138  THE  PROBLEM  OF  THE  UNEMPLOYED
The  Dutch  Free  Labour  Colonies  at  Frederiksoord,
Wilhelmsoord,  and  Wilhelminaasoord  conform  more  closely
to  the  proposal  of  Mr.  Booth  in  that  they  recognise  the
family  and  provide  a  permanent  house  for  the  colonists,
educating  the  children.  Though  agriculture  is  the  chief
occupation  a  number  of  subsidiary  industries  are  attached,
such  as  Matmaking,  Blacksmithy,  Tailoring,  Carpentry,
Brickmaking,  Basketmaking  and  Furniture  making.  The
success  of  the  Dutch  colonies  is  not,  however,  such  as  to
afford  great  encouragement  to  the  advocates  of  labour
colonies.  The  population  is  somewhat  smaller  than  in
1873,  though  the  tendency  towards  large  families  of  children,
many  of  whom  return  to  the  colony  after  they  are  launched
in  the  outside  world,  seems  to  point  to  the  danger  of
breeding  a  permanent  race  of  paupers,  as  one  which  would
deserve  the  most  serious  consideration  in  the  wider  application ­
  of  such  a  system.  The  average  annual  cost  of  a
family  to  the  Dutch  charitable  public  appears  to  amount
to  about  ¿23  per  annum,  inclusive  of  interest  on  the
capital  invested  in  land  and  plant.
§  10.  The  Starnthwaite  Experiment.
So  far  as  effective  labour  and  any  definite  improvement
in  industrial  character  and  position  are  concerned  we  can
scarcely  look  with  any  degree  of  hope  to  colonies  which
are  open  to  all  comers,  exercising  no  selection.  In  England
at  any  rate  the  most  hopeful  experiments  would  seem  to
be  those  which  selected  their  material  from  the  low-skilled
labour  which  is  displaced  from  agricultural  work  or  which
is  already  deposited  in  town  life.  Among  those  which
are  now  on  foot  the  experiment  of  the  Home  Colonisation
Society  at  Starnthwaite  in  Westmoreland  is,  in  its  economic