Liberal Reforms

Liberal Reforms

1. Why?

   • To get more votes in The House Of Commons
   • Because their rival countries, (America and Germany) were becoming better than them
   • To improve national efficiency.
     • The Boer War (1899-1902) showed this. 1/3 of the men who joined up to fight in the Boer War were sent back due to poor health. As well as this 60% of the men who joined up in Manchester were also sent back for the same reason.

2. What

   • Elderly
     • Old Age Pensions
       • * Passed in 1908 * Had to be 'deserving' (not have a record for alcohol, laziness etc.) * Have to be >70 * Have to earn less than £21 a year * Pension = 5 Shillings p/w per person * Couples = 7 Shillings, 6d p/w * Discourages elderly from saving for retirement * Lord Salsbury disliked pensions
   • Children
     • Children's Charter
       • * Collection of measures in 1908 * Helped neglected children * Stopped kids from buying alcohol, tobacco and fireworks * They had a curfew and made sure there was no prostitution * Borstals helped reformed young peeps * Probabtion System set up for young offenders * Working hours restricted * Illegal for children to do certain jobs
     • School Meals Act
       • * Introduced by a Labour back bencher * Introduced in 1906 * 1914- Provided 150,000 free school meals a day
     • Free school medical inspections
       • * Introduced 1907 * To get treatment you had to pay until 1912 * But you got free treatement TB * Checked up once a year
   • Labour Exchanges
     • * Act introduced in 1909 * Set up in 1910  * Was like a job centre  * 1914 - 400 exchanges set up which filled millions of vacancies p/y
   • Trade Boards Act
     • * Introduced in 1909 * Helped low-paid workers in 'sweated trades' * Made minimum wage for these trades compulsory
   • National Insurance Act
     • Health Insurance
       • * Introduced in 1911 * Covered all workers earning £160 or less a year * Covered much of working class population (16,000,000) * Worker = 4d a week   Government = 2d a week   Employer = 3d a week   Total = 9d a week of insurance/ approx. £2 a year * When ill/unable to work, worker could claim payments of 10 shillings a week for 26 weeks * Also included maternity benefit
     • Unemployment Insurance
       • * Work of Churchill* Only available in Britain* Made to protect men in industries and seasonal unemployment (e.g. ship building and engineering)* Covered 2,500,000 workers* Worker and employer = 2.5d a week * Unemployed: Worker = 7 shillings a week for 15 weeks

3. Were they effective?

   • Ya
     • * "Lifting the shadows of the workhouse." - Lloyd George commenting on the Old Age Pensions* Able to get the government involved in the poor people's daily life.* Although very little, people were grateful for the reforms and the reforms were popular* Free TB treatment * Social Service state * Enabled a healthier and more educated future workforce * Reforms set up the responsibility of the state (brought the poor people to the government's attention)
   • Nuh-uh
     • * Didn't become a welfare state (till after WWII) * National Health Service not set up till 1948 * Work Houses not abolished til 1929 * People still punished for being poor (Poor Law not abolished till 1929) * Role of Lloyd George slightly exaggerated * Payments didn't last long (max. 26 weeks but usually 16) * Money was being taken away from the poorbefore they could get their hands on it. * People in sweated trades only got minimum wage