SOCIAL EVILS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 26, 13 January 1912, Page 8

SOCIAL EVILS.

INSURANCE HI EL AND LAND RE FORM.

BRITISH CHANCELLOR’S R ICR K DIES.

In n speech at Rath in November Mr. Lloyd George seemed hopeful about the prospects of tl'.o Insurance Hill. He said: 1 am very glad that the first measure undertaken by the Liberal Party, after disposing of the Veto of the Lords, lias been a great measure of social reform and of social amelioration—a measure to make provision for the dark days of sickness and unemplo.vment; a measure of healing; a measure which und.rfakcs a great campaign against this terrible scourge of consumption, which swoops away tens of thousands of our fellowcitizens every year; a measure that will, in my judgment, cleanse tlie land of slums. (Cheers.) At this stage a man in the body 7 of the hall rose and ejaculated: “Mr Chairman.” Immediately there was a scene of disorder and the whole audience endeavoured to shout down the interrupter, who was eventually removed by a small body 7 of police and stewards. Then a second interrupter attempted to attract attention ; lie was immediately seized and ejected. The disorder continued for five minutes.

On resuming Mr Lloyd George said ; I was talking about the Insurance Bill, I think. (Laughter.) That, Bill at the present moment is swimming along through a murky 7 flood of misrepresentation. By and by it, will get on dry land, and then I will tell you what will happen. Societies which criticised it will make it their business to point out Hie benefits to their members by way of inducing other people to join; circulars by 7 the million will ho issued pointing out the advantages, domestic servants—(laughter)—will discover for the first time that not only 7 have they got to pay, hut their mistresses have got to pay as well, that the State is paying something, and that there will ho provision for their sickness and their old age; that benefits will flow in; and then the time will come when Liberalism will ho thanked that it faced the hailstorm of invective and calumny in order to bring these great boons to. the cottages of the people. (Cheers.)

In those days we shall remind them who stirred up interest against it, who organised falsehood, who maligned and who invented. They will then he anxious to forget those things and to claim a share in having assisted it along. They' will then he more anxious to advertise the little assistance they gave. But I will tell yon what will happen. The people, ;once it is discovered what the Insurance Bill means and how little truth has been told about it, will never trust those people again. (Cheers.) There will 1)6 no placards in those days, “How we tried to kill the Insurance Bill,” “How we tried to rob”—-I said “tried.” I might have used a word which rhymes with it (laughter)—“the domestic servants of the benefits of that Bill.” (Laughter.) Oblivion is what they avill seek, hut they will not get it. (Cheers.)

Lana Kcrorm. Now, the Bill does not profess to do everything to mitigate the social,evils of tho day. It is purely a contribution—l believe a considerable, one. (Cheers.) For instance, it penalises tho slums. That is good enough. After all, a slum affords a. better shelter t.'ian the roadside, and you have no right to clear out the slums unless you are prepared to put up better houses, and you cannot do that without imposing a crushing burden of taxation and until you reform our land system—(cheers)—in both town and [country; it hinders everything—hindices small holdings, hinders allottments, hinders workmen’s dwellings, and hinders every attempt at social amelioration; it thwarts every enterprise, commercial, industrial, social, and economic, including municipal enterprise, and you will do no good until you recast the system. The feudal system might have been very uscIful in the Dark Ages, but it is alt solutely unsuited to the needs of today. It is just like clothing a member of tho Territorial .Army in a coat of armour; it impedes his movements, weighs him down. It is just the same with this system. You Lave got to reform it. What is one of tho greatest and most urgent needs of Britain to-day? I Weir, I will tell you. (A voice, “Votes I for women,” and laughter, in which (Mr Lloyd George joined.) The interrupter, a man, was ejected from the hall, and when order had been restored Mr Lloyd George said: He has earned his railway fare very easily. (Laughter and cheers.) The Most Urgent Noetl. 1 think the most urgent need of Britain to-day is the regeneration of rural Britain. You will not do that without a complete reform in the land laws. What is happening now? You have got millions of robust citiIzoiis driven by the present system from the healthy environment cf the (soil to the allurements of our great cities. Hundreds of thousands, if not I millions, passed into other lands. I am not surprised. When the just roI wards of labour are given to those Who labour not, and when those who (do toil are requited with wretched i wages and still more wretched houses, you will not keep the labourer on tin* [land. (Hear, hear.) Fven in tho fid I days when movement, when escape I from bondage, was much more dffiijcult, it is recorded that a race of labI oarers faced seas, and ’wildernesses, ■and river, to escape from slavery. And now that with half a week’s Wages invested in a railway ticked the labourer can got deliverance iu the I towns, and when with half a year’s I rent of a leaky, damp cottage invested in a steerage ticket he can become | a yeoman possessing his own free- I

Isold of 100 acres, the labourei will not long undergo the privations of his present conditions. (Cheers.)