Trade Union Regional Conference on the Beveridge Report : abridged report

1943-01-16 1943 1940s 7 pages 3 fifty years. The social schemes which were in operation to-day were in their infancy in his early days. As our representation in Parliament had increased, we had been able materially to improve our Social Services. When the workers had sense enough to send their own r...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Trades Union Congress (contributor)
Institution:MCR - The Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick
Language:English
English
Published: 16 January 1943
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10796/0BAF94D8-417D-484E-AAEF-19613EB3C18B
http://hdl.handle.net/10796/C721F684-C8AD-4C30-A44F-414B0D666DDE
Description
Summary:1943-01-16 1943 1940s 7 pages 3 fifty years. The social schemes which were in operation to-day were in their infancy in his early days. As our representation in Parliament had increased, we had been able materially to improve our Social Services. When the workers had sense enough to send their own representatives to represent them, then the Beveridge Report, if it is adopted, would soon be something infinitely better than what it is on paper. "In this agitation for the adoption of the Beveridge Report," Mr. Corby remarked, "I am afraid you won't be satisfied with getting what we can possibly get ; you will agitate for the impossible and kill the whole thing. We have gone a long, long way in the Beveridge recommendations, by creating a set of circumstances that I never dreamed I should see put up as a practical proposition by a responsible official." "Generally speaking," continued Mr. Corby, "you did not expect the Beveridge Report to be what it is." The speaker said that he was not one of those people who was going to gain by the Report, as he did not expect to be here very much longer (Laughter). Further, if we are to bear sacrifices, such sacrifices will be nothing as compared with the benefits which our children will receive. The Report does not provide for all we have asked for. Mr. Corby referred to the Miners, who were enforcibly deprived of any additional benefits in their approved societies owing to big demands on their funds as a result of the nature of their occupation. It was the miner who was really entitled to the additional benefits, owing to the increased hazards of his occupation. There was uniformity in the administration of the Beveridge Scheme. Everybody would be treated alike. Mr. Corby said that some approved societies searched all the four corners of the regulations to find some excuse for not paying benefit. In his own organisation, he said, he searched the regulations to see if he could bring in some excuse for paying benefit. The speaker next referred to the boon of family allowances, also old age and disability pensions which would obtain under the Beveridge Scheme. In conclusion, Mr. Corby said that he knew that the T.U.C., the Labour Party, and the Co-operative Movement were considering many of the things which were worrying them. But he was not going to tell them everything on that occasion, as it was not possible to have a meeting like that, and to expect everything to be kept inside. He had been let down by his own people scores of times, and it would not be wise for him to give all the answers to all the questions which may be put to him afterwards. Mr. Corby was also very warmly applauded. 292/150.5/5/206
Physical Description:TEXT