The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-22

| In London, for instance, census
showed that kensington, where the
| rich live, had one doctor for each 500
| persons: Poplar, tho home of the poor
had only one doctor for every 5000 per-
sons.
| One of the worst muddles was the
| direct result of this shortage. The in
sured persons had the right to choose
their own doctor They had to go to
his office. present their insurance cards
and be registered in his books. Work
| ing men and women could only go al
! night, of course, and for weeks mobs
| fought before the surgeries of popular
doctors from p. m. until long after
midnight every night for a chance to
inscribe themselves on the lists. OF
course anything like medical trea tment
where this was going on was an i'm
possibility and there were shoals OF
complaints.
Then there was the great "anti-serv-
ant tax" war. Led by the Duches OF
Bedford, and score or two of count
esses and lesser female nobilities, the
mistresses of the country declared that
they wouldn't pay what they were
pleased to call the tax on their serv-
ants. Some of the servants were per-
suaded to join in the agitation. Meet
ings were held. and women pledged
themselves to resist"
1--WE will never licks stamps" was
the cry, this being an allusion to the
method of collection. The employer is
made responsible for sticking II cent
stamp on the employees card every
week. Then the women went home
and licked stamps-ali except a few de-
termined spirits, who were promptly
fined and then licked stamps, too. One
good lady discharged all the servants
and tried to run her big country house
ci la od "a =
engaged a coachman over 70 and few
housemaids under 16, who were, by vir-
tue of their age and youth, exempt
from the tax" An Irish barrister dis
charged his servants and invited them
to remain in his house as guests. prom
Using to make them occasional pres
ents. He was fined $3.50 and returned
to the wage system.
On the whole the servants have got
the best of 1t. Most of them insist
that the employer shall pay not only her
own cents but the servants cents,
and as servants are scarce in England,
employers advertising for servants now
generally include the words tax paid .
There has been a good deal of muddle,
too, over the consumption sanatorium
benefit. This was promised at once but
obviously sanatoria do not grow in the
fields like mushrooms and their build
ing and equipment will take time In
the meantime shift is being made with
home treatment. but every now and
then an insured consumptive dies and
a howl Of execration arises from the
anti-government newspapers
From the political point of view the
government has suffered most from the
insurance act in the country districts.
The English agricultural laborer is an
uncommonly thick headed. conservative
person and also an uncommonly healthy
person. He doesn't see why he should
pay cents week when he Is hardly
ever Ill to help his more sickly brathren
in >the towns. Then he still takes his
opinions ready made from squire and
parson" and the squire and the parson
as rule are tories and lose no chance
of scoring a point against LLOYD
George and his wicked radical govern
ment. This feeling was reflected al
Newmarket recently Here in a typical
agricultural constituency a radical ma
jority off, over 800 was converted into n
tory majority of 500.
When all Is said and done, however
things are settling down and the law
Is doing an immense amount of good
Over 13.O0O,0 600 persons are now on ths
insurance lists and are getting an ex-
cellect medical service. Many of them
were too poor ever to employ a doc
tor before and their only experience of
the healing art was when they became
SO i'll that thy were taken to q hospita a
or workhouse infirmary The doctor
is earning twice as much as he did he
fore. and he doesn't have to supplv