The Sun.
London, England, 1870-02-26 00:00:00

OUT-DOOR RELIEF.

Mr. J. FIELDEN called the attention of the House
to the following passage, contained in an " Instructional
Letter to various boards of guardians on their formation,"
sent from the. Poor Law LUlLlilalCClvLul CI
tie 31st day of January, 1837, signed " Edwin.
Chadwick, Secretary " (that is to say) :—" Where
the pauper is the head of a family, and he de-
clares that he has no work, and proves satisfactorily
that he can obtain none, either in his own or
in any of the parishes within a reasonable dis-
tance, he may be offered temporary relief within the
workhouse, until he can get some kind of work ; relief
wholly or chiefly in kind, being given in the interval to the
family, to prevent the necessity of immediately selling off
their goods and breaking up the cottage establishment.
The pauper should be distinctly told that such an arrange-
ment can only be temporary, in order that his wife
and family may seek work for him, and that the
strict workhouse principle requires that all the
members of a family claiming relief should enter the
house, and give up their property for the benefit of the
parish." The hon. gentleman asked the President of the
Poor-law Board whether this was still the principle by
which the Board directed the administration of relief ;
and if not, whether he was prepared to issue a minute
rescinding this objectionable instruction. In doing this,
he urged that there was a prevailing impression amongst
the poor that they must sacrifice their home if they would
have parochial relief. The instructional letter in question
confirmed this conviction, and it deserved the severest
reprehension. Nothing, in his opinion, could bo more
cruel and unjust. Its direct consequence was an increase
of vagrants. for many a man preferred sleeping under
hedges and in barns, and living on such roots and vege-
tables as he found growing in the open fields, rather than
separate himself from his wife and family by
going into the workhouse. By this course
of driving the honest poor into the workhouse
the vagrant class would go on increasing, and in course of
time the army of paupers would become so enormous as
to be entirely beyond control. Cheers.)
Mr. GOSCHEN said the letter in question had long
been superseded by the general orders of the Poor Law
Board. Therefore it was in exactly the same po-
sition as though it had been withdrawn.
With regard to the general question of out-door relief, he
should be sorry to do anything to smooth the way for more
paupers, and therefore it would, in his opinion, be
unwise in any degree to relax the workhouse test. Any
relaxation, he believed, would be followed by a greet
increase of pauperism. In Scotland no relief
at all wss given to an able - bodied man. In
England an able - bodied man could obtain in-
door relief. And what was the result? It was
clearly shown by statistics that the increase of
pauperism was greatest where it was impossible
to apply the test. On that ground
he said there should be no relaxation.
no doubt it was impossible to apply it in an ordinary way,
but as a general rule it ought to be laid down in the case
that of able-bodied men they should not, so long as they
had means, be entitled to private support. (Hear, hear.)

A discussion followed respecting au alteration which has
lately been made in the law in respect of stamps upon leases,
which ended by the Chancellor of the Exchequer intimating
his intention of bringing the whole subjeet of the Stamp
Acts under the notice of the House during the present
session.

Sir J. HAY then moved, with reference to a civilian
officer who, though young and efficient, was about to bo
retired on a pension and replaced by another officer at an in-
creased charge to the public, that such a course was inex-
pedient.

Mr. CHILDERS explained that such retirements were
part of the policy of the Government, whereby they pro-
posed to eliminate the civilian element from the coastguard
force and make it consist entirely of ablebodied seamen.

In reply to Mr. NEWDEGATE, with reference to the com-
mutation of the sentence of death passed up3n Michael
Atkins for the murder of his wife at Warwick,

Mr. BRUCE justified th,) course he had adopted, on the
ground of insufficiency of evidence azaiust the prisoner, and
stated that ha had received a private lett, r from Judge
Hayes, after the trial, urging a mitigation of the sentence.
The House then went into committee, and the usual
formal resolution for a grant of supply to her Majesty was

agreed to.
Three clauses of the War-office Bill ware agreed to in
committee. On the fourth progress was reported.
The Coinage Bill was read a second time, after some d's-
cussion; as was also the Evidence Further Amendment Act
(1869) Amendment Bill.
The following bills were read a first time :—Tilat of Mr. )
lIIBBERT, for relief of Church of England clergymen Nil(
may desire to relinquish their offices; and that of Mr. DEN'
MAN, for enlarging the discretion of justices on first cour
Hoes for certain larcenies.
The House adjourned at 25 minutes to 11 o'clock. •: