The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-18 00:00:00

THE PROPOSED BOROUGH OF CHELSEA.

Yesterday evening the first public meeting in con-
nexion with the representation of the proposed
borough of Chelsea was held in the Assembly-rooms,
in the Fulham-road ; Mr. W. Cattle presiding. Sir
Henry A. Hoare, Bart., one of the candidates, at-
tended and delivered a long speech. He said he was
a firm supporter of all those liberal measures which
had been proposel during the last 20 or 30 years, all
founded on the love of eqaality, which he believed
to be a noble ambition. For himself he might say
that he was not a reformer in the French sense,
which sometimes meant revolution, for at all events
in England we all had equality as far as the law
was concerned, with some exceptions, however. In
1832 the Reform Bill brought into the exercise of
the franchise the middle classes of the community,
but it left out the-working classes, who were now
to be provided for. He had the most perfect con-
fidence in the people of England, and in Mr. Glad-
stone as their leader. He did not like to be called
a Radical ; he thought radicalism meant the up-
rooting of all that was good in the constitution,
but he preferred to be placed in the ranks of the
advanced Liberals, who were really the soundest
Reformers. He believed that Mr. Gladstone's bill
was the most sincere and honest measure that was
ever presented to Parliament, because it said what
it meant, and meant what it said ; but the bill now
before Parliament would require much revision
before it would satisfy the wants of the people. The
hon. baronet declared that he was in favour of the
ballot, compulsory education, the equalisation of
poor rates, and the reform of municipal institutions.
A resolution to the effect that Sir H. Hoare ought
to be supported was eventually carried. Who is to
be the second popular candidate for the proposed
new constituency does not yet seem to have been
definitely settled, although two or three influential
gentlemen are said to be aspirants for the honour.

THE MARKETS OF THE POOR.

---o-~

Miss Burdett Coutta has taken the initiative in
an important enterprise for the benefit of the poor in
one of the most destitute districts of the metropolis.
A local Act, promoted in her name, was quietly
passed through Parliament last session, the preamble
of which sets forth that the opening of a market for
the sale of fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, poultry, and
other provisions, in a convenient position near
Columbia-square, Bethnal-green, would be a great
advantage to large numbers of the labouring classes,
and other persons resident in that parish and its
neighbourhood. And further it recites that Miss
Burdett Coutts is willing to undertake the establish-
ment of such a market at her own charge and to
maintain, it for the use of the public. No time has
been lost in giving effect to the authority conveyed
In the Act. A large piece of ground has been set
apart for the market, and the buildings are already
Sufficiently advanced to enable one to judge of the
a=pe it of the place when completed. The market is
enclosed on each side by a range of Gothic buildings
of an elegant but substantial character. On the
right and left as you enter is a row of shops-12 on
each side—with a covered way in
.f:ont and dwelling-
hatisde atcrle, On the north side of the ii2arket
is
the market-hall, cdtitaining 24 shambles, the accest;
to which is by a porch, above Which rises a clock
tower, 110 ft. high. The shops are supplied with
every convenience in the way of cellarage, water,
gas, Ste., and the dwellings above are each com-
plete in itself and contain comfortable rooms, with
washhouse and kitchen, Well ventilated, and fitted
With every sanitary requirement. The area of the
market C-Onlta altogether 90,000 ft. The large open
square will be set apart for *tails and barrows
boefianl,l
kinds, the admission fees charged on dealers r
class
at a very low scale suited to the costertnonge,
Who conduct in so large a degree the cotointsari at
of the poor. This scheme will not only supplement
the house accommodation of the adjoining Coluin-
bia-square, a large pi.le
_of
.mi,odel, lodging-houses
built a few years back b Alias Coutts, and now
tenanted by a numerous
asetYtlement of labourers and
w. the
severely felt by the
artisans, but will ouppthy
hole pridation of the neighbourhood--
ofl.the want
a convenieat market. T project will also iuci-
another benefit ou this quarter by
dentally confer
opening try a new stre,:t and otherwise improving
the communications. Altiiough utility has been the
first object consulted in the plans of the market,
and no effort has been spared to make the fittings
of the shops as perfect as possible from a business
been anxious that
point of view, Miss Coutta hab.
I
artistic effect should not be overlooked. The
gs
general appearance of the buildia, , with the lofty
clock tower in the centre of the up. per end, is
Darb i-
very
impressive. The architect is Mr. A.
shire, whoalso furnished the designs of Columbia-
tba t the noble
square. We venture to hope be
example which Duxdefit. Voutte 1110 ee.t:ivill
Misa

