The Sun.
London, England, 1865-10-19 00:00:00

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I The Treatment of the Houseless Poor in

Bermondsey.

Yesterday Mr. Farnall, the Commissioner of the Poor-
Law Board, attended at the Bermondsey Union to inquire
into the administration of the Houseless Poor Act in that
parish. There was a very full attendance of guardians, and
Mr. Youngman occupied the chair.
The Commissioner said he had had brought to his notice
the fact that the guardians of the parish allowed houseless
poor to be nearly nightly refused lodging and relief, and
that in total contravention of the law. He saw by a report
lately laid before the guardians by the master that 86 men,
65 women, and 34 children, in all 185 persons, had been
admitted as houseless poor during the week, and 142 re-
fused admission during the same time. Ho did not think it
requisite to make any observation on the Houseless Poor
Act lately passed by the Legislature; but he trusted that the
guardians of this union would adopt the law which had been
so laid down for the relief of the houseless and distressed,
more especially as the whole cost of carrying the Act out
was thrown upon the metropolis generally, and not upon the
ratepayers of Bermondsey. The refusal to grant relief to
applicants for it was altogether illegal, for those who applied
for lodgings and food had a right to have both. It was the
fashion to call the people who applied for relief "vagrants'
and "vagabonds;" but, whatever they were, it was the duty
of the master of a workhouse to relieve them if they were,
starving and houseless. He called their attention to a
minute signed by Mr. Villiers, the President of the Poor-
Law Board, stating, " The Board consider it necessary, at
this period, when winter is rapidly approaching, to remind
those who are intrusted with the direction and administra-
tion of relief of the nature and extent of the obligations
which the law has imposed upon them. It is a fundamental
principle of the Poor Law that every destitute person, with-
out reference to the question of settlement or residence, is
primarily entitled to relief when he is actually destitute,
and it is the duty of the guardians to see that all necessary
and reasonable arrangements are made foraffording to every
such person the requisite relief, whether in food, clothing,
medical attendance, or lodging." The minute then went
on to state that in the absence of the master or !patron it
was the duty of the porter to admit applicants, 'and that
arrangements should be made so that, when the wards
were full, the houseless might apply to the relieving officer,
in order that the requisite relief should be afforded.
The Master of the Workhouse, Mr. Hodgkins, was then
called before the Board. He stated that it had always been
the practice to provide accommodation for a certain number
and send away all applicants when tho wards were full, the
number sent away being regularly reported to the guar-
dians. The master was sharply questioned by several of
the guardians, and one asked him how he knew whether
the applicants were houseless poor or vagrants ; and ano-
ther, how he made up his returns. To the first question,
he said he did not see any distinction between vagrants
and houseless poor;' and, to the other, he saidthe returns
were furnished by the door porter.

This official was then sent for, and, in answer to ques-
tions, he said he counted the people to whom he refused
admission, for very often the ward was full early in tho
evening, and he told the others left outside they could go
away, counting them as he did so. He slept within hear-
ing of the gate, and got up whenever there was a knock,
so he could tell the number applying.
The Chairman said he had lived in the parish of Ber-
mondsey all his life, and he never saw people about the
doors, and he was sure there was a mistake somewhere
with respect to the numbers given as turned away, and ho
was determined to "get at" where the mistake was. With
this view he sharply cross-examined the porter, and said

he had no doubt the man, in counting those left outside,
had counted lookers-on and all ; but the porter, in as de-.
?ided a tone as he could address the chairman of the Guar-

dian Board, said he knew " his customers" too well to put
down any as applying who did not apply.
Another Guardian suggested that some of those who were
turned away early in the evening came back again and were
so entered twice ; to which the porter replied that some did
come back, saying they had tramped to other places and
been refused, and they:would rather sit on the door-step all
night than go about any more.
The clerk said the casuals were no worse off now in this
parish than they were under the old law, and to show this
he read the returns for a week in each year from 1863. In
that year, under the old law, 184 were admitted, and 15&
refused in one week. In 1864, under the new law 155 were
admitted and 70 refused in a week, and in a week of the
present year 178 had been admitted and 116 refused. The
worst time, the clerk added,:was now over, for at this sea-.
son there was a falling off in the number of applicants.
After many observations by guardians, the Commissioner
said he must tell the guardians that they were bound to
give relief to all persons who applied, and whom they did
not know to be criminals. The law imposed the obligation
upon guardians to find shelter, and food, and clothing, and
even medical attendance for the poor, and they could not
stop to ask about the character of people who were starv-
ing. The law made no distinction between vagrants and
houseless, and he told the guardians that the poor must not
be permitted to die in the streets or lie in the gutters of this
civilised and Christian country. He was extremely anxious
that the guardians should understand their position. The
winter was coming on, and the Poor-law as administered
by the guardians would be upon its trial, for it was to bo
anticipated that the refuges which in previous winters had
relieved workhouses of the casual poor in the winter
months, and 2,, +A— L( _AM ---atirnr)or or-
appuearlts at this season, as had been noticed, would now
be closed, for, as had been said in the Times, the law of
England was sufficient to provide for the houseless now
that the guardians had the duty placed upon them of re-
lieving the houseless. This duty would never be carried
out so long as a person was allowed to knock at the doors
without having relief.
A Guardian asked whether the Act said vagrants were
to be relieved ?

