Disraeli's Social Reforms

• Too many 'labouring poor' lived in deplorale jerry-built houses
• Insanitary and overcrowded
• Contributed to major outbreaks of disease
• Home Secretary = Richard Cross 
• Concerned to improve the state of housing in the large industrial slums 
• Without creating the prcedent that it was the 'duty' of government to provide 'good and habitable dwellings'
• Major innovation of the act lay in the power it gave the local authority to purchase, clear and then redevelop slums
• Financed the scheme with low-interest government loans
• Absence of a compulsory purchase order reduced its effectiveness
• Many city councils chose to ignore it
• Exception = BirminghamCouncil
• Led and inspired by Radical MP Joseph Chamberlain
• Long-term importance was that it established the principle of State intervention with regard to private dwelling houses
• Marked the beginning of local authority housing 

• 1875 = the Head of the Local Government Board, Booth, introduced an act that pulled together all existing sanitary legislation, which up until then had fallen short of tackling current health problems 
• Built on the Public Health Acts of 1866 and 1872 
• Laid down minimum standards of drainage, sweage disposal and refuse
• Made compulsory the appointment of a medical officer of health 
• Charged with reporting all infectious diseases
• Public workers were established in most districts to replace private water companies and sellers
• Act was hailed as a great success
• Measure of consolidation rather than innovation
• Opposition came from laissez-faire - saw the measure as involving too much State invervention 
• Interference with personal freedom 

Sale of Food and Drugs Act 1885

• Attempt to stamp out the dishonest, and sometimes dangerous, practice of adulteration of food
• Most common and least damaging was to add chalk to flour
• More disturbing = adding lead into bread
• Well-structured attempt to regulate the food industry
• Reluctancce to make compulsory the appointment of food analysts by local authorities reduced its impac

The Rivers Pollution Act 1885

• Same problem but with 'noxious fluids' being dumped into rivers
• Harsh measures were opposed
• Prosecutions could only be authorised by the central Local Goverment Board
• Few were carried out 

The 1875 Conspiracy and Protection of Property Act 

• Replaced the unpopular Criminal Law Amendment Act
• Altered the conspiracy laws 
• Unions could no longer be prosecuted for doing anything collectively that would be legal if done by an individual 
• Legalised peaceful picketing 
• Gave the unions the right to strike
• Strengthened the position of the trade unions

The Employers and Workmen Act 1875

• Introduced a contract of service 
• Gave employees terms that were on par with those of employers
• Both sides were to be liable under civil law 
• Removed the unfair system of employees being liable for breach of contract
• Major step in labour law reform

• Consolidation of the previous Factory Acts 
• Set the code for regulations for conditions in factories
• The Lancashire MPs had campaigned for a maximum nine-hour working day
• The government responded by reducing the six-day working week for women and young people to five
• Half a day on a saturday
• Not in a position to negotiate themselves and therefore required the protection of the law 
• Maxmium number of hours a week = 56
• Indirectly reduced men's working hours
• Brought other industries in line with the textile industry 
• All factories came under the same umbrella of a State inspectorate
• Important reform 
• Established the principle of State offering protection to industrial workers 
• Pressure from both Conservative MPs and trade unios was brought to bear on the government to introduce this legislation 

• Good example of Tory Democracy
• Impetus came from Sam Plimsoll
• No legislation in place to protect seamen from the atrocious living conditions on board the ship and conditions of employment at sea
• No regulations in place to control the overloading of ships - put sailors in danger
• Lagged behind other groups of worers
• No merchant seaman trade union
• Introduced regular inspections of ships by the Board of Trade officials
• Better accomodation for sailors on board
• Introduction of the 'Plimsoll Line' - load line drawn on every ship
• Hard-fought reform was not compulsory 
• Not fully implemented until 1890
• Great landmarks of State intervention in helping to secure the safety of a particular group of workers 

Lord Sandon's Education Act in 1876:

• Attempted to improve school attendance by setting up school attendance committees
• Stopped short of compulsory attendance
• Children couldn't get a job without an attendance certificate 
• Became in the parent's best interests for the children to attend school
• Responsibility was pushed on to parents to make them answerable by law for non-attendance
• Supported the Anglican Schools