followed, and that the Bethnal-green Market will be
the first of an important series of reforms extending
throughout the metropolis. It is little to say that
this market will be the best in any part of London.
Compared not only with the spacious halles of Paris,
but even with the markets in second and third rate
provincial towns in England, the'metropolitan mar-
kets are one and all simply disgraceful—small,
mean, overcrowded, and inconvenient in every way.
But the poor are left without any markets, properly
so called, at all. Clare-market, the Brir, the New-
cut, and the other "kerb-stone" markets are merely
squalid streets blocked up with stalls and barrows.
The question, it must be borne in mind, is not one
of mere convenience on the part of buyers and sel-
lers. The present state of things has a wry direct
and decided effect in raising the price and deterio-
rating the quality of the goods supplied to the poor.
The amount of downright poisoning and robbery
which is perpetrated by provision dealers year by
year among the poor, if it could only be brought to
light, would probably shock and startle people quite
as much as the trade union disclosures at Sheffield.
Detected crimes form only a small proportion of
those which are committed; and the list of convic-
tions at every petty sessions in the south and east
of London for false weights and measures and adul-
terations is sadly suggestive of the trevalencebf-one
of the most cruel and heartless forms-of clishong-sty.
But the smaller class of shopkeepers say they are
themselves to be pitied. They are almost forced to
pilfer and adulterate in order to pay the high rents
demanded for their miserable shops, where they are
subject to constant losses from having no means of
properly storing and keeping fresh their goods. Mr.
Harry Chester's committee in the society of Arts is
doing useful service in opening hp new sources of
supply; but Miss Burdett Coutts has taken up an
equally important, and perhaps more immediately
practical and beneficial, branch of the same good
work—the improvement of the means of distributing
the supplies already to be had, so as to make the
most of them, and render them cheaper and more
accessible. It is no part of the Bethnal-green project
to furnish any contributions to the market, but we
hope Miss Coutts will give as much encouragement
as possible to any dealer who will undertake to bring
such a thing as pure milk within reach of the poor.
There is to be a coffee-shop at one corner of the
market. We should not be sorry to see it balanced
by a model " public" at the other for the sale of
wholesome beer of the Bavarian quality, and espe-
cially of those small doses of wine and spirits which
are necessary to the poor in sickness and which it is
now almost impossible for them to get except in an
adulterated state which inflames instead of relieving
their malady. There is another feature in this
scheme—for we hope it will be taken up by other
benevolent persons, if not by the local authorities—
which should not be overlooked. To reconcile the
generous impulses of benevolence with the hard rules
of political economy is the great problem of charity.
Alms, it is said, with some truth, demoralise the
recipient, impairing the self-respect and sapping the
self-reliance of those on whom they are bestowed.
In the extreme case of the absolutely destitute
there can, of course, be little room for doubt as to
how one should act. When a man is utterly
houseless and starving there is but one thing
to be done, and that is to provide him with shelter
and food as promptly as possible. This has now
been recognised as a public duty in Mr. Villiers's
Homeless Poor Act, and however imperfectly the
principle is at present carried into practice, we
may hope that in the course of time means may be
found to prevent the shameful scandal of any poor
wretch dying in the streets for want of the first
necessaries of life. The chief difficulty of benevo-
lence arises in the case of people just above destitu-
tion—the struggling poor who have a roof over their
beads, and contrive somehow or other to find food
enough—though now and then barely, and never
more than enough to sustain existence. The best
of these are any of anything like direct charity, and
the worst of them are apt to suffer harm from it.
Yet this class, including as it does thew known as
the " quiet poor," is above any other deserving of
sympathy and assistahce. They have to toil the
hardest for the poorest pittance, and out of their
miserable earnings they have to pay the highest price
for the worst of everything. Such a plan as the
opening of a market where they will get good ar-
ticles at a fair price meets the difficulties of the case.
It helps them to help themselves, and affords
theas
sistance they need without injuring their
inde-
pendence. The mere supervision over weightsand
measures which will be secured in Miss Burdett
Coutts's market will in itself be a pecuniary boon to
the poor who deal there.—Pall-Mall Gazette.