The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-09-10
HIGH BROW SOCIETY
SOL VESWARPROBLEM
Fabans Shaw and Webb Leading, Do Much British Thinking
Socialists But Not Usual Kind-Tels How Pay For War

general and the research department in
particular have been very busy. They are
concentrating on the problem of recon-
struction after the war and on the meth
DDS of dealing with all the problems that
will arise when it becomes necessary to
reabsorb most of the 100000 men who
have been withdrawn from industry, and
to get back into the home the 900 or
5000, 900 women who have been attracted
into the factories, workshops and offices
by the shortage of men. Within the last
two or three months the research depart
ment has published two important books.
One is entitled How to Pay for the
War" and contains a host of suggestions
for new taxation and stiffening up of the
ola taxes with the least possible hard :
ship and friction while at the same time
Improving and extending several public
| services-more socialism, of course. The
ether called international government"
is a report prepared for the research de-
partment by Lucien Woolf, a famous
English writer on international affairs
or the possibility of some form of in
ternat ional federation- after the war
which will prevent wars in future.
The research department, however, has
not confined itself to the production of
these two works 1t has carried out an
of women in industry and is still at work
on the problems arising out of the enor-
nous influx of women into wage earning
occupations. 1t is also inquiring into the
whole question of trade union organiza-
ton and regulations, how they have been
affected by the war conditions, to what
extent they can be restored after the war
and to what extent their restoration is
deSira BILE. A separate committee has also
fnrf1a o1 Nv he rot coy1o
to inquire into the organization Of the
professions and their relation to the pub
lie services.
WAR EMERGENCY WORKERS
Somewhat outside the scope of the
Fabian society's own work, but pro-
NOTED and suggested by it in accord
ance with the Fabian policy, is the war
emergency workers national commit
tee, which is a body made UP of rep
rescntatives' of all the great trade
unions and socialist societies to look
after the interests of the workers in
all questions that might arise out of
the war. That committee has been in
close touch with the government at
all stages of the war and has accom-
plished a great deal of useful work. For
instance, one of it's first successes was
the increase by the government of the
tress because of the war dislocation of
trade. That was fixed at first on tha
scale of $1.50 per week per adult and
80 cents per week per child. The war
emergency committee secured an in
crease to $3.50 per adult and sliding
scale for children according to the
number in a family. 1t also induced
the government to pass the courts
emergency powers act under which
q mr. dc 0rN; a.
and their right to evict for nonpay-
ment of rent was considerably restrict
ed for the period of the war. The
committee also secured from the gov
eminent the allowances now granted
to soldiers for the carrying out of their
contracts for insurance, hire, purchases
and so on which would have lapsed
otherwise at considerable loss to the
holders.
In addition to getting things done
the war emergency committee has pre-
vented a lot of things, which 1T con-
sidered injurious and reactionary, be-
Ing done. 1t prevented. for instance,
return to child labor in the factories
on the plea of war necessity, 1T stopped
proposal to suspend the feeding of
school children and it blocked scheme
for the reduction of the school leaving
age in order to render the children
available for industry a year earlier
than at present. In all of these activi-
ties the committee has acted under
the guidance and almost under the d.
rection of the Fabian society. or rath-
er of Fabians among its members, for
1T is not the practice of the society
to interfere in it's corporate capacity
more than is absolutely necessary.
The work of the society is conducted
in interesting old house in Tot
hill street, Westminster. close to
Westminster abby and the house of
parliament. 1t is at present in charge
of Edward r. Pease one of the foun-
ders of the society and honorary sec
rotary for many years. The general
secretary, w. Stephen Sanders, who has
been in active charge of the work for
some years, is now an officer in the
army. Mr.. Pease is of the opinion that
the war will do much to bring forward
socialism as practical policy.
EFFECT OF WAR
1.-THE most striking effect of the war"
he said to me few days ago, lis the
way in which the state has been COM
PEELED to step in and take charge of all
our activities, our trade, our finance, our
transport and everything else, and this
is all the more remarkable because the
demand came from the traders and fnan-
ciers-the very men who have always been
most opposed to state Intervention. When
the pinch came they saw that the only
way to support our trade and finance was
to call on the state. This confirms what
that Fabian society said years ago in
answer to famous banker who said
that the strength of our banks lay in
their gold reserve. We replied that that
was all nonsense and that the strength
of our banks lay in the fact that the
government would not let them fail. That
is exactly what happened.
What we are doing now is laying the
basis for the formation of opinion, which
will arise after the war There is an
enormous amount of reconstruction to be
done. Nearly 100000 men must be got
back to work and the problem Of the
women now in industry must be solved.
Our research department is now collect
ing facts and figures on which intelligent
action can be based, but their work is
far from complete. All the trade union
rules are in allegiance. Many of the pro-
cesses and operations on which they have