The Commissioner said the guardians could not avoid the
law, because there was some little confusion between the
words " houseless poor" and " vagrants ;" for all who asked
for relief were called " houseless." Then the guardians
could make those who were strong break stones, and when
they saw men willing to break stones in return for such a
bed and such food as they got inside the workhouse it mut
good proof that the relief was needed.

Several of the guardians here complained that some of
the people would not break stones, and that the magistratea
sided with the vagrants.

Tho Commissioner again urged the guardians to °boy
the law of the land, which he said they ought feel a plea-
sure in carrying out, as by obeying it they were doing the
Christian work of saving people from dying in the streets.
If the guardians did not do their duty, it was not in the
power of the Poor-law Board to imprison or punish the
chairman of the guardians ; but it was in their power ta
punish the guardians' officers if the poor were neglected.
The Chairman then formally thanked the Commissioner
for coming, evidently thinking that the matter was their
left for them to deal with; but

The Commissioner went on to ask them what they were
going to do, and if they were willing to have tickets printed
so that the poor who could not have admission into the
casual ward should have lodging found for them else—
where.

The Chairman answered this by saying, "Where do you
think the relieving officer is to find lodging for all wbo
apply ?"

The Commissioner said that would be the relieving
officer's business when the tickets came to him. Would
the guardians do their duty, and get the tickets printed?
The Chairman bluntly replied that he would not impose
any such duty on the relieving officer.
It was then moved, seconded, and carried nem. con.,
" That the discussion on the question should be adjourned,"
and the Commissioner gave the guardians to understand
that he should attend the discussion, but he said he wanted
to know what would be done in the meantime for the house—
less poor. He suggested that they should be taken into one
of the workhouse wards, there being room in the workhouse
for 700 persons, and only at present 500 inmates; but to
this the guardians demurred, some saying they were not
going to have people in the workhouse who would not be
admitted to common lodginghouses.
The Commissioner said he left the matter in the hands
of the guardians, and they now knew the responsibilities
which they were under.

Only one guardian, Mr. Ramsay, spoke in favour of the
law being carried out.

ANOTHER GREAT FIRE IN CONSTANTINOPLE.—A,
telegram from Trieste announces that there has
been another great conflagration at Constantinople, and
that the quarter of Erghat-Bazaar, adjacent to the one that
suffered so much on the 6th of September, is nothing but a
heap of ashes. The Bre began on the bth of October, at
five in the morning, and was only subdued in the afternoon,
after haying destroyed nearly 1,000 houses and shops.—
Caligula.
FORGERY OF A MINE SHARE TRANSFER.—A
swindler has recently so successfully imitated the
signature of Mr. J. C. Lanyon, Redruth, on a transfer for
four shares in the Wheal Seton Mine, that most likely that
gentleman or the shareholders will thereby sustain a loss
of about 000. It appears that at the meeting held by the
adventurers of Wheal Seton on Monday, October 9, a divi-
dend of £5 per share was declared, and Mr. Lanyon, sup-
posing he had 15 shares, expected to receive as his portion
£75. On Wednesday, however, a cheque for a 5 arrived
Thinking it was a mistake, Mr. Lanyon immediately wrote
to the purser, but, to his surprise, received an answer that
four of his shares had been sold six weeks ago, and since
that date had several times changed hands. A strict in-.
quiry was commenced, but as yet little information b/ts
been obtained, and it is to be feared that the offender will
escape punishment. The present transfer system is plainly
deficient, in that only the buyer is required to register the
share, and no notice whatever expected of the :seller. If a
rule could be made that notice must be received by the
purser from both parties before a share could be registered,
future swindling schemes of this kind might be frustrated.
—Western Morning News.
CRYSTAL PALACE.—The number of visitors at the
Crystal Palace yesterday was as follows:--Admissions on
sv 616—total visitor/I payment, 1,636; by sewn, ticket