8O THE BRITISH APPROACH TO POLITICS

These two evils—rigidity of mind and professional jealousy—
are what is meant by "red tape". It is not a disease found
only in the Civil Service. The professional pride of doctors
protects the public from quackery; but it has also been responsible
for the obstinate opposition to manipulative surgery. Business
men write "your esteemed favour" when they mean' "your
letter" for no better reason than that it has been done in the past.
To say that Civil Servants are liable to be entangled in red tape is
to say no more than that they are human beings. The way in which
the service is recruited probably aggravates the danger, since
every member is vowed to his work—and usually to one Depart-
ment—for life.

If the Civil Service were determined to obstruct the Govern-
ment because they disliked the policy, the obstruction would be
vety formidable. The German Republic and the Spanish Republic
both suffered a great deal from the hostility of the higher Civil
Servants. Such an attitude is, of course, disloyalty, and, in effect, a
form of rebellion; the only remedy would be for the Government
to staff its Services afresh with people who would recognise the
claim that any lawful Government has over them.

The power of the Civil Service does not show itself only in
the negative form of checking or modifying new proposals.
The history of the Factory Acts provides an example of positive
activity. The Act of 1833 is a landmark in factory law because
it provided, for the first time, inspectors appointed and paid by
the Central Government. Unafraid of the disapproval of
employers, they were able to enforce the law and to notice the
various ways in which it could be kept in the letter but broken
in the spirit. Their reports became valuable stores of information
for any Government wishing to improve factory conditions.
From them was learnt the necessity of letting the workpeople
know what their legal rights were; how regulations for the health
of young workers could be made effective; which safety pre-
cautions were of chief importance. Just as the Cabinet prepares
Bills for Parliament, so the Civil Service may prepare Bills for