There is no doubt that there were some rightous people around but please do not be kidded into thinking it was all altruistic, the loading of ships and the safety of ships was more to do with the Lloyds names not being skanked out their capital every time a ship went down and dressed up as welfare for sailors, sewers were installed into cities because it was proved that the money spent on fitting could be recovered within three years and move into further profit with increased productivity. Free milk was introduced into schools because during the first world war half the volunteers (uk) were suffering from ricketts and were unfit for service. The real benefits to the working classes owe as much to insurance companies, like the introduction of a fire service, than some altruistic desire to improve Joe Bloggs life. Indeed if you look at the real benefits like shorter working hours, they were hard won by the trade unions, my father worked a six day week until the unions negotiated it away (in the 1950's, probably post were fears of revolution). The Welfare state and the destruction of the workhouse, as someone has already pointed out was pay back time for making two generations of grafters into cannon fodder. So don't be kidded into thinking there isn't an ulterior motive, if you look hard enough you will find something like not enough women in the mills which needed maybe dexterity, I don't really know but I could make it a mission to find out, don't really have the time. There is a Yorkshire saying "Tha don't get owt fer nowt" and the oft quoted phrase "If it sounds too good to be true it usually is". So harrowing as The Testimony is you can bet that the principal aim was not to improve the life of the workers but an excercise to manipulate the economics of the supply in the workforce. Horses for courses however right or wrong the rationale was behind it.