The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-01-20

utlpANltt III ll' l'lNi' VI WV '"N%b WV
eminent Board. To what extent may these
changes be- regarded as rcfurms2 What IL
the amount of money now annually devoted
to the relief of tho INDECENT, and how II II
dstributcd2 How are the funds raised, and
what proportion Of the whole population de-
rivcs assistance from thcmY
In general il may bc said that the English
poor rate IL levied more wisely than 1t IL
spent, although on both heads there IL am
pie room for Improvement The tax falls
upon real property, and is fixed for each
parish or group of parishes by u local ou-
rcau, known as the Board OF Guardians.
These officers arc chosen 10y the ratcpayers,
and each clcctor may have az many votes
as the sum imposed ON him contains units
OF the local rate provided the number docs
not exceed ak We may add that voting by
proxy IL allowed within certain limits, and
! that female ratrpaycrs take part In the
elections. Whore the income Of an individ-
ual from real estate. or the annual rental
paid bv him, falls short Of $3.50, he makes no
direct contribution to this tax. But, OF
course. he paws his share indirectly through
the increased cost " lodgings and shop room.
The whole sum yielded by the poor rate
in the last year 1873, covered by the Stats
ties ON this point, was almost exactly
forty million dollars. This amount, enor-
nous a. ii seems. was considerably exceed
ell by the expenditure, and a state subsidy
of nearly two million dollars failed to meet
the deficit. Accordingly the central bureau,
| the abovc-named Local Government Board,
was compelled to borrow from time to
time, and by the close Of 1875 owed not far
| from four millions OF pounds sterling. But
the constant augmentation of rates which
such state Of things entails Is the subject OF
less vehement complaint than Is the grossly
unequal assignment ofburdens. The avcragc
ratio OF the poor rate to the renting value
Of real estate all over England may be-
stated at nine per cent; but in hundreds OF
parishes II Is upward Of twenty per cent,
while in others II Is less than three. Per-
haps the most flagrant instance OF injustice
is presented at Brighton, which consists OF
two parishes namely the old borough and
the new villa city Of Hove. In the former
there IL numerous INDECENT population and
a high poor rate In the latter all the land
belongs to one proprietor, and Is rented with
| the stipulation that no tenement houses or
buildings available for workingmcn shall be
erected The result is that the whole labor
ing population of Hove. with the exception
Of domestic servants live at Brighton. and
In case of need must seek relief of the Brigh-
ton Poor Board, to whom the residents Of
Hove pay not IA farthing.
Assistance il rendered by the Board OF
Guardians in two ways, by indoor and out
door relief, and this distinction is the source
II numerous abuses. The British work
house is almost the only institution which
has been wholly untouched by the reforms
of recent years. Its management is still
what DICKENS pictured it: and the hard
ship Of its rules, as for instance the rigor-
Gus separation Of husband and wife and OF
parents and children, is continually ex-
posed in the public prees. The poor who
dwell in the warehouses; very rarely obtain
permission to go out for recreation; they
are constantly employed in hard labor the
able-bodicd men in breaking stones. the old
and inflrm In picking oakum. On the other
hand, the food is generally insufficient and
detestabe We should mention that those
who refuse TO work are punishable with i'm
, prisonment in house OF correction, and
that no man, once admitted, can leave with
in twenty-four hours or without completing
: the task imposed on him. To the working
men Of England these houses are known as
bastics, and they have, indeed the charac
ter of iails rather than Of beneiicent institu
tions. The astute organization of the Brit
ish workhousc rests ON the principle Of =,
, disgusting the poor man with this form o
relief that he will only seek it at the las
0 extremity, and will seize the first occasion
= of discardinSit.
, OF course those who must resort to tn
: workhouse are far more to be pited THAI
. those who obtain assistance at their Owl
= homes, on what Is known as outdoor relief
v Now. when a large share Of the poor fun'
= was made applicable to the latter purpose
l. the Legislature doubtless meant to rcserv
= this form of succor for the old and weak, 70
Q married persons and the heads Of families
In practice it is quite otherwise. The dis
trbuton OF outdoor relief is purely a mat
ter of favoritsm, absolutely depending o
l. the within OF the guardians or inspectors
= With the complicated system Of clectlo
70 employed, it IL obvious that the naming {
q the local boards will often fall to littl
IS cotcrics Of rich people 1t follows that pre-
a fcsslonal and hereditary paupers, If the
d happen TO enjoy the protection Of some OPP
lent ratepayer, are quartercd on the publ
It fund for generations, while deserving mel
It anxious to help themselves and needin
l. only occasional assistance, are rudely drive
n- to the workhousc In word, the action
J. the local boards seems TO bo dictated by Il
lc curious notion that the poor rate is Il
- from the rch and not tax exacted by Il
n commonwealth. in partial requital Of 4
l. support of the doctrines Of individual pro
Is erty and testamentary distribution.
% Let us mark the number Of poor succor,
IL by the local boards In recent years; for thi
lc however inadequate is the sole measure v
H. possess Of the amount of paupcrism in En-
Of land. Those who derived assistance fro
T. the poor rate in 1865 aggregated rather mo