Trade Union Regional Conference on the Beveridge Report : abridged report

1943-01-16 1943 1940s 7 pages 6 The concluding question was put by a delegate who submitted that the Government wanted to escape from the responsibility of the Beveridge Report by placing sole responsibility on Sir William Beveridge. Mr. Corby declared emphatically that was not so. He qualified...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Trades Union Congress (contributor)
Institution:MCR - The Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick
Language:English
English
Published: 16 January 1943
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Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10796/25E5F17B-6E23-477C-B103-6227B88C7064
http://hdl.handle.net/10796/651E42E0-CFB8-4A8E-9B51-D85FB1A7918E
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Summary:1943-01-16 1943 1940s 7 pages 6 The concluding question was put by a delegate who submitted that the Government wanted to escape from the responsibility of the Beveridge Report by placing sole responsibility on Sir William Beveridge. Mr. Corby declared emphatically that was not so. He qualified this by stating that Sir William had at his command the best possible advice from the heads of the Government departments affected, but Mr. Corby also added that he was surprised that the Government ever allowed Beveridge to take on the job. He had worked with him for more than 25 years, but he would not like to say there was no truth in the statement that there was no political interests in his methods. (Laughter.) DISCUSSION. The Chairman (Councillor Charles Spragg) announced that the total attendance was 336 delegates, representing 1 Co-operative Society (2 delegates), 17 Trades Councils (31 delegates), and 257 Trade Union Branches (303 delegates). Councillor Spragg appealed for the utmost brevity in discussion in order to give as many delegates as possible a chance to speak. There was a full discussion, in which many delegates took part. Points dealt with were : Beveridge does not deal with State control of Hospitals — British Medical Association's attitude to Beveridge. The President of the Birmingham Central Life Insurance Workers raised the question of the worst elimination of the Life Insurance workers. He said there were no guarantees regarding redundancy. Many of them had their life's savings in this business. He himself had always preached the gospel of Socialism, and was victimised for it in 1926, when he went into the insurance business as a consequence. Insurance workers were always prepared to do their best for social reform, but they were entitled to protect their interests, and they were entitled to support from the platform in this matter. One speaker did not share the views of Mr. Corby with regard to the Government putting into operation the findings of the Beveridge Report. They had to face the possibility of the Government hedging and hanging on to bide time in the hope of the war finishing before any legislation of an effective character was introduced. The opposition would come not only from the Insurance Societies, but from the Federation of British Industries. But as a Movement, we should all insist that the Beveridge Report should be the first item on the legislative programme in the next session of Parliament. 292/150.5/5/206
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