122 SECTIONAL ADDRESSES. 



will be met by a corresponding demand for work. We have to take 

 into account also the probability above suggested (12), that the demand 

 for goods in the production of which men's labour plays a great part 

 greatly exceeds, and will continue to exceed (13), the corresponding 

 demand for women's work. When these two circumstances are taken 

 into account it may be doubted whether any great reduction of male 

 wages would follow on the improvements suggested — better training of 

 women, hours and appliances suited to their requirements, in short 

 every degree of freedom that does not evidently tend to the degi-adation 

 of labour. A comparatively small endowment, then, might suffice to 

 deprive men of a reason for objecting to free competition. The excuse, 

 indeed, without the reason might remain. And no doubt the more 

 completely that the burden of supporting a family is taken off the 

 shoulders of men, the more effectually will the excuse be stopped. But 

 a reason more specious than stopping an excuse may be advanced 

 in favour of a large endowment. If we are abont making an endow- 

 ment, why confine ourselves to the one advantage of smoothing the way 

 for free competition? I^et us take the opportunity of securing a second 

 advantage. 



ii. The second advantage is the possibility of distributing the 

 resources available for the nurture of children in such wise that the 

 requirements of the larger families may be met more adequately than 

 on the present system. This advantage is thus forcibly stated by Mrs. 

 Sidney Webb : ' In the actual course of Nature the distribution of 

 children among households varying from none to a dozen or more; 

 the number who are simultaneously dependent on their parents varying 

 from one to more than half-a-dozen ; and the time in each family over 

 which this burden ol dependent childi-en extends, varying from a year 

 or two to ten times that period — bear, none of them, any relation to 

 the industrial efficiency either of the father or of the mother; or 

 to the wage that either of them, or both of them, could obtain through 

 individual bargaining by the higgling of the market ; or yet to any 

 actual or conceivable occupational or standard rates to be secured by 

 them, either by collective bargaining or legislative enactment ' (Report 

 of the War Cabinet Committee [Cmd. 135] , p. 306). By a children's 

 allowance payable to the mothers in all the households of the United 

 Kingdom it may be secured that ' adec{uate provision is made for chilch-en 

 not by statistical averages, but case by case.' This second advantage, 

 as well as the first, would certainly be considerable, if it were unmixed. 



20. I will now enumerate some disadvantages ; in no pai'ticular 

 order, seeing that the relative importance of the objections will not 

 be the same for different mentalities. 



i. To some the Socialist character of the scheme will form a prime 

 objection. The increase oi bureaucratic roaitine, the deadening of 

 individual initiative, will be apprehended. 



ii. The end proposed by the Socialist is commendable : to give the 

 hungry a larger share of the good things produced by the community. 

 But if the gi'ain wliich would have been sown for the hai'vest of next 

 year is used to fill the hmigry with cakes this year, the participants of 

 future harvests may be worse off than they would have been if the 



