I do not want to detain the Committee too long, because all these things I say are very unpopular in wartime; the truth is taboo on all occasions when war takes place, so I am not dis- turbed in the least. Some women Members have been clamouring for what they call equality with men. I was once, strange to say, on the platform with Mrs. Pankhurst when we were talking of equality for women with men. She was a Manchester woman, and I lived there. The two main arguments for equality then were these: first, that if women got equality, they would be more merciful in the administration of the law. That was a strong argument then, but, unfortunately, my experience does not bear it out. I do not think women are more merciful than men. It is not sex that matters; it is the type of man or woman who is turned into a magistrate. The next argument was that if women were allowed to come to Parliament, they would prevent war, because they are more peaceful-minded than men. That has not proved to be the case either. I agree with equality for women provided it elevates both sexes; but in this connection we are degrading women, especially in relation to the Fighting Forces. And when we talk of equality, let me remind the House that there has always been a distinction in the law of this country between men and women, and women in this House would never argue in favour of abolishing that distinction. For example, we do not allow women to work in coal mines, and the law in relation to factories discriminates in favour of women, and that is all to the good.

Let me come to my final word. The Minister of Labour wrote this in a pamphlet in October, 1940—he has heard me quote it before, but it is worth while quoting again: The Prussian always acts on the assumption that the human being is an automaton, that he can be organised, ordered and driven and reduced to the condition of a robot. He seems to have changed his mind very much since then, because in proposing this Bill he is going further, probably, in reducing our people to robots than has ever been attempted by Dr. Ley, the Labour Minister in Germany. We are told that we are fighting Prussianism and Nazism. Nobody detests those "isms" more than I do, but I dislike my country contracting the disease that it is fighting abroad, and that is what we are doing in this Bill. I ask the House to bear in mind one thing above all from what I have said, namely, that the time has arrived when British statesmen in declaring wars ought to have regard to the continuance of the British race. Statisticians have warned us that in 20, 30 or 50 years' time the population of this country may be reduced almost to 20,000,000. It is in the interests of the mothers and the children of our race that I am moving this Amendment.