A Plan for the Reorientation of the Social Services

THE chief ambition of men and of nations is, not merely to maintain present standards, but to aim continually at higher development. The achievement of this ambition lies with the children. Therefore, there is potential value to the State in every baby born a citizen. This potential value will be increased if every child is brought up in healthy conditions, and trained according to its capacity. In adult years the potential value of the child becomes actual value to the State. This " actual value " is greater than the cost of upbringing in childhood, and of subsistence in sickness and old-age, and of subsistence in adult working years. I suggest that the potential value of children be acknowledged at birth, or shortly before, and a free bargain be offered by the State to the family of every child. The State will offer to pay, for the family (not, perhaps, to the family), all necessary expenses incurred for the child, that the family cannot themselves provide. The family, on their part, will undertake to commence repayment of all sums lent, at the rate of 2j per cent. per annum. This provides for mutual acknowledgment of family responsibility, and provides, also, a check on family extravagance. On reaching adult earning years, the child will take over its share of the outstanding debt. Cattle-and horse-breeders have always, in effect, borrowed on the potential value of their calves and foals, in order to bring them to a well-developed maturity, and they do, in fact, find that the actual value of the mature animals repays the cost of their upbringing, and leaves the margin on which the breeders live. Are British citizens, well brought up, less likely to repay their cost than cattle and horses? If the potential value of the children is to become actual value, and the cost of upbringing repaid, and provision made for sickness and old age, opportunity to work must be provided. To this end, I suggest that the Ministry of Labour take control of all unskilled and semiskilled labour, and pay each labourer a minimum wage. Industry would then hire the unskilled and semiskilled labour it required from the Ministry, and pay to the Ministry the minimum wage, plus an additional charge to support the unemployed. Unemployment is expensive to the country, and demoralising to the unemployed; it is a double loss to the nation. It is a …