TEN THOUSAND WOMEN

Evening Star, Issue 14787, 31 January 1912, Page 8

TEN THOUSAND WOMEN

PROTEST AGAINST TUB INSURANCE TAX. In spite of !l:o mmiy diiTorcnt purposes to which the. Albert Hall, London, has been devoted, never before, perhaps, lum there assembled within its walls so remarkable a as that on November 29 for the purpose of prol ostitis njjainst the " wrwiut l:;x " clauses of the Insurance Jiill. Nil les extraordinary were the incidents outside the. v;i.-.t building. An hour and :•.-hoJf before t'be doors v.cie opened women :md !_'iris formed one irroat mass in front of the kill, mid at mi ;ulv;uieed bonr they were still .-irriViiiir on the scone. The Underground Ituilwuy earringes, motor buses, and inuncars on the way" to ) South KeiK-hv.'ton wen; pricked—but. only ; wilb females Those who bad not, tickets ' fought hard w> effect an entrance t.hrnii<_di tho (Airily-opened doors. Then private, nnitvr cars, earriayes an.l pain-, anil fashionable broughams drove, tin in rapid succession. When the hull was q:iito tillevl tlrere were 10,000 mistresses and maid? on the lioor of the, building, and In ihe Isixos. the balconies, and the cralbry. Amongst iheni woi-e well-known women representing si-cai. schools of thought, and activity and all sh.idc-s of political opinion. Tbo Ijidy Mayoresses- ' of Ixmo'or. ajid York ami the Mayoresses of : metropolitan boroughs and many considerable provincial towns lent their support to ] tlie protest uiraiust the servant fax. ] It \vii,s jriven out fhn.l, a inrgc ntunlx-r of I resolutions bad come from all soils ot' associations, of women, from one end of the land to the other, condemning the Kill. Tbe.se. included the Actresses' .Franchise. League, who described the Bill as " repugnant to all women," tbo committee of the, Scottish Female Domestic Servants' Benevolent Association, the South Islington Conservative and Unionist, Association Women's League, : the National Association of Domestic Ser- ! vants. the Women's Tax Kesist;uiee League, ; (be Sbcflield Scrvaufe' Home, the Irish ; Women's Society, the Freedom of I.nt«ir Defence Association, the Nursing and Domestic .Sta.ffs of Hospital;, and the National Association of Domestic Servants, Liverpool. The vast audience bad early notice of the resolutions to be brought, be- ) tore .is they were distributed a.bout j the ball in tbo following terms:— j Thai, this meeting protest .-uyvinst the j I Insurance Bill, as, it a.ffectr, domestic, ser- I vice, because the enormous classes concerned have, never been consulted, and by ! an overwhelming majority are opposed to the inclusion of servants in tbo measure. Tti.it. this meeting resolve, should these clauses pass, to organise, the whole conn- ; try to resist the scheme of ta.xat.ion. j With the perusal of flmso declarations and ' somii music on tho orpin tho ladiet; beguiled ! the iime prior U> the spoakei-s comint;. I When they rose en niasai and sane; ' Hu!e, ! Britannia' the spectacle was a striking one. • The Countes.s of Desart occupied the chair, j 1 and was supported on tho platform by many ! j mrmliers of Parliament, and other isynipa- j j thisers with the object, of tho meet ins. I When Her Ladyship rose; to speak, meeting ! with an enthu'siastie reception, she had the I audience almost, entirely with her. Once at | an early .st.si.;;o one heard a. feeble cry of I "Question," and a little laler there was some I .-.ign of dissent-, but it wa« quite, isolated | ' ami met with no freneral approval. There J ; was lii.-sinc; from all parts when she men. j ; iioncrl tho "nam? of Mr Lloyd George, | D.-sart remarked that they were accused of beins nil organisation to rob the sick anil to I prevent l>cnelit- reaching the poor. They j : emphatically denied this. On the contrary, j : they asserted thai, they wero protecting tho i [ hiirdlv-eotue-by camines of the poor The j 1 Ui\ was of no tinaneial importance to the i ! rich, but it was of vast importance to those | , who were not rich. Thev who had organised I ; that iiHK-tin;,' vvcin there that ni;,'hi. to lipbt j 1 the battle of the iaitor—tho battle of t,ho j small householder, the professional man. tho ■ retired ollicer, the curate, the clerk, the shep- ■ keeper, the mechanic, the widow, tbo spinster, end those of moderate, means. They ; wore tiirhiin-j- the Ixntle of Uie rank and tile i ! of tho servants. She deck-red that, the Bill , i was calculated to set class against cla>s. Hv ; what, ri-bt did Mr Llo.\d (leorye decree t.'irit ! ' everv was to be a tassja-tiirrer r \ i 'l'hey would show, she declared, thai, ihey I i wots'td not submit to tyranny under any name. Mr J. IT. Wati.s. who was in (reduced as nn j 1 authority on iuKurauoe, moved the first, re>o- j ltition. He commenced with words cptire , unfaiuihar a- ,i method of address. ''Mi-- : tresses and servajits." he. said, and proceeded t«.» |i.). ; :it (Hit that (he iiieetiii'r was not callci! to condemn, the Insurance Bill, oxcrpvinu in so far as it affected servants and their ini=- | tre-sii-. A lady's voice called out. foincthitit: ! fiivorabie to Mr" Lloyd Oeurpe. and Mr Watts i evoked a j;it<i!, laush by rctort.inu : " I wish j inv farm yard friend would be quiet" Later ; on be was a'„'ain interrupted "Will mv | friend who interferes,'' be n.skrd, "' * ■ me | whether this 7.