16 
It was a vital problem which demanded immediate treatment. 
Those who had called that Conference together did not for a 
moment intend to be distracted from their work of dealing 
with what they believed to be the root cause of poverty, but 
these so-called palliative proposals, especially in so far 
as they safeguarded the mothers of the race and the 
children of the future, were really laying' the firm foundation 
for the building up of that co-operative commonwealth of the 
future whose vision inspired and encouraged them to do the 
more mundane work of the moment. 
C. M. Lloyd (Bethnal Green I.L.P.) then moved the 
following resolution:— 
“That this Conference calls upon the Government to 
take prompt action on the Reports of the Poor Law 
Commission; to abolish the workhouse and break up 
the Poor Law; to set on foot an energetic campaign for 
the Prevention of Destitution, instead of merely relieving 
it when it has occurred; and for this purpose to transfer 
the provision for the children to the Local Education 
Authority, the infants, the sick, and the infirm to the 
Local Health Authority, the mentally defective to the 
Local Lunacy Authority, and the aged to the Local 
Pensions Authority.” 
In moving the resolution, Mr. Lloyd said there were 648 
workhouses in England and Wales, in none of which was any 
real good done to the people who were in them. The break 
up of the Poor Law meant that they were going to deal with 
people in a different way to that in which the Guardians were 
dealing with them to-day. One single authority to-day was 
trying to deal with many classes of people, and it was not 
competent to do it. He wanted each class of people to be dealt 
with separately according to their needs, the prevention of 
destitution instead of merely relieving it, and to get hold of 
people before they fell into the final stage when there was 
very little chance of being able to do them any good. A 
visit to schools anywhere would show large numbers of 
children suffering from little diseases of one sort or another 
which could be put right now with very little trouble or ex 
pense, but which, if neglected, would result in the children 
growing up stunted and deformed. They proposed to transfer 
the provision for children to the Local Education Authority 
because that was the proper authority to look after school 
children, and not the Board of Guardians, and the Local 
Education Authority should consist of people experienced in 
education, and its officers were persons whose business it was 
to deal with education.