The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-23 00:00:00

THE DIS MESS IN THE EAST OF

LONDON.

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MANSION-HOLSE RELIEF FUND.

A good beginning has been made in the fund set
on foot at the Mansion-house on Monday towards
the relief of the prevailing distress among the
labouring classes in the eastern parts of London and
other parts of the metropolis. Up to last evening
about £1,200 had been received there and by the
bankers, that being the result of one day's subscrip-
tion. Yesterday, at 3 o'clock, a meeting of the
committee formed by the Lord Mayor to aid him in
raising and dispensing money for the relief of the
starving people was held at the Mansion-house.
In a conversation which took place Mr. Alderman
SALOMONS referred to the intense distress prevail-
ing in Greenwich and Deptford, and to the exer-
tions which were being made by the Rev. Dr.
Miller, the rector, to relieve it. lie urged the
committee to commence at once to dispense the
money they had received so far as it would go in
mitigation of the destitution, and through the agency
of local committees, relying, as he was sure they
might well do, on the public generosity in supple-
'muting it until better times returned.

Mr. D. BROMLEY, M.P., reminded the meeting of
the Act of Parliament passed in 1864, meaning, it
was supposed, the Houseless Poor Act, under which
he said, certain classes of poor persons had a legal
claim to relief at once in food, articles of necessity,
and shelter, and which made provision fo: distribut-
ing by a rate in aid the charge of the relief so given
over the whole metropolis. He suggested that,
without wishing to enforce the Poor-law, organisa-
tion unnecessarily at such a time, it was well worth
consideration whether, in the distressed districts, re-,
course might not be had to the machinery provided
by that act, by which a certain amount of relief
could be obtained. The cost would not fall with
undue severity on individual parishes, but by a
rate in aid would be spread over the whole metro-
polis.
Mr. HOLMS, on the other hand, submitted that
their immediate object should simply be to assist
the poor people in the present emergency, and not
stop to inquire how far the Poor-law could be made
subserviett. He suggested that, with the view to
an impartial distribution of the relief of any funds
at the disposal of the committee, it was desirable
that the local committees through whom it was to
be administered should be mixed committees, and
to a considerable extent composed of laymen.
The Rev. F. G. BLOMFIELD, agreeing that the
local Committees should, if possible, represent every
class of the inhabitants and be entirely unsectarian,
said there ought not to be two or three Committees
working over the same ground, and perhaps with a
certain amount of jealousy towards each other. They
should take care to have a properly constituted Com-
mittee, and in whom they had confidence to cover
each particular district of the metropolis in which
the distress prevailed.
A deputation from the parish of St. Dunstan's,
Stepney, attended the meeting, and described in
touching terms the extreme privation to which large
numbers of the humbler classes there had been re-
duced. The committee made the deputation a grant,
and told them they would bo prepared to supple-
ment it after the money bad been expended in re-
lieving the destitute so far as it would go.
Major SNELL intimated that, in compliance with
the request of the Lord Mayor, Sir Anthony Roths-
child and Mr. Alfred Rothchild would be happy to
serve on the Committee.