Evening star., 1943-02-14
American Beveridge Plan Seen
AS No Assurance of Stability
But Nation Must Meet Issues of Security and
Opportunity to Win the Peace as Well
Guard Against Future War
BY arthur E. Burns.
Adjunct Professor of Economics Washington unverst

Always with wars and rumors of wars,
60 prayers for peace and vague longings
toward better world Occasionally
these vagaries crystalize as witness The
Beveridge Report for Britain"
AS day follows twilight and night, so
will blanket suggestions for social secur-
ity mushroom in Congress as a conse-
quence of Sir Williams proposal in
London and our Presidents report on the
state of the Nation.
The question will be asked of us OBJ
hquely-as is our custom-but the issues
must be met head-on-does America
want security or opportunity? Are the
two mutually exclusive? The Beveridge
system would protect the king and the
coal HEAVIER from cradle to coffin and
provide the coffin-can we do this in
America? Do we want to do this in
America?
On the intelligence of our answer
hangs most of our chances of winning
the peace. But before passing judgment
on any American Beveridge plan it
would be at least intelligent to appraise
the British idea with special references
to its applicability to the American
scene.
The purpose of the plan is simple:
It sets up floor" below which income
cannot fall. When a person gets sick,
loses job, gets hurt marries, has a
baby grows old, and for other reasons
loses income and needs money, the Bev-
eridge plan steps in. Social insurance,
grants and allowances. and medical serv-
Ices take care of these contingencies.
For all this, the British will pay heavily
In contributions and taxes.
Beveridge's Own View.
Some said this plan would take the
British halfway to Moscow" Others
see 1t as the last and best flower of the
18th century" the logical development
Of what has been going on there for some
time. Mr.. Beveridge would hardly agree
with the faint despair implied in this
statement, although he regards his plan
as the outgrowth of traditional social
policy. He expresses his own view
this way: The scheme proposed here is
in some ways a revolution, but in more
important ways it is natural develop
ment from the past. 1t is British rev.
olution." This should reassure those
who view with alarm.
Again Mr.. Beveridge says, "A revolu-
tionary moment in the worlds history
is time for revolution, not for patch
ing" He does not add patch to the
old pants; he makes a new pair, bigger
and warmer than the old The fact
that he went about making new
garment is the revolutionary" aspect of
the situat ton: but the pants are still cut
to fit John Bull
Many in America and some in Britain
are emphatic that war is no time to
advance social schemes-that war comes
first, not social reform. Mr.. Beveridge
agrees that war comes first. but this
does not alter the facts that the
purpose of victory is to live into bet
ter world than the old world; that each
individual citizen is more likely to
concentrate upon his war effort If he
feels that his Government will be ready
In time with plans for that better
world; that, If these plans are to be
ready in time, they must be made now"
Immediate Aim.
The immediate aim is to cushion the
internal shocks of victorious postwar
era Millions of men will be mustered
out of the Army, many more millions
will be dropped from war industry Ex-
listing social insurance schemes in Brit
ain cannot prevent the poverty and