The minority report : a criticism : (a summary of which appeared in the Times of 19th June 1910).

Date:
1910
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The minority report : a criticism : (a summary of which appeared in the Times of 19th June 1910). Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    is plain that the authors of the Report have had no experience of pauperism in the concrete or of practical administration. The following imperfect analysis will try to show first that the Report is a Socialist document advocating, with but little disguise, “ universal provision ” by the State of the necessaries of life. It will naturally gain the support of Socialists—indeed the Socialist organisations are working for it tooth and nail throughout the country—but it will be regarded with suspicion by those who still regard self pro- vision as the true basis of social welfare. The actual proposals of the Minority will next be examined, and their claim to “ scientific precision,” and it will be shown how little warrant there is for any such claim. The illusory nature of the safeguards proposed, the probable effect of the delegation of relief administration to bodies elected for other purposes, the manipulation of the labour market with dictatorial power conferred upon superintendents of labour exchanges, the artificial exclusion of certain classes of people from the labour market altogether, the ear-marking of huge sums for the “ regularisation ” of labour, the possibility of “ training ” and “ honourably maintaining ” enormous numbers of adults in public training establishments and of inspiring them whole- sale with morale—all these questions will be dealt with in turn and critically examined. Certain inaccuracies in matters of fact and internal inconsistencies will also be indicated as bearing upon the credit of the Report. Finally, something will be said as to the attitude of the Minority upon a question which will appear to many to be the most important question of all, namely, the question of character or, to use their own expression, of the “ moral factor” in the problem of pauperism. It may be said at once that the general impression left upon the mind by the Report is that it is a gospel of materialism which is certain to defeat its own objects, because character, as the antithesis of pauperism, is essential to material well-being.