The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-03-20 00:00:00

A GOVERNMENT CIRCULAR.

Mr. Chamberlain has issued a circular from the
office of the Local Government Board to the clerks of
guardians throughout the country, in which he gives
the zesult of the official inquiries which have been
made as confirming the impression that exceptional
distress prevails at present among the working classes.
The circular then proceeds What is required in
the endeavour to relieve artisans and others who have
hitherto avoided poor law assistance, and who are
temporarily deprived of employment is-1. Work
which will not involve the stigma of pauperism. 2.
Work which all can perform, whatever may have been
their previous vocations. 3. Work which does not
compete with that of any other labourers at present
in employment; and, lastly, work which is not likely
to interfere with the resumption of regular employ-
ment in their own trades by those who seek it. The
Board have no power to enforce the adoption of any
particular proposals, and the object of this circular is
to bring the subject generally under the notice of
Boards of Guardians and other local authorities. In
districts in which exceptional distress prevails, the
Board recommend that the Guardians should confer
with the local authorities, and endeavour to arrange
with the latter for the execution of works on which
unskilled labour may be immediately employed.
These works may be of the following kinds, among
others: (a) Spade husbandry on sewage farms; (h)
laying out of open spaces, recreation grounds, new
cemeteries or disused burial grounds; (c) cleansing
of streets not usually undertaken by local authori-
ties; (d) laying out and paving of new streets, &c.;
(e) paving of unpaved streets and making of foot-
paths in country roads; (f) providing or extending
sewerage works or works of water supply. It may be
observed that spade labour is a class of work which
has special advantages in the case of able-bodied per-
sons out of employment. Every able-bodied man can
dig, although some can do more than others, and it
is work which is no way degrading, and need not in-
terfere with existing employment. In all cases in
which special works are undertaken to meet excep-
tional distress it would appear to be necessary, first,
that the men should be engaged on the re-
commendation of the guardians as persons whom,
owing to previous condition and circumstances,
it is undesirable to send to the workhouse, or
to treat as subjects for pauper relief; and, second,
that the wages paid shonld be something less than
the wages ordinarily paid for similar work, in order
to prevent imposture, and to leave the strongest
temptation to those who avail themselves of this
opportunity to return as soon as possible to their
previous occupations. When the works are of such a
character that the expenses may properly be defrayed
out of borrowed moneys, the local authorities may
rely that there will be every desire on the part of the
Board to deal promptly with the application for
their sanction to a loan. I shall be much obliged if
you will keep me informed of the state of affairs in
your district, and if it should be found necessary to
make any exceptional provision I shall:be glad to know
at once the natlire of such provision and the extent to
which those for whom it is intended avail themselves
of it."

In answer to the INrd Mayor's second appeal for
aid to the Mansion HO.‘3 Fund for the relief of tem-
porary distress among the unemployed, Messrs. N. M.
Rothschild and Sons (who o'N:inally gave £1000) have
contributed a further donaNn of £5OO, and Sir
Henry Peek has given £2OO especially to help to get
tools out of pawn. The Duke of Grafton has sent a
donation of £5O, and there are other smaller
amounts. Four tons of potatoes and carrots have
been given by Messrs. Cocks and Rippon, Messrs.
Taylor and Wright, Messrs. W. and A. Beeson, and
Mr. W. J. Staples, of Columbia Market.