The Sun.
London, England, 1861-04-27 00:00:00

into the mysteries of pauperism. We apprentice,
children out of the union, and after they have served
40 days they become chargeable to the parish la
which they have been apprenticed, the settlement
having changed. Girls are generally sent out et 14
years of age, and for two years after they leave the
district school they are visited by the chaplaie,kl;
order to ascertain how they are going on.
guardians set their faces, and in my opinion very
properly, against sending young girls to mane"'
or to any description of needlework. We have DI
demands for children as apprentices than we bay
children.

The Chairman—l believe the fact is notorious that
there is a great demand for children ?
Witness Yes ; chiefly for domestic sett
The children receive an industrial training; 11d,t
.
believe that an industrial training out of the We've
house is better than one in the workhouse.
doubt in many cases the children of paupers reolto
a better education than the children of those L
contribute towards the poor rates. If the child
are refractory we lock them up for a few hourksi
think that no harm arises from allowing the
women to mix with the good. As a roil,
rule, we find that the example set by the Well
conducted exercises a good influence 051„
those who are badly disposed. There would '7,
much less chance of reclaiming the bad if 10.,
placed them altogether and afforded them
110,,°4
portunity of judging by the conduct of others IP"
their own ought to be.
By Mr. Lyall—As to placing them in a refornlS
tory, I do not think they would go there. I should
however, feel disposed to remove respectable yogi
girls to some such establishment as that in Grls
Ormond-street, paying the amount of their
tenance there.
By Mr. Alderman Sidney—There are 98 parishes
in the City. of London Union, and they are vnielk
unequally rated to the relief of the poor. 3"
highest rates are 6s. and the lowest 6d.
Mr. Stockton, churchwarden of St. Pancrag•W4
then called, and asked by the chairman to state tu
objections he entertained as to the control of the
a
Poor-law Board, and the amendments he would
suggest in the law. He said he objected in 4e
.1
first instance to the power exercised by the row
law Board of dismissing the masters of workhouse.
In his opinion it was a power which ought to he
exercised by the guardians alone. The guardial
of St. Pancras dismissed their officer in 1852, an°
the Poor-law Board declined to sanction this air
missal, threatening the board with a writ of mandr
mus to compel them to take him back. After cog:
siderable correspondence Sir B. Hall and Lore
Dudley Stuart, the members for the borough, pro'
mised to take up the matter, and after that the
hoard heard no more from the central authoriti.,
but were allowed to rest in peace. What tl3°
guardians wanted was simply the power of dig-
charging an officer if they were of opinion that h:
did not discharge his duties properly. They lied,
local act upon which they relied for the poviel"
they sought to exercise.
The Chairman—Have you had much occasion t°
dismiss your officers ? Have you dismissed Ycur
chaplain ?
Wit n ess—Yes.
The Chairman—Was it upon the ground of -
doctrine ?

Witness—We thought he was too Romanisinglfl
his tendencies; and as he would not do for us W°
got rid of him. We never dismiss a man from ine,„l4
caprice, and not without full inquiry. We &,v."
dismissed our medical officer about two years ago..
The Chairman—ls there any other point 11P°'
which you think the law ought to be amended ?
Witness—Yes; I think the power of surcharge
exercised by the auditors is exercised in a most o'r
jectionable manner. The names of particular pe.f"
sons who happened to have signed the cheque d'gi
allowed are published to the world as the names °_
persons who have misappropriated the funds of the
parish. The old system of audit was much better
than that now adopted.
The Chairman remarked that the auditor if!B
elected by the chairman and vice-chairman of 0°
district for which he acted, and was perfectly indv
pendent of the Poor-law Board.
The committee then adjourned.