The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1882-04-11 00:00:00

DORSET DIENDICITY SOCIETY.

The annual meeting of this society was held at DM
Shirehall on Tuesday. The Hon. W. H. B. Partmen,
M.P., presided, and there were also present —lir.
John Flyer, M.P., Mr. W. E. Brymer, M.P., Sir
Charles D'Oyly, Bert., and Captain Amyatt (chief
constable).
Captein Arran road the report for the past year, in
which he was glad to be able to state that the increase of
vagrancy. which hail been note I for some years pest, did
not e 'minus in this county during 11,81; but, on the con-
trary, there has been a slight decrease—via, 177 in the
number of admissions to our casual wards as compared
edits 18110 • and, though the total (13.061) is largely in
excess ot 1.875 and other years of commercial and agri-
cultural prosperity, there mu be no doubt from the
returns received from different districts that this c ,unty
has not suffered to the same extent as many other parts of
England, audit may be fairly presumed that iii, due to
indiscriminate almsgiving not twine to general, and that,
consequently, there is not the same inducement for
vagrants and trsurps to •isit srset as eleewhere. If this
be so, something hos been don, towards freeing the mild c,
and the po especially, from the tax which in levied moon
them in the shipe of wavy to wayfarers, for it is well
known that the chari•alile will not withhold giving alms
at their door., unleos they are esti-lled that food can be
°trained by those who need it D mine the peat year
13.2/13 tick. ti have been exchanged at the relief etttiohs,
the amount of breed thus given away ems 'ding flee tons
weight, at • cost of .C.,GIi 11. In nrcordsocs with the
resolution agreed to at the last annual nun tin,. the euOPI
of breed was reduced to half a round from Joly last.
The receipts sad expenditure have lien m fill w. ;
Receipts: Ti subscription and cal" of ',eke'., 1.1.32 15s.
gxnenititure: liv laden°, due in tscastutr. 3ls' montier,
1860, £22 6s. 9,1.; amount yid,' fix bread, £95 2.. 1.1.;
printing and stationery, LS Tis 61. ; postage, 10. •d. ;
c..llst tea commitsion, Xi ; twist expenditure,
£l3l 12.. 10d. ; balance in hand, 31st Dec 'tuber,
£1 2.. 21.—total, £13815.. The annual ceneus of vagrants
and tromps was taken torough.ut reel on the 31s • u 1...
when it was found there were 61 such persons in the
c tent, on that night. They were dietributed as follows:—
Ili issue' ward., .4; ; police cells, 3: common lodging-
I. omits. 14, total, 61. ft ha. been urged egairst this
systaiu that it drp-nds too much on the public, and owing
' to the grest inure.' in vagrancy of late vicious mine-Lions
have be, n made—for the detention
ell vagrant. for 36
I boors in the casual ward., the construction of separate
cells in the tame. • more uniform system of punishment,
end other regulation., which would no loubt he of iikosice
and have a d..terrent effect; but the observations of ti
present S.cretsry of the Po.r.lsw R mid ere worthy of
record. He said "I cannot t eti mphiticslly express my
coevictim that.. lout as I•.te poidic p rsitd hi giving alMs
to sturdy loggers and tulle yegabondo, all aitempts on the
part of those who tusks and administer the laws for the
...emission of 'sereney will or et assuredly prove unavail-
ing." It was with the view of checkine this misdirected
charity that this society ws, ts.ablished. and it relies no
the con tinerd support of the authorities and the public lo
Rellecal.-1 have the h mole ti ts. m r Lord, and Gentle-
men, your obedient servant, ANYAST E. AgraTT, lien.
Sc.
The CHAIRMAN ;MA they must conirretnlate Captain
Amyett upon the satisfactory report he had presented,
and they were much obliged to him for all he bad
done in this matter. . . . .

Mr. iI...4)TZR moved that the report presented by
their ix k elient Chi. f Constable he received and arlopte
It was a fairly patisfs,tory one, aud be did not know I
they could have expected it ti be much more favour.
ab'e. because in many pacts of England the amount of
vagrancy had been laror prop rtionally than in Mi.
county. The numbers were lii one sense a little
disappointing, because no doubt employment had been
more abundant duality the Mat year or two, than it
way some three or four years ago. Perham It had
hardly had time to show Rs effect In relation to
vagrancy ; but they might hope that if the improved
state of the labour market continued, they should find
by means of this very excellent society vagrancy would
be reduced. The remark which was made by the
Secretary of the Local Government Board was
very true—that they could neva cheek vagriacy

so long as the public indulged in what might be
called the luxury of indiscriminate alms4iving.
That was • great inducement to a n umber of idle
fellows to wander about the country, and there
was no doubt many of these wandering vagrants
made more money than many men did by honest
labour. As long as they could do this there was little
doubt all the remedies in the world would never get
rid of mendicants. It was ti be hoped by persevering
in their work under this system they should see an al-
teration, which they did some time ago, and that
vagrancy might be checked.
sir CHARM D'OTLY seconded the adoption of the
report, wluch was agreed t
Capt ANTATT mentions-I that the detention of
vagrants during Sunday as adopted in Wilts had
a good effect. It entailed no hardship on men in
search of work, is-pechilly it they were allowed to leave
surly on Monday isioridogs instsad of at the umial
hour of eleven, be..ause they c mid not get work on
Sunday. lie did not kit iv, if the committee would
recommend the adoption of this rule to Boards of
Guardian..
Mr. FLUTZI sail there was a bill n,w before the
House of Commons brought in by Mr. Pell, one of the
provi-ions of chic would enable B ,nrds of Guardians
to refuse, di-chaige vagrants during 400:1days.
The Chief-C nistab.e was instructed to communicate
with the Boards of Guardians in the couuty on the
subject.