The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-31 00:00:00

:TEE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, JANUARY 31, 1867.

Equalisation cf Poor Rates.

Last evening a conferenc3 of delegates of the members
of vestries and boards of guardians of the meti•opolis was
held at the London Coffee-house, Ludgate-hill, to take
into consideration the best means of pressing upon the
Government the necessity for speedy legislation upon this
subject. The chair was occupied by Mr. William Gilbert.
The following parishes and unions had signified their
approval of the equalisation of the metropolitan poor
rates, and had promised to send delegates on this occa-
sion :—St. Saviour's, West London, East London, Lam-
beth, Chelsea, St. Mary, Newington; Fulham Union, St.
George's, Southwark; St. Mary, Stratford; Bermondsey,
Rotherhite, St. (Nave's, Southwark ; St. George's-in-the-
East, Strand Union, Wandsworth Union—in all 15
a population of 794,916
eparishes,rsons, ando r unions,containingX2,B4;B26 property
Mr. F. H. FOWLER, one of the honorary secretaries,
read the ninth annual report of the committee of the
Metropolitan and County Association for the Equalisation
of the Poor Rates, which detailed the progress already
made, and ended by stating that Government would be
urged to find a remedy for the alleged evils of the present
system.

The CHAIRMAN, in moN.ng the adoption of the report,
observed that, although the bill which had been introduced
into l'ailiam,nt by this association had failed, it had had
the effect of directing attention to tho subject, and a com-
mittee had been appointed to inquire into it. The facts
which had been disclosed were really startling; and he might
mention, for instance, his own parish, that of Kensington•
From that parish 58,000 poor persons had been ejected and
were now living in the poor parishes of Chelsea and Ful-
ham. In St. Bartholomew's, Finsbury, the whole of the
poor had been ejected by railway interests, and in St. Cle-
ment Dane a similar result would soon follow, owing to
the building of the now law courts. The rental would be
increased by about £500,000 a year, whilst the poor m ould
be banished into Lambeth. In St. George's, Hanover-
square, with a rateable value of two millions, they had
scarcely any rate, although had a working population of
60,000 servants. It was said that the richer districts, al-
though not paying much to the poor rate, made up the
difference by the liberalityof their charitable contributions ;
but what were the facts ? He had ascertained, that if, in-
stead of all the recent donations for the relief of cholera
patients, the money required had been raised by rate, a
halfpenny
rate would have roduced the whole sum, and
.£5,000 over; a farthing p
rate would have provided beds for
1,000 cholera patients. Although the meeting was but
thinly attended he was happy to say that the committee
had received letters acquiescing
in the movement from
persons representing a million of the inhabitants of Lon-
don, and it Should be borne in mind that they only com-
menced their present operations nine days ago.
Mr. BLACKFORD,
chairman h • of the Fulham Union,
seconded the motion.
Mr. CoutssoN, of St. George's, Southwark, and a member
of the Board of Works, urged upon the meeting the great
importance of equalising the poor rates, and reminded them
that Mr. Villiers, when President of the Poor-law Board
and Mr. Baines, his predecessor, had exp•eessed themselves
in favour of the movement. “If," said Mr. Collinson, "it
had not been for that abominable Reform Bill, which was
always poking its nose in somewhere, a bill would have
been introduced on the subject last session. (Laughter,
and hear, hear.)
Mr. GREEN (the shipbuilder) said that in the eastern
parish where ho resided they were supporting not only the
poor of their own parish, but all the poor people who had
been brought thither through the ill effects of speculation
and the operation of fictitious capital during the last few
years.

After some further discussion, in which Mr. Burlton,
Mr. Bonham, Mr. R. E. Warwick, Mr. F. H. Fowler, and
others bibk part, the report was adopted ; and
Dr. STALLAItD moved the following resolution : —4` That
in the opinion of this meeting the time has now arrived
when it is the duty of the Government to introduce a bill
for the equalisation of thepoor rates within the metropoli-
tan district, and that a deputation do wait upon the Poor-,
law Board in ordor to impress upon the Government the
great importance of the measure."

The motion was unanimously agreed to, and a resolution
was passed authorising the addition of certain names to the
committee.

The meeting then separated.