The Express.
London, England, 1850-02-14 00:00:00

PAUPERISM AND THE POOR LAW.

- .
1116 male a/instal Pere o the Poor-law &lard
hen just hem hosed, sad 'Mode the following itch. The sum speat lath. rend of the poor is the veer elided
Lady-day, 1849 (the latee.ilar=retunt), wee 6,792,9634
This wee less that the n of the Envious year by
387,11021 ,or IL per
There has bees ea Menem M memo sitsat la five ens-
tier, navel Is Werwiskshire, Westmorelead,
the West of Yealksidts, and Aa#moy ; but in all the
other emanties hem be.. a ilsseeme.
Although the expemillime peerwate for all the pur-
poses connected mita the relief el the pew caanet, as already
stated, be 'WOG for a later ported tin Ike year ended at
Lady ,day remise are is pcosessisa ef the board, show-
leg the anteast espandod la east, both in-door sad oat-
doer, far the killer Isla at 30shoslam last, in 668
wanes. The nesenne tithe neminks galena sad perishes
am Ifni/ es pat bees audited, se sack Mess have been
recolvedde seem then Prom the Mane for the 668
In unless it that no anent evened in
relief the sr waded Itineeleus last, was
L 661,01114 a redastioa, es compered with the expen-
diture Mike some aellseefer the halt pear ended at Michael-
ass, 1848, of IRAK, er di per seat.
It is setheaston to *beano that there gem A rehectiou is
the analog elpasseni of seek elms retinal-ea the lit 3111,
1849, as compared with the slumber relieved ea the lit July,
1848. la the aaraber of the imams relieved, there was a
decrease of 101, vagrant, 8062„ • other demo of paupers,
67,871; la all • diereses ell %OK wr 7.4 sit NIL
Anna* the nu ebeg
due of the thlressame
tells
population es is skeine is a gaolgine:WNW "aasaber
relieved la itegisad Weiss, would stand thee:

Nog= aft* retirosica ici ill Jul .11Ida 1110,74 S
Kaaba alinemed to bavalisia ' cad's

"ter! tut pats der blogissrvarW;s•l MAN
Totsl sl pomp= tellessi se Lt 12111 ---1,077,102
Number satsally Mimi as do Ist J j,l9a 827,919
Nosier odsisisil Is is mem' sa Y... 9
ay Is prim et dr Wpm sum 1911,677
Mad of wpm Moeda Wall. - 907,796

