The Sun.
London, England, 1802-03-12 00:00:00

POOR.

Mr. SIMEON rose, in pursuance of his notice,
to move for leave to bring in a Bill for the better
Relieving and Distinguishing the Industrious Parish
Poor, for Regulating the Accounts of Overseers,
and for making certain Provisions respeuing Bas-
tards, The subjea was one which appeared to him
to be of great importance ; it had occupied the
attention of many persons, and many plans had
been submitted to the Public. But there appeared
to him to be one great leading objeaion to every
plan that had been brought forward, which was,
that they attempted to lay down one universal re-
gulation for every Parish, which was impradica-
ble, from the many differences there were between'
Parishes. Tl objed of his Bill would not be
to shake the foundation of the Poor Laws of this
Country, which for so long a periOd had been
found so be,neficial. There was, very properly, a
great degree of jealousy entertained in that House,
about alt,ering the system of our Poor Laws, but
that was. by no means his vvish. He proposed
simply to bring in an Enabling Ad, "viz. an Ad
to enable every Parish, as far as was consistent
with law, to legislate for itself, if it pleased.
He then proceeded to state a variety of incon-
veniencies arising from the present mode of re-
lieving the Poor, particularly the great burthen of
the Poor-rates : he admitted, that his plan would
not render the Poor rates unnecessary, but he thought
it .would tend very consideralsly to diminish them, .
by seleding the proper objets for charity, and mak-
ing some regulations in the mode of keeping the
Parish Accounts. In order to ascertain who were the
most proper objcEts of charity, he
_should propose
in the Bill, that a person should be appointed, and
paid by the Parish, whose duty it should be to ob-
tain information of the condition and condua of the
Nor. He was aware, that .....hen a person applied
for relief, and said he was starving, it would he
impossible to refuse him, even though his condua
had been improper, but still .he thought great ad. ,
vantages would result from the adoption of this
plan. There might be, he was aware, Parishes in
which this re; ;elation would not be necessary,
therefore, he did not mean to compel Parishes to
adopt this regulation, but to leave it to their option,
if they thought it necessary. The next evil which,
;..,. his opinion, required a remedy, was the manner
in which the Parish Accounts were kept. They
were °illy laid before the Parish once a year, and
then they were in general tou voluminous, and too
complicated, to be minutely investigated. Instead
therefore of having them examined once a year, he
should propose to have them examined once a guar.
ter, and that a certain number of persons, among
whom the resident Clergyman should be one, should
be appointed to examine these Accounts. These
were the general outlines of his Bill ; but there was
another objea. which appeared to him to be of great
importance, and which he had thought it right to
conneA with this Bill, and that was the situation of
adjudged Bastards. They were, in general, the '.
children of persons in the lowest situations of life,
and though the mother was not, in general, want- '
ing in natural affeaion, yet she was in general pre.
wailed upon to give up the infant to the father,who put
it out to nurse, and, in a few days, it was heard of no
more. This was not mere suspicion, he was un-
fortunately in possession of ratan k fads, which would
be sufficient to convia those persons of murder.—•
He therefore proposed to put these children under
the proteaion of the Magistrates, and to take care
that the child should be left in the care of the mother
until it had attained the age of seven years. That
it should, on no account, be given up to the father,
unless by a licence obtained from the Magistrate,
setting forth the place to which it was going.—
These were the general outlines of his plan ; he
hoped the House would give him permission to
bring in his Bill ; it might, after being printed,
stand over for two or three weeks, when Gentlemen
would have full time to consider it, and to make
what objeaions, or propose what Amendments, they
thought proper. He then' concluded with moving
for leave to bring in a Bill for the better Relieving
and Distinguishing the Industrious Parish Poor,
for Regulating the Accounts of Overseers, and for
making certain Provisions respeding adjudged
Bastards.
Leave was given to bring in the Bill.
The Report of the American Treaty Bill was
brought up, and agreed to, and the Bill was ordered
, to be read a third time to-morrow, if then engrossed.
i Adjourned at half past five till to.morrow.

THE StiN".

110 LEM QU4S DICILLs tw,i-rxm AL;DIAT ?