1940-08-01 — Page 7

THE CHINA MAIL, AUGUST 1, 1940

CHINA MAIL

WINDSOR HOUSE –

TOKYO ARRESTS

Appeasement by Britain in the Far East in an effort to gain time has not been conspicuously successful.

Within a fortnight of the Burma Road agree-1 ment, prominent British residents are arrested on the flimsiest pretext, and if the death of Mr. M. J. Cox, veteran Reuter cor- respondent, was as is sug- gested, an unexpected complication from the Japanese viewpoint, their account of the tragedy still leaves a great deal unexplained and to be ex- plained.

Only one reasonable in- terpretation of develop- ments seems possible. At German instigation, or on their own initiative, the new Konoye Cabinet is engaged in testing how far Britain can be pushed.

And we must cal1 "Halt!" in terms permit- ting of no mistake or mis- understanding.

(Page 7

THE AMATEUR VIKING

(Copyright in All Countries.)

Crocodile Tears

two or fore under the great Liberal Ad-itional scheme of compulsory in- Who says that Brit- have seemed impossible

three generations ago. To the ministration that ruled from 1906|surance, under which workpeople, Lord Halifax has in-ain's sense of social social scientist they mean heal-to the outbreak of the First Ger- employers and the State each formed the Japanese Am-

bassador that a grave view responsibility has been

thier homes and more responsible man War in 1914. [citizens. To the community at

.

the

for contributed to a pool benefit of workmen who were

large, which pays over £400 mil- Those eight years set the seal sick. lions a year for them, they give on what had gone before, and is taken of the incidents developing for over a dividends in saving thousands of were the inspiration of all the The second part of this Act

lives every year from physical social legislation since. to-day and spiritual collapse.

by the British Govern-|

4

genera-European stage, but to events of

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C

provided for an experimental scheme of unemployment insur- ment, and Sir Robert Crai-Century until

From a long and memorable listance covering just over two mil- lion people in the shipbuilding, gie is credited with similar organised Labour en-

the regular When the German radio is la-of reforms, such as

of school building, engineering, ironfound- representations in Tokyo. joys a degree of com-menting with crocodile tears our medical inspection

anding and similar trades, but when harshness towards the "under children and the maternity Much-tried British re-fort and economic sec-[dog”, my mind goes back, not to child welfare clinics which have the war was over and attention sidents in the Far East

the few years that the Nazi move-robbed death of thousands of vic- could be turned again to domestic matters, its scope was extended, to offer new benefits to more people. may be permitted to ques-urity undreamed of ment has been making its short tims, three Acts stand out.

and doomed strut across the tion whether

The first is the Old Age Fen- that is two or three

At present nearly 20 million enough:

sions Act of 1908. This measure people are entitled to the benefits and more ago.

provided that any man or woman of contributory Insurance, which The demand of the tions ago....

At that time a widening fran-over the age of 70 who had an now include a pension of 10s. a

income of eight shillings a week "Daily Express" for repri-G. K. Chesterton once said that chise and the transformation of

comes 65 years of age and a. sal arrests fits more with of similar sum for his wife if she is

we often miss seeing things, not England, from an agricultural to or less should receive from the week to a workman when he be

because they are too large. They

Ave shillings a week, the present-day mood.

lover 60, besides widows' and or- new concepts of political and can fill the horizon so completely economic liberty.

Since then the pension has been) An espionage charge is that we suppose there is nothing demand, modern Liberalism was vate means which an old person

To meet that

phans' pensions: doubled, and the. amount of pri-

The cost to the State of National the easiest to bring and to there at all.

born out of the old Whig Party, use in justification of

whose principles of personal free- may have has been increased so Health Insurance is £40 millions That is what seems to have dom and social conscience. It be that with his savings and the help a year and rather more for the strong arm tactics. With happened to the poor leader of gan at once to relate to the needs of the State a pensioner may have contributory pensions, while the an income of £1 a week. Even free. Old Age Pensions cost-rough- equal warrant, the Brit-the Nazi Labour Front and the of the new age.

propagandists who repeat with

so, in response to a wide publicly a similar sum. demand and a series of petitions)

ате

no

social services worth talking about

no social insurance and no labour exchanges.

through

B

scope ever since.

the last seven years. But we in

By- Sir Archibald Sinclair, M. P.,

ish authorities could ar-the dull precision of parrots Dr.