The Marrs, of which the foregoing table is a summary,
Wow, however that the number actually in receipt of rate(
on all Ist of July, 1848, woo 893,743, out of • population
of 14,501,000, or hine thin one pauper in every 16 of the
population.
A minute, who the late president of the board issued in
the month of August, 1848, on the subject of vagrancy, urged
on boards of guardian the necessity of discnminating be•
tween reel and simulated destitution, in order to stay, if
possible, the rapid inarease Of vagrancy. The recommenda-
tions of this minute were very generally adopted, the cilia/-
queues of wrieh was a narked demean in the number of
vaerants applying for relief. The number relieved on the
Ist July, 11348, before the issuing delta minute, was 13,714,
but the number relieved cm the Ist of July, 1849, was only
6,662, being a decrease of 8,052, or 581 per cent.
Reports received from the inspectors show that vagrancy
still continues to demesne in the unions generelly. That
received from 3lr. Fantail enstially, shows the beneficial
effects arising from the prestige of sabjectiog all vagrants'
seeking to be admitted rate the union workhouses to the
strict regulations for demising and searching prescribed by
the poor-law commissioners, under the authority of the late
statutes; and, on the other hand, the unfavourable cease-
gammas which result from the want of a union workhouse,
or of proper vagrant weeds for the reception of this clam of
patipen.
Much of the reduction in the number of vagrants relieved
is doubtlem attributable to the fact that the immigration of
Irish poor, which had tended so materially to the incense of
vagrancy in this country, is now reduced to its ordinary
avenge.
The sera ordered to be: expended on emigration in 1848
was 8 4661. lls. It iunounts in the present year to
12A011. 13..
While emigration to Canada has greatly diminished during
the year, that to the Australian colonies and to the Cape of
Good Hope has much increased. The aid which the peen-
meat affords to emigration to the latter colonies has been the
min cause of this incense, se by such aid the cost to the
parishes or anions has been brought below that of emigration
to Canada. Auether cirrumstence favourable to emigration
to the Cape and Australia it, that it is open during the whole
year, while that to the North American colonies is limited to
nine months of the year only.
On this abject the report says: " Ic 1948 reference was
made to the inconvenience which resulted from certain for.
mantles required to be obeervel before we could authorise
the expenditure of parish funds upon emigration. Thu
Inconvenience has been removed by a provision in a statute
of the last elision (12 dt 13 Vie., e. 103. P. 20), which enables
ua to haus the requisite order upon the reeolation of the
guardiaus of the parish or of the union comprising it (pro-
Tided in the latter case the guardians of the parish interested
concur in the expenditure), without the holding of a parish
metier, as required by the Poor Lew Amendment Act. A
limit of 101. per head so, however, imposed upon the expen-
diture, where the proceedings are under the new statute.
Another provision of the same statute (s. 12), enables
persons to whom the orders of the board are addressed,
to an upon them forthwith, Instead of waiting
until the expiration of fourteen days, es was
pre-
viously required, and thee the cause of much delay,
which, in emigration case', was often attended with serious
iIKOSTUIIIPIIOI, has been removed. We have deemed itright
to make ao exception to the practice, long established, of de-
clining to sanction the emigration of wises or children to
join their husbands or fathers in the colonies, in favour of
the Wallies of convicts, to whom the government are willing
to grant a passage, either wholly or partly free. The trans-
portatlos of the couviet is not a voluatary desertion of the
family ; sad when the government promotes the sending out
of the family, we consider that the expenditure of the stem-
mata is furtherance of that object may properly be sane.
tioned."

From the Ist of October, 1848, to the end of the
last parochial year-26th of March, 1849, the salaries
and paid by the hoards of guardians to the schoolmasters
schoolmietresur workhouses', were whol'y refunded out
of the grant of 30,0001. annually Toted for that purpose by
parAament. Daring the eurrent parochial year, the distri-
bution of this grant has been regulated, not by the stipulated
salaries of the teachers, but by certificate) awarded to them
by the Cemmitcce of Council on Education, and founded on
reports of the examination of the teachers by their lordships'
Inspectors.
There is little doubt, that by the appointment of teachers
possessing higher qualifications, the salaries of teachers and
the BUM specified in the certificates awarded to them, will
ultimately be so adjusted es to render any payment from
the rates in respect of their missies name:meaty. The
arraneenient made for supplying workhouse schools with
suitable books and amps at reduced prices is found to work
satisfactorily. Schools which were formerly 'may sap-
plied, and others when hooks of an unsuitable character
wan used, are now well furnished with books and maps
selected from those moommeaded by the committtee of

