Report of the Committee of Management and Medical Director : 1940 / Papworth Village Settlement.

  • Papworth Village Settlement (Cambridge, England)
Date:
1940
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Committee of Management and Medical Director : 1940 / Papworth Village Settlement. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    19/28 (page 17)
    Back to work. After lunch the Papworth workers pass from their hostels and cottages down the main road to the workshops. They have work that they can do, wages upon which they can I ive and homes of which they can be proud. has involved a severe financial strain. This has so far been well sustained, with the assistance of our bankers who for some time have shown in a practical way their appreciation of our special problems, but there is no doubt at all but that as the war proceeds we shall need to add considerably to our village. Already thousands have been disabled in this war. Many more thousands will in all probability be injured before peace returns; and although Papworth has devoted itself mainly to suffer¬ ers from tuberculosis it has the constitutional power to assist other sufferers too. The extent to which the Settlement can use this power depends upon many factors; but one thing at least is certain, namely that there is almost no limit to the amount of capital which Papworth will be able to apply to its humane and constructive task of rehabilitating the unfit. What the Disabled Need. For years Papworth has pleaded the cause of the disabled: not asking that they should be maintained in uncomfortable idleness by means of small allowances or “ benefits,” but urging that they should obtain what they most desire-—work that they can do, wages upon which they can live, and homes of which they can be proud. There are signs that the Government are alive to the necessity of making some such provision as this. It is vital that they should do so. Apart from the humanitarian aspect cf the matter—though that is important enough—no State can readily contemplate from the financial point of view the indefinite maintenance of crowds of sub-standard men and women, and it is to the interest of every taxpayer to insist that such an unnecessary burden shall not be allowed to fall upon them. Three Vital Points. The elements of all the problems of dis¬ ablement have been extensively studied, and are well enough understood. There are therefore no insuperable obstacles in the way. It is only necessary to remember (a) that to restore “ working capacity ” is almost useless if there exists no opportunity to convert that capacity into salaries or wages (b) that the average employer cannot afford to employ the unfit when fit persons are available and (c)that therefore some organisation is required to provide large-scale employment for the unfit. Thanks to You. Papworth has endeavoured to indicate in actual practice the kind of organisation required. You who have supported Papworth have made this important demonstration possible. It is not for us to say what shall ultimately be adopted, but we can I think say this; that thanks to the genius of Pendrill Varrier-Jones, and to the generous support given to his work, Papworth has at least shown that the rehabilitation of the unfit is a practical possibility. It is for others—for you who pay taxes and rates and insurance premiums and State insurance charges—to say whether that possibility shall become reality upon a national scale. REYNELL WREFORD While this Report was in the Press, Papworth suffered a second severe loss in the death of Lord Willingdcn, who had been Chairman of the Settlement for the past seven years. We are saddened beyond measure by the passing of this great and distinguished man, whose immensely valuable experience was always placed freely at our disposal; and the sympathies of all at Papworth are extended to his widow, who, like Lord Willingdon, is unfailing in her desire to advance Papworth’s interest. ri7]