-, bd a week will be sv.thcie.it ?" j "It is better than nothing." shatply replied the tpr!. at which there were loud ert.-. of " No. uo." His I'tiend who said it v/as better than iiothinp;. he went on, led evidently been read in;,' some of the speeches of the Chan- j ccllor. who, whenever he. was cornereil. said j "II was better than nothing." It mijzht lie I better than netiiiny, but, who would huve Ui pay for it'. Here there was, a little more, disorder, somo of those in tho balcony di<scni.itirr from the spe;iker. and M_r Walts cinie to a standstill. Then he threw him- i self on the mercy of the and over- I wiie'inin;r m:i>.s of femininity. " Please reuiembcr.'' he said. " that, I. a.m only one. poor ' man in the midst, of ten thousand women.'' \ The hearty merriment which this attitude evoked haviuj; subsided, he aqaiu took ujp bis i heme. >evereiy criticising the servtints clauses of the Bill. Mr J. J. Hisfrood, r.-f tlie lvlinbiirph Life Assurance Com]).'iny. the resolution. Miss Oiace Neal. of the Domestic Servants' Union. Siaid tiial, some time aj;o Mr Lloyd George told her association, when tliey wanted to see him. t.ha.t he was too busy. ('• Sharne.") " Last week, ln'wever." she abided, "he sent, | a letter to us to go and see him. We even had .i telegram from the Chancellor, with a reply paid form inside. fA Voice: "Ke was jxatinjr anxious.") " The Ch.i.nrellor in bis telegram sajri :• 'Wire names of deputation you are sending to the Treasury.' I rcpiicd," .-;; id Miss Neal. who is a. domestic servant, herself. "None." "Not content with ! tl:at, the Chaiiisdior was so shaky j that the uijrht before the. deputation of servants he telephoned up and w.'Uitcil to know j bow many representatives of the Domestic | isetvant-s' Union were !;oiii}r to lie seiit. We | gave him the same an>we.t': "None.' 'When j we wanted to seo him he would not. see, us. j and now he will have to wait our time." In j conclusion, Mis< Neal declared: "We do not, j wani s;rk lienelii. but. n compulse/:-.- cb.-if.ict* ;• ! Bill." (Cheers.) j As Lady Desart. put ihe resolution. }l,- s W. C. Anderson, well known as Miss May j M'Aitimi' in connection with -.vmncn's in<lu>triaJ mtivemeuts. io protest at;aiti>! ii. The audience, however, would not. hea.r her. and tin: resolution was ailc.pu'd will; acclamation, and almost unanimously. Mr Ililaite 801100. in rnoviii£r tho second resolution, said it was insolence to a-1; masters and misi.re.-ses to collect, the j.ix All tiiis wa= in save the face r.f a iirei'e.sioeal politician, with his £3OO a week, i iCheep...) The .-ervauts' ;a\ wtv:; ]iut. into | the Ins'.iiancc Bill to finance ihe measure. TAk' wav to kill it wutiitl be to refuse to p.iv. ; (Chccr>.| Mr Henry Littler, a valet irgireseniin"; 000 i men and women servants in tlie West End, j wlt-i seconded the resolution, describe;) the j 7s 6d a week as " worse than a. rott-en insult." I " We don't, want. Mr Lloyd (J.wrtjc's charity,'' ; . added the s)>eaker. j Other specche- bovine been made, the resolution was put. ami adopt-ed with enthusiasm, j after which one. or two quesUons were mittcd. | Ladv Desart, \v.)'A answering ih.em. when I Mrs A'jidersoii shoutM exc'irdlv: " Speak rii" j truth. Lady Desa.n. if you ran." Her Lady- ' ship disregarded the observation, which, hew- ,' ever, several of those around her resented. | —Referenda. Against, the Kill.— : Mr fV.niver. M.P. for Walsall, took a. ' referendum in hi.s con.-tituency on December ; 5, when 0.272 persons volcd in favor of a in' | 5.752 a-ainst the Bill. There wore 48 spoi'; j votinsr card.-. The smallness of t'w )>oil ; it.her.; are 15 000 rote.> cr. the roli'i wa* ac- ! counted for by tho resentment of tbo people \ a;,'.-iin:t the tactics of some Unionists who. . three days before, had defaced private ' bv p.istincr b.andbilL thereon. Cooppr. in '■<■ Marpnicut regardin? thp result. ■ Mid that the proportion of votes c:;s.t, in opposition to the Bill wa.s f.o far beyond the , wildest speculations on the effect of the bill- j pofitinc incident; tint no one conVl I that Walsall was not oppascsd to the measure. ' Before, the referendum was taken he Uioiicni I that the majority of his constituents were j oppo.'erl to it : now he was; sere thai they | were. ] Mr lu-etioii. Unionist member for But- j landsbiiu, took similar means to ascertain the I views cf his coirstitnents. Ho addressed a ! stajiipe.d envelope to the. 4,200 electors on the j January reporter. The question tiskiyj them | was: "Do you wish the liuarraiice Bill to "ik: i passed into law this, session?" Of 3,284 j cards returned 2,740 replied in ihe i 453 iu the aflrrmalivc, while 65 were spoil:, i and CO wuro retumsd. .as tlie nddresso? had if-f-i- the ibico the General Eiecii"" ' "" * i