The Express.
London, England, 1862-09-11 00:00:00

TIIE DISTRESS IN LANCASHIRE.

The following circular has beta addressed (in accortknce
with a resolution pawed at a meeting of the Central Relief
Meinmittee held at Manchester on Monday) to all the dis-
tressed unions :
"ND PUR THZ Or DISTRESS 124 THE MA3I/.
FACTURINO DISTRICTS.
Central Executive Comin-ttee, Town.hall,
Manchester, Bth Sept., 1862.
Oeutlemeo,—The (Nitrate and anxiety which pervade the
!Natoli manufacturing districts are so unparalleled in their
mature and severity, and so exceptional in their cause and
effect, that we have deemed it an imperative duty to accept
the responsible obl4ationa of a central relief committee for
the district adverted to, and we now beg to enure you that
weans very desients of assisting to carry out promptly and
effectively the best and neat benevolent means for miti-
gating the grievous and trying calamity.
Yon are well aware that thousands of the mill hands are
ant of work and are borderiog on starvation, and you are
equally well aware that, week by week, distress deepens
amongst them, end that there is only too much reason to
tear that by winter time all their own means of sustaining
their independence will be wholly exhausted. We are,
therefore, exceedingly anxious to organise, without delay,
mod in conjunction with yourselves, a system which shall
be calculated to secure a proper collection and administra-
too of parochial relief and charitable aid, and to render
the distribution of both as frugal and effective as possible.
The mists, beyond all doubt, is most grave and difficult,
tat there are just and benevolent principles well fitted to
meet it effectually, and we now earnestly invite you, in the
faithful discharge of your duties, to co-operate with us in
sodeavouring to realise them.
We desire not only to avoid all dictation to boards of
gueriliaos, but to express to you our firm reliance on your
well-earned experience, and frankly to invite you to arrange
with us a clear settlement of the principles upon which we
may hops adequately to relieve the misery that sur-
rounds us.

The task which you have to perform is, we admit, of no
ordinary magnitude, for it is nothing lees than that of suf6-
ineptly feeding, clothing, lodging, and employio4 a popula-
tion out of work, while our duty is to disburse, impartially
and prudently, the funds which the benevolence of England
may place at our disposal.
We most now ask you accurately to review with us the
positions which we respectively occupy in the present emer-
gency, because a clear appreciation of our responsibilities
and resources is most essential to the success of our mutual
eperatioos.
The obligations legally entailed on you, as guardians of
the poor, are so thoroughly understood by yourselves, by the
ratepayers, and by the poor that it is flummery to dwell
upon them ; they are fully defined by law, and the perfect
performance of them is a guarantee to the community that
the poor-rates will be judiciously economised, and that
we one amongst us ought under any circumstances to en-
eounter danger to life, or lose of health for want of the
necessaries of subsistence.
The poor.law wisely places boards of guardians in an
independent position, but it entails on them, at the same
time, the most important liabilities. We readily and gladly
recognise both their powers and their responsibilities, and
we now very earnestly direct attention to the following
farts in connexion with them in this district: .

In 24 unions in the district, from which we have received
eathentic retures, there are at present 140,165 persons in
the receipt of parochial relief, of whom 129,536 receive out-
door relief, at • cost of 7,922 f. ss. Id. per week.
En the same unions in the corresponding week of last
year there were 42,064 persons in receipt of parochial
relief, of whom 33,993 received out-door relief at a cost of
*l6Ol. 168. Bd. per week.
The preeent total expenditure of these 24 unions, it
relief alone, approximates to 10,0001. per week, or 520,000 f.
par annum.
In 1856 the net rateable value of these unions WAS
5.308,7361. ; so that d the present scale of relief was con-
tinued for one year it would be met by a levy of Is. 1133.
in the pound, once collected during the year, on that pro-
Tarty
In drawing your attention to the precise amount of rate
which will cover the present scale of relief for one year,
we beg to be understood that we are well aware that in the
most distressed townships this rate is now borne by the
solvent ratepayers only, and that therefore the rate re-
quired from such ratepayers is probably now nearly double,
and that, further than this, when the rate is thus doubled,
it must be again augmented to meet the cost of county
sates, borough rates, salaries, and their expenditure ; so
that the precise amount of rate requisite to cover the pre-
sant state of relief for one year by no means represents
the pecuniary obligations of the solvent ratepayers in the
mast distressed townships.
The present pauperism of them 24 unions is 7.3 per cent.
es their population.
With these figures and calculations before us, we venture
to point out to you that at present the scale of parochial
est-door relief in these unions mermen Is. 2ad. per head per I
week, and that it averaged Is. 31d: per bead at the corre-
sponding period of last year.
We feel ensured that each case upon your books is re-
Timed according to its individual merits, and that you admi-
nister relief to the destitute poor with care and judgment,
and with a due regard to their necessities ; but we take the
liberty, with every submission to your discrimination and
experience, of expressing our daubti whether this weekly
aim of parochial relief is sufficient to meet generally the
great neomeiticeof the unfortunate mill hands in this pecu-
liar distress.
We have every reason to know that up to the present
time the pressing wants of the mill hands have been met to
some extent by the loaf relief committee, and to a very
great extent by the mill bands themselves ; their savings,
their furniture, their clothes, their investments, have all
been converted into ready motley to buy bread ; but it is
sow well known that their private resources are almost
wholly exhausted ; and as you must, yourselves be aware
of this siguificant fad, you may be at this moment deter-
Ili Ding to adopt forthwith a more adequate scale of parochial
relief. . . .

We also beg to suggest that in ordinary circumstances of
relief administered through the poor laws. private charity,
the contributioa of friends, and other resources of supply,
eontribute to support the applicant; whereas now the
vast and general distress has annihilated, or very greatly
&mini/lied, such additional receipts.
The action of our central relief committee, in disbursing
aid to local relief committees, must necessarily be altogether
regulated by the bounty of Lancashire, and by the benevo-
lento of Ragland generally ; but we must very explicitly
request every guardian of the poor to remember that the
*antral committee will not feel justified in so apportioning
their grants as to make them compensate for any deficiency
ecessioned by a low standard of parochial relief.
We desire, however, to act in every way in harmony with
you, by adopting and diffusing amongst the local relief com-
mittees whom we aid, the true principles of the poor-law,
and more especially them which prescribe that appropriate
labour shall be exacted in return for relief, and that a
certain portion of that relief shall be given in kind, for these
are the ruling and true principles of the poor-law, and are
those which, when properly apprehended and administered,
will best advance and protect the interests of the cam-
niunity.—We are, gentlemen, your obedient servants,
(Signed on behalf of the committee),
&mann ELIAS/MR; Chairman.
June Wu. Mantua!, Hon. Sec.