The Statesman.
London, England, 1824-02-03 00:00:00

NEW POOR BILL
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In answer to the enquiry of the Secretary of State for
the Home Department.sas to the objections which may he
made to Colonel Wood's proposed Bill, the Churchward-
ens and Overseers of Nottingham have made a reply,
from which the following is an extract:—
•' We beg leave to submit, that the evils recited in the
preamble, are neither so formidable nor so extensive as to
justify the entire abolition of the law settlement. Re-
movals, really oppressive, are few in comparison with the
whole number, while the charge of relieving the resident
poorof this town, for one year, would, at the lowest calcur
lations, he ten times the average annual cost of all the re-
movals and litigations thereon. This mischief, however,
admits of a practicable remedy. A legislative enactment,
aimplyfying the law of settlement, and regulating sus-
pended orders of removal, would ameliorate and greatly re-
duce, if not altogether abolish these evils.
" The bill itself, by t•roducing new pauperism, and con-
centrating nearly the whole mass in particular districts,
would create evils of far greater magnitude than those it
professes to core. In the vicinity of this town, several
parishes, the entire property of opulent individuals, are
nearly destitute of cottages, and almost wholly cultivated
by labourers resident in neighbouring places. In such pa-
rishes, any accession of new poor is prevented, by forbid-
ding the residence of labourers and mechanics, and by a
systematic and persevering evasion of the law of settlement
by hiring and service; and, in some instances, cottages
have been demolished, to secure an effectual riddance of
every family that might become casually chargeable, so
that whilst the vicinity of a large manufacturing town, se.
cores to the landed proprietors high rents, and to culti-
vators labour to any required extent, the present bill
(which to such parishes offers a powerful inducement, by
harsh treatment, to drive the poor into other places), would,
if passed into a law, enable them in a few years, aided by
a gradual and certain mortality, to rid their whole stock of
pauperism, by transferring it to their immediate vicinity.
" This bill, however, will not be confined in its effect to
a mere transfer of chargeable poor, from a close to an
open parish, from an agricultural village to a manufac-
turing town, its direct and obvious tendency, instead of di-
minishiug, is to swell the total amount of panperism in the
kingdom. It is well known, that the 33d section of the
59th Geo. 111. c. 12, which this bill goes to repeal, has
been productive of the most beneficial effects. A very
large majority of Irish and Scotch families, chargeable
when that act was passed, have, since that period, m sin-
tained themselves in decent and comfortable circumstances,
without parish relief. It is equally notorious, that in this
and other large towns, the fear of removal operates to pre-
vent applications for relief from many families of unsettled
and profligate itabitsos Ito otherwise would become a heavy
and increasing burthen."
The following statement of facts has been cent, as an
accompaniment to the letter:—
" In order to try the effect of the Bill, the Overseers of
St. Mary's parish have instituted inquiries in four districts,
of which the result is given below:—
" In tw•o sets of buildings, erected upwards of twenty
years, and inhabited by pour families, there are in the lirst
set forty families ; twenty settled in St. Mary's pari-li, of
which twe are chargeable, and twenty settled in other pa-
rishes, of which eight are chargeable. In second set,
thirty-two families, of which eleven are settled in St. Ma-
ry's, and twenty-one in other parishes.
" In two sets of buildings, occupied since the last census,
and inhabited by pour families:-1n third set, forty-three
families, of which sixteen are settled in St. Alary's, and
twenty-seven in otb•r pari,4:ivi. lit tonsil' set, one hun-
dred and forty•6va fondles, of which forty-seven are set-
tled in St. Mary's, amid ninety-eight in other parishes.
'• In the second, third, and fourth sets they were unable
correctly to ascettdin the number of pone chargeable to
other parishes. The result is, that in obi buildings, unset-
tled pour families are to be settled in the proportion of
four to three; and in new buildings the proportion is two
to one.

" The follon ing is. an average classification of removals
from this town :—Out of one hundred orders, seventy are
for lewd pregnant women, twenty for individuals charge
able through ituprovidence or vice, and ten by illness, of
which the greater part arise out of the refusal of their own
parishes to relieve them, and in eight oat of ten instauces
the parties die before executing the orders !"

CONDITION 01,"I'HE HOP PLANTERS OF
SUSSEX.
-wiw--

Circulars, containing the inquiries below, have'heen
distribnted generally throughout the Hop District of alit
County, by Mr. Curteis, onr Member; and fully o
their importance, and with a view to a greater publicity
we insert them in our piper of this day.