On the subject of the accommodation of pauper children
belonging to the metropolitan perishes and meioses the report
sap Up to the elms of 1848 these children were main.
tamed ender contract in the two large establishmenta of Mr.
Aabia, "at Norwood, and Mr. Drouet, at Tooting; or in
wheels 'kept up in the country by the several perishes or
unions to which the children belonged, such a+ that for the
parish of St. George the Martyr. at Lewisham, or that
for the West London Union, at Edmonton; or in work.
houses, apart from other inmates, as in the Unions of
Stepney and Whiteehspel: or in workhouses, together with
other inmates, a+ in the Greenwich and Poplar Unions.
Upon the repeal of the two statutes (2 Geo. Ili., e. 22, and
7 Geo. 111., e. 39), ocesmonly known as Jonas Hanwaya
Acts, at the panne of the 7th and Bth Viet., e. 101, in 1844,
it ceased to be maapedsery on the metropolitan parishes to
send their you Andrea into the country for nurture and
maintenance ; and in plies of that obligation, there was sub.
stituted a series of provisions for promoting the establish-
ment of district schools. When, therefore, the condition of
the metropolitan children was brought under our more im-
mediate notice, by the sudden out-break of the cholera at
Mr. Droaet's establishment at Tooting, in January Mat, we
deemed it a fitting opportunity to make tense el efforts for
the establishment of district schools No progress had beau
previously made in this desirable undertaking, partly
owing to legislative restrictions as to size of district and
amount of expenditure, which have since been removed by
the llth and 12th Vitt,, e 83, partly in emsequence of a
reluctance among the unions and parishes to enter Into a
new kind of combination, and partly perhejs b.cauae
guardians were satisfied with the arrangements of the
schools at Norwood and Tooting, where the children of no
leas than 24 parishes and unions were maintained.
In dealing with this subject, we have been anxious to
carry with us the convictiocs and feelings of the guardian(,;
and although we are empowered to form school districts
without the assent of the guardians, we deemed it Important
that their cordial cooperation should be secured. No
school district has, therefore, been declared, without the
expresslid concurrence of the Inge majority of the guar
diens concerned in it being first obtained; indeed only
one union, that of St. Olave's, has been comprised in a
school district without such consent, an exception which we
were compelled to make, in order to secure for the poor chil-
dren 'huggable to that union the benefit of being well edo.
catod in • healthy situation, which otherwise there appeared
no immediate prospect of their obtaining.
The coons taken In the lonisation of school districts has
been this—we have set before the guardians what we coa-
-1 weed to be the advantages of district schools; we have
allowed the guardians the alternative of entering into& com-
bination with other parishes or unions, or of establishing,
tingle-kudos, a school which would insure to the children
the MA femeleint thole edematous, namely, salubrity
of sitaideni separation from *dolt paupers, and suitable la-
rerneelan mipparly blended with laduetrial training.
Owasso* la the establishes. at of district schools bap net
bees ee peat as we could desire; but the efforts made have
loot altogether been unavailing, three very important school
districts having, within the ear, been formed in and near
the testrepalle. Theme are :
let. The Ceetrel Leaden Schnol Districo, comprising the
City of London Union, the East London Union, and the fit.

LONDON, THURSDAY EVEND(G,

&Mar's Union. The bout of ineneguaut of WI ll}
,-", • .7f !undated ell their aeolgemmits end WS*
--'red;reLroestiop. They nave proracie.."4 of Kr. Al.ub his
premises at Norwood for the Monist acted, 114M11186. Mil
la the saposity of steward or superiatendent of liol SOW
ia every partment Tito school
hMesseett and have apietated aa efildeut staff of inshore
de is new in fall mentrity,
ta upon aa
madoved
ted footin
it.
g, sled nearly 800 shildrem are main-
ined hapre duca in
lei. The Booth Metropolitan School District maprised,
es formed, the Un'on of St. Caves and the
not In slalom, of Bermsadsey, Camberwe
nen* time, It Itlt • . After all board of a t wan an-
ll,
stiuted, it appeared &Wank that ere pop us aad impor-
tant Cafes et °newish should be added, and with the
mean of all parties interested this was atoor4agly done.
Although some delay has osuawed in carryin out ate nem
school-
easy arrangements, we believe that a for 1,000
chi im will shortly be provided in this Warta.
led. The North Beaty echoed district %eludes the Unions
of Woodworth and Clapham, Kingston, Croydon, Rich-
mond, sad Lewisham. The wagers have purchased 60
ems of land near Norwood, and have comanced the
erection of a bedding capable of accommodating IMO children.
Another parish or solos might he advantageously added to
this district, and the Board are prepared to take the
neemsery step toe that purpose whenever the manes may
arise.
It will Ouse be sues Iltat previa= has. been made in and
mood Ludes Is, Mt I mar Ideation and training of
mere Um UN pee eltildree. We have, moreover, saw-
tionndearengemenle whereby, when c.ompisted, the state
Mat Widow of stbee metrepriltos withal will be very
Wt'
be the at tottethBereT F:tktimaree
Lime-
as beta for many years carefully and cut.
, _ eapholed. _ _ _

ThiTienTdiaosc7 the Stread Ilelea hare parehued a
been God grenade well adapted for the purposes of a school
at idimatios.

