation wages. Where 

 the wages are not 9s. a week the workman pays 

 nothing and the employer pays more. Where the 

 wages are 15s. and under,[the employer pays a heavier 

 contribution. This operates against sweating and 

 tends to raLse the miserable condition of the very 

 poor." 



THE RECEPTION OF THE LAW. 



" Do you expect much hostility to the Bill when it 

 comes into operation ? " 



" No," said he ; " what is going to be done is this : 

 all the Friendly .Societies are going to conduct a" 

 canvass of the country for the purpose of securing 

 the greatest number of members. Each canvasser 

 will become a trained missionary, as it were, who will 

 expound the advantages obtained under the Act in 

 order to secure the adhesion of the greatest possible 

 number, for the societies have a natural ambition to 

 do as much business as possible and secure as many 

 members as possible. When the first payments begin 

 it is possible there may be a certain amount of 

 friction, but after the scheme once gets under 

 operation — after two or three years — the same 

 thing will happen with this as with Old Age 

 Pensions. The people who opposed it will try to 

 hide their record by the vebemence of their support 

 that they would never, never, never, no never! 

 interfere with the l^-nefits secured for the working 

 classes of this country by the Insurance scheme. 

 You see," said Mr. Lloyd George, " what Mr. Disraeli 

 said was very true : There are two nations, in every 

 country, the rich and the poor. The rich' are the 

 articulate class, they command ihe means of making 

 their complaints audible throughout the world ; the 

 poor are condemned to silence. .-\ny measure like 

 this that is introduced provokes the outcry of the 

 articulate. It will be some time before we can 



real sentiment of the people towards 

 but I have no doubt as to the ultimate 



ascertain the 

 the measure, 

 result." 



\\HAT IT WILL cosr. 



" In cash," said I. " How does it work out in 

 cash to the National Treasury ? " 



"Old Age Pensions, I told you, cost 13 millions 

 a year. The contribution of the State to the in- 

 surance fund, in full operation, which I reckon will be 

 about 18 years, will amount to about 8 millions sterling. 

 That is to say, in our two measures of social reform 

 the State distributes 21 millions a year among the 

 poorer classes of the community, which thus develops 

 self-respect and accustoms them to the responsible 

 e.xercise of civic duties." 



" I have not referred to your Unemployment 

 scheme," I said. 



" That is another branch," said he, " on which a 

 good deal might be said. We have limited it at 

 present to the engineering and building trades, which 

 are subject to fluctuations. We shall see how it 

 works. If it works well there, we may extend it." 



" I see complaint is made against you that the 

 introduction of the Bill was not preceded by prelim- 

 inary investigation." 



" There could not be a greater mistake," said he. 

 " I have made most exhaustive investigation, and 

 studied the operation of insurance as it exists in 

 Germany." 



" What is the difiference ? " said I. 



"The first great difterence is that the State in 

 Germany only contributes to the Old Age Pensions 

 and Sick Insurance three millions a year. The rest is 

 entirely made up by contributions from the employers 

 and the employed. In Germany, too, the administra 

 tion is entirely in the hands of the State, and it is 

 cumbrous and costly. What we claim for our scheme 

 is that not a penny of the fund subscribed by the men 

 goes towards paying salaries or expenses of State 

 ofificials. These charges will be borne by the 

 Treasury. The fund will be entirely administered by 

 the workmen themselves. After paying all the benefits 

 I have mentioned, there will still be two millions a 

 year left to supply diff'erent benefits to be chosen by 

 the workmen themselves through their societies." 



STILL there's MORE TO FOLLOW. 



In conclusion, Mr. Lloyd George said : 



We 



have 

 cam- 



at last made a beginning ; we have started a 

 paign against the worst evils to be encountered, and 

 we are going on. The campaign against tuber- 

 culosis is only one of a series of campaigns which will 

 be taken up in due succession for the purjjose of 

 carrying out a great ideal for the amelioration of the 

 condition of the people of this country." 



