The Scheme of Things

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 25, 30 January 1932, Page 9

The Scheme of Things

By M.H.C.

Prom a great many sources comes the statement'that in Englandj and in London particularly, there is a perceptible improvement in the health and appearr anca of the people, and specially with regard to the children. It is said that, while there is poverty in plenty, the older people who have noted the conditions for. many years past, now ■ see plainly that .the people -.'itare \ better housed, and fed, and clothed. Among the writers who make this statement is "Mr. St.' John Ervine. Writing in *' Time and Tide,'' he says: ' '. The working people axe better clothed and fed, and better housed than they were thirty years ago. - Their opportunities to obtain education are so much greater than.:.ithey > were in my boyhood,, that the^elementary Education "tip-day, ~by comparison with that of a generation ago, seems like that of a university in comparison with that of a Bagged School. jiTovdmy these obvious facts is to be gutftyiof a class bias which must disable 'those who make such denial from any useful contribution to sociology. Ne.ar toCmy-home is" a'fishing village with which' I have some familiarity. There is no poverty in it <<i-day in the sense in which'there was^poyi erty so recently'as just Jbeforethe war. I live in an agricultural community;'inlabited by peasants and small farmers. Poverty is not 'deepening' among them, nor arc any of them living in a state of semi-starvation. ... They are not affluent, but the general level of life is palpably higher than it was two decades ago." j

Taking this and many other declarations that have been made recently, and contrasting them with the statements made about the amount of money.Miss Margaret Bondfield managed to obtain for social services and relief works during her time as Minister of Labour in Great Britain, it is a matter of speculation whether she may not thns be considered responsible for some of the improvement mentioned. According to reports, she induced the Government to give^very large sums oi money literally for poor relief. There is a section of political writers and people generally who grudge these sums bitterly, • and who are quite ready to rejoice that she is no longer in any position where she can get any more help of the kind. No one accuses her of her nest," as has been .known Yin other cases and at other times (when no fault was found), but she had'a passionate wish to relieve the social conditions of the people round her, and by some persuasive -means induced: the Cabinet (in which she was the only woman member)., to grant her these great sums. So far there has been no one to utter any appreciation of the work she did, nor the fact that there were many terrible^ periods of discontent and difficulty which she': managed to bridge peacefuDy. -Still, there are, without doubt, many who do realise that the first woman in a British Cabinet did fine work, was not in the least "spectacular," but carried out her duties as she saw them, quietly and conscientiously. Therefore she is- a woman for other women to honour, and an example to follow where possible.

; Another point of. interest in regard to; the, position,.-,-of the-unemployed-or ftther poor folk in. Great Britain1 is

that of the kind of provision of work for them in these hard-up times. Did Miss Bondfield and her associates manage to vision any other kind of work on which to. spend the millions specially collected for the relief of unemployment, than "pick and shovel" .work? Did they arrange anything for workeH who were neither experienced in this work, nor by bodily equipment were suited for' it? Did they think at all kindly of the out-of-work women, or leave them (as in this wonderful little country) with a few hundreds only throughout the whole land, just enough for postage, rental of offices, and such like expenses-—to sink or swim, as best they might f . It:; would hardly be like Margaret Bondfield 'to'consent to that. But it..would.tbe*/veryf•interesting , to, know ;Khatvthey.j3id;d^and why^ the, people in England are now found to be better housed and dressed and fed than formerly I ,

■ The fact is the whole matter fairiy "bristles " with, difficulties, but that is no;: reason,why; it should?'not;~be tackled from a nnmbetI'-of sides, and not only'"from oriey; asat present. It does /not;.see'm asVif -anyv f air ' adoustVmen,t:; can>l)e made till a fundamental fact is: established,* and men-and women are both concerned ins.this; ' *Ehe workers all need.; to be considered' from the point of view of efficiency as well as from that of economic necessity—this latter, so far, being, the only test. The, willing, competent workers.need to Be separated from the incompetent drones. The' "unemployable" are a definite class, and there is neither common-sense nor justice in forcipg, or trying to force: employers to" give- Jhese women, or men " top " standard _wag«s. They cannot, or do not, earn, them. They should be given lower wages, and if they do not earn them, lower still, till they realise that they must, .perforce, "put their best foot foremost" and try to be of real value; to their ,«mployers. In a country district where , a number of unemployed are placed on the terms of "keep", and small -wages, an employer who has eight of these stated recently that one of the eight was a thoroughly good man,' and he was,taking,him on at the usual wage, two' others were good: enough, to be taken on by other residents, and five ,were just worth the small wage and the keep, and he meant to let them stay as long as they wished.

Another definite instance is' of a good place and work being offered in a pleasant country district, and a prominent social worker could not find one man who would leav« the city and take the work. ■ All with whom he.came'in touch preferred to wait. around * the town.' This, aiid. many other instances that are well known, poinfc.; to the necessity for a definite plan of selection whereby the worthy workers can be placed as' decent citizens and producers, while the, others ;ihust,'be shouldered by the capable and industrious: as. inevitable and recognised burdens.' To' organise such selection would be ia dis-. agreeable task, and a difficult'tone. The simple placing of heavier and heavier taxes on people.who have always worked and saved, for those who will do neither, is, undoubtedly, the easy way out, but whether it is the wi'se!a'nd ,-paying onS'ijf'the; end'femains to" be';proved. " ■-*'..'"'■:;...'■' *';•' ''.V-'l