The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1888-03-10 00:00:00

LORD RANDOLPH CHURCHILL

AND THE UNEMPLOYED.

On Saturday at the residence of Mr. John Aird,
M.P. Hyde-park-terrace, Lord Randolph Churchill
presided over a conference to receive the preliminary
report from the Executive Committee which originated
last year the movement to assist the unemployed in
Paddington. The report, which was presented by
the Hon. Secretary, Major. General W. M. Lees,
stated that the distress had been abundantly sufficient
to warrant the effort which had been made. The
amount subscribed was £1229 17s. 6d., and the
sum expended £B4O 16s. 10d., leaving a balance on
February 25 of £389 Os. Bd. Since then liabilities to
the amount of £202 19s. 4d. had been incurred,
leaving an available balance of £lB6 Is. 4d.
The Rev. Walter Abbott, who moved the adoption
of the report, said that £1229 had been subscribed,
but there was, in addition, about £lOO promised.
That made £1329, given by 329 people, or an average
of about ZI a head. The distress had really been
great, as was proved by the fact that more than 600
persons had applied for assistance. The way in which
relief had been given had been chiefly in work.
Mr. J. C. Sherrard seconded the report, and pointed
out that the people who had been assisted were not of
the pauper class, but honest and hard working. The
primary cause of their poverty, he thought, was due
to improvidence, and he quoted several cases in sup-
port of his contention.

Mrs. Charles agreed with the previous speaker as to
the class of persons who had been relieved, but she
doubted altogether that they were wilfully improvident.
Though not receiving parish relief they were in many
Cases worse off than those who did, and she thought
that generallY speaking it was high time the Legisla-
ture took up the whole question of the poor law. The
workhouse was not the place it ought to be. People
came in there and remained for months, although
able-bodied. This she thought should not be the
case.
Lord Randolph Churchill said that as far as he
was concerned the report was a subject of very
great relief to him, because when he had the honour
of presiding at the last meeting, and when they
devolved all responsibility on the committee, he
owned he had very grave doubts as to whether
the committee would be able to discharge the
duties they had been called upon to fulfil. He
thought now they ought to be satisfied upon that
point, for it would have been impossible for the com-
mittee to have worked more conscientiously and more
successfully. His lordship thought that the report
justified the meeting in the decision they came to, to
endeavour to relieve the distress. There was a point
well worthy of the consideration of the people of this
metropolis, and that, he thought, the work of the
committee had shown how great was the use of these
small funds in London in times of exceptional distress.
He thought also that it tended to show how great was
the superiority of these small local funds, adminis-
tered by people with local knowledge, over the great
and far larger efforts which had been made by Lord
Mayors, from time to time, for the relief of distress
in London on a gigantic Beale. Out of the LSO
expended by the committee in relief, only about
£4O had been given in assistance unconnected with
work of some kind or other. He doubted whether
any other fund raised in London could show such a
result. Nearly all the money distributed had been
given in a manner which did not degrade the cha-
racter of the recipients. Mrs. Charles had alluded to
the poor law. It was a great social question, but he
thought that if those present were to convert them-
selves into a society for promoting the solution of
great social questions they would pass beyond the
sphere of practical usefulness to which they had set
themselves. With regard to an appeal for funds, his
lordship urged that it should be a purely local one,
and concluded by renewing his expressions of
pleasure at being present.
The Toport was then adopted, and it was decided
to make a further appeal for funds in Paddington.
Complimentary votes having been carried, thepro-
ceedings terminated.