the 634 posted 460 were returned
or accounted for, and only two members signified objection to the
enquiry. After deduction of bachelors and others not relevant, we
obtained particulars of 316 marriages. I prepared an elaborate
statistical report, which showed that in the period 1890-1899 out of 120
marriages only 6 fertile marriages were recorded in which no restriction
had been adopted. This was the first and possibly is the only
statistical enquiry yet made on the subject, and although the number of
cases was minute in proportion to the population, the evidence afforded
by that sample was sufficient to be conclusive, that at any rate a
cause, and probably the chief cause, of the fall in the birth-rate was
voluntary limitation of families.

The method of publication presented some difficulty, and finally it was
decided, in order to secure the most generally impressive publicity, to
ask Sidney Webb to collect the other available evidence and to make an
article out of the whole, to be published over his name. It appeared as
two special articles in "The Times" for October 11th and 18th, 1906, and
was subsequently reprinted by us as Tract 131, "The Decline of the
Birth-rate."

Other Committees at this period discussed Agriculture, Poor Law, Local
Government Areas, Public Control of Electricity, and Feeding of School
Children. Reports on all these subjects were issued as tracts, some of
which have been mentioned already in connection with their authors, H.W.
Macrosty and Hubert Bland, whilst others will be referred to in a future
chapter.

[Illustration: _From a copyright photograph by Lambert Weston and Son,
Folkestone_

H.G. WELLS, IN 1908 At the door of his house at Sandgate]

FOOTNOTES:

[33] Born 1865. Clerk in the Exchequer and Audit Dept. 1884, Assistant
Director of the Census of Production 1908. Author of "Trusts and the
State" (1901) and "The Trust Movement in British Industry" (1907).

Chapter IX

The Episode of Mr. Wells: 1906-8

His lecture on administrative areas--"Faults of the Fabian"--The
Enquiry Committee--The Report, and the Reply--The real issue, Wells
v. Shaw--The women intervene--The Basis altered--The new
Executive--Mr. Wells withdraws--His work for Socialism--The writing
of Fabian Tracts.

The long controversy introduced by Mr. H.G. Wells attracted much public
attention to the Fabian Society, added greatly to its numbers, and for a
time made it more of a popular