collected by the Liberal Party and Such figures alone answer the rest ten Japanese for Ley's charge that there

numbering over 150,000 names, German charges, but we have every Briton in detention in Britain; no public assistance,

further concessions have recently other advantages in Britain that- been granted. At present the the German workman might well in Japan.

majority of pensioners. receive a envy. - Our national account lies Remembering all the

pension as of right under the con-open for the Inspection of the To answer Dr. Ley's charge

tributory insurance scheme, . restrictions on mails and

humblest citizen, and every tax- alone would be a simple matter

payer can see where his money cameras and on the move-of a short list of dates and statis-

No one is likely to pretend that has gone. We do not have to send who glancos ments of foreigners in tics, for anyone

poor people live in a bed of roses storm troopers round from house

in when they become too old or too to house getting what are modern history book Japan, and putting those will soon find that all three were

weak to work, and many of us effect compulsory contributions to would like to do much more to a nominally voluntary scheme of facts alongside the free-in operation nearly thirty years So it came about that as early make life easier for them. But Winter Help, only to find, first doms of which the fullest ago and have been enlarging their

as 1833 the new spirit was res- at least we in Britain. have that its accounts, are never pro- ponsible for the first important established permanently the prin- perly audited and thep that poli- advantage is taken by

Perhaps the Nazis do not read Factory Act, which laid arm ciple that they are a public resticians who had previously been Japanese in places like history, though, and that failing foundation for all later legislation,

right to be cared for by the com-landowners with luxurious homes. Hong Kong and Singa- may be responsible for other and by limiting the employment of Ponsibility, and that they have a poor suddenly blossom' out as rich Our people do not find that after pore, liberties scarcely graver errors they have made in young children to eight hours amunity.

six years of power a Cabinet After Old Age Pensions; came in Minister has managed to "accumu tightened up importantly Britain are not likely to commit day and appointing factory in- even since the outbreak the same mistake, at least where spectors to see that the law was 1909 the establishment of Labour late a million pounds or so in a

Exchanges. the social services are concerned. carried out.

Though unemploy-Swiss or South American bank.. of the war, the Japanese For they are a feature of

ment was by modern standards

Nor are we yet in need of A year later. Boards of Guar-negligible then, and International Labour Front with a Government- action is a direct and de-national life which there is good

dians elected. by the ratepayers trade was booming, men who appointed dictator to watch over liberate discourtesy and

were sat up to administer relief were without jobs and employers our social well-being. Our fabric who needed workpeople wanted of social services: has been built should be treated as such. To organised Labour they re- for those out of work.

with to be put in touch presenta, degree of comfort and

cach up without stealing: the money of In 1847 work in factories was other, and the Exchanges were set the Jews, proscribing owners of economic security that would

limited to ten hours a day. Eighty-up for the purpose.

businesses, cutting: the workers' three years later there are thou-

standard of life and raising his

would be grateful for such a law nations were impoverished by in-centration camps, British working in their own country:

sane economic nationalism, the people have not needed a puppet The new blockade pro- The answer to neutrals

Exchanges had the grim but use-appointed by a tyrannical Gov- posals, with their navicert who complain is obvious. Such Acts were on admission by ful task of distributing the State ernment to tell them what they

the State of its responsibility to benefit to the workless.

ought to think. for everything basis, will Do they imagine we find wards-those-who-were-too-poor-or please nobody. Most dis-any special convenience too infirm to protect themselves, The third and crowning Act of Instead, they have acted soberly and throughout the nineteenth the series was the National In-and-constitutionally through their pleased of all who study in fighting the Tyrants of century this principle was extend-surance Act of 1911, a landmark own Trades Unions, whose pre-

allow. the details will be Hitler Europe single-handed? Ased in scope now the miners were in social history the world over. sent determination not to

afforded greater protection; later A group of Liberals who felt the peoples of Europe to pass Into and Mussolini:

father said when admin-the workman's right to compen-keenly about social reform--[the helötry of Nazism is the best. In short, the new istering a spanking: "This sation for injuries suffered when among them' especially Mr. Lloyd answer on the comparative merits at work was established-until it George and the late C. F, G. Mas- of life for the worker in Britain- method promises an effl-is for your own good.". Ireached heights undreamed of bo-terman-established by itana- land Germany,

NAVICERTS

cause to remember.

our

a

ciency not previously at-sands of German workmen who When world trade decayed and hours, or sending critics to con-

tained.