The guardians of the parish of St. Georg* in the Rest
bathe their children temporarily la a hired house
at have resolved upon buying laud end building
Wog mains on the most approved dean.
Tim guardians of the parish of Lambeth are enlarging
and greatly improving their school near Norwood.
The directors of the poor of St. Pancras are, with OUT es•
sent, erecting a detached building for their children
upon a portion of their extensive workhouse site within the
parish.
The director and guardians of St. James's, Westminster,
are :negotiating for lend at Hanwell, which has been
viewed and approved by our inspector, whereon to build a
school.

The 'sardine of the parish of St. Martin's-ie•the-
Fields, having remised upon buyiog land and banding •
school, bare, pending their inquiries ter • cite, placid their
children under the care of the managers of the Central
London District School.

This trustees of Islington, and the guardians of Clerken-
wall, hams temporarily lodged their children in separate
premises, situated in the suburbs, until permanent schools
aan bo established for them.

All these arrangements, which are more or lem matured,
have been entered upon under our evident* or with our con-
curvenee, and under the superintendence of cur inspector,
Mr. Hall, who has charge of the metropolitan dutrict. It
cannot be doubted that from the year now ending will date a
general and important amelioration of the condition and
prospects of a large proportion of the peeper children of
the metropolis.
Besides these metropolitan school districts, three districts
have been formed is the country. The first is the Farnham
and Hartley Wintney school district, canal-tine of the two
Unions of Farnham sod Hanley Wantney, which are site-
stead in Surrey and Hampshire. This district was formed on
the 19th of June last, and the board of management, who
entered on their duties on the 28th August last, have pur-
chased a workhouse at Aldershot', to:lousing to the Farn-
ham Union, as the school for the district
The second is the south•enst Shropshire school district,
and comprise, the Bridgnorth, Cleobury Mortimer, Seiedon,
and Model, Unions, in the counties of Salop, Woree,ter,
and Stafford. This district was formed on the 7th of July,
and the board of management met, fur the first time, on
the 23rd of August last. Thee propose to take the premises
belonging to the Bridgoorth Upton, hitherto ooeupiei by
the school of that union, and known as the Heal Sc! aol.
The third is the Farricradon and Reading school district,
which comprises the Farringdon and Raiding Unions, in
the county of Berke . This district was formed on the 28:11
of November.
The practice of fermi ig out the poor, as it is termed,
has been very limited in its operation since the passing
of the Poor-law Amendment Act in 1834, to that
scarcely any contractors' establishments existed at the
passing of the 12 & 13 Vict., c. 13, except in the neigh-
bourhood of London ; and theme are now all extthet,
with the exception of one. The school at Tooting was
finally broken up in the spring, on the death of the proprie-
tor. That at Norwood is become the school for the Central
I London district: the two establishments at Peckham and
Bow, wherein the adult poor of the City of LOlll/011 Union
exclusively were maintained under contract, have been
abandoned by the removal of the poor to the new Union
workhouse. The icontes (belonging to St. Saviour's Union)
of a small establishment near Dartford have been taken
away, the Union workhouse being rendered by enlargement
capable of containing them. The remaining establishment
is at Brixton, wherein a limited number of poor persons
belonging to the parish of Newington are contracted for.
Besides this metropolitan eCabliehmento there are two at
Margate, to which paupers, chiefly children who are afflicted
witkeerofulouadistasee, are sent from London for the benefit
of sea bathing.
In the course of the year, five new unions have been
formed, namely, the Bedwelty Union, in the county of Mon.
mouth, the Samford Union, in the county of Suffolk, the
Penistose and Barnsley Unions, in the West Riding of
Yorkshire, and the Baton-upon-Irwell Union, in the county
of Lancaster.

'a us
miaow
yid* I

Considerable progress has been made during the year, in
providing workhouses for unions, where hitherto great re-
luctance had been felt for then erection.
The cholera does not seem to have prevailed in many of
the union workhouses, although several cases of persons
attacked with the disease in a state of destitution, or under
other peculiar circumstances, have occurred where the
patients have been removed to workhouses, and there died.
The ordinary Inmates have generally escaped.
The exposits incurred by unions in the execa'ien of the
regulations of the Board of Health ere, under the provisions
of the Hutsances Removal and Dingus Prevention Act,
1848, made a cheep, upon the common fund. But the
Amendment Act of let session (12 & 13 Vie., C. 111) em-
powers boards of guardians to chugs money expended in
the removal of a nuisance from any private premises, or
from any public place. to the 'parish wherein:the premises
shall be situate. Where, however, the amount exceeds 205.,
an order of two justices may be necessary to 'whorl's the
charge. The boards of guardians generally have taken very
active step to procure the removal of nuluncts by the per-
601s individually responsible. It has been found in numer-
ous instances that the giving of the notice required by the
statute was sufficient to effect the object, without an order of
justices.
In the last union of puliament various amendments and
alterations were made in the p .or law with reference, for the
most part, to matters of detail.
By a recent decision of the Court of Quetele. Bench it
appeared that in boroughs and other municipal places the
mayor had, by the operation of the statute of Elizabeth, and
the late acts for the regulation of those corporations, exclu-
sive power in several important respects In reference to the
apporatment of overseers and other matters relating to the
management and relief of ;the poll-. Inconveniences of a
serious nature had resulted from this deeision, and it wu
deemed advisable by two seta of the session 12 & 13 Viet.,
ce. 8 and 64, to pruvide teat the justices of the peace in
boroughs mould have the exclusive right of appoin.ing over-
set rs therein, and should have (*neon-int authority with the
mayor on other matters relating to the poor law.
Another enactment was passed (12 and 13 Vict, e. 6-5),
affecting certain parishes which are divided by the boundary
lines of boroughs and enmities, wherein there had previously
been some practical difetulties in the levying and collecting
of county, police, and borough rates, which are only charge-
able upon parts of the parishes so divided.
'satiates have been given, by the 12 and 13 Vict., e. 14,
for the collection of paroehisl rates, by the power which
is conferred upon the justices, of compelling defaulters to
pay the outs which the overseers or collectors incur in pro-
eeediugs taken to enforce payment clam rates ; and certain
regulations and forms are prescribed, which will be round
very convenieut and useful in such proceedings. At the
steno time ea important mitigation of the penal consequences
of default in the payment of the poor rate hue been effected
by this statute; oaustueh Si the indefinite imprisonment
until payment, which was ..he penalty to be awarded by the
justices under the statute of Elizabeth, Is now lignite d to a
term not exceeding three months ; and it is leR to the die
melon of the justices whether they will award that penalty
at all.

The proviaiona of the s'atute 12 & 13 Vict. c. 45! for
improving thwoceduro of the courts of quarter
have for their act the removal of frivolous, vexatinu,, and
purely technic objections which have often impeded the
progreu of jetties and the simplifying of the practice edemas
courts, as well as the introduction therein of certain conve-
nient proceedings which have long prevail. d, with much I
practical benefit, in the higher courts of law. So many
matters arising out of the poor law are brought before
court, of quarter Indus that any amendment of the prae•
ties must nestuarily be of great importance to all persona
engaged In the a Iminietration of that law.
The statute (12 & 13 Viet ,e. 13), for regulating the
establishments where paupers are ree ived to be lodged and
hoarded for hire has been already referred to.
By the 12 &13 Viet.; e. 61, the act for the exemption cf
stock Ix trade from essertment to the poor rate was extended
for another year—namely, until the let of October, 1850, and
to the end of the then next session of parliament.
The rat which rendered the cost of the relief of the poor
who wero cleared from Whig removed to the parishes cf
their settlement, by the statute &TO rot., c. 06, a charge
upon the common fund, would los explrod on the Ist at
October last. let It has bus eostlated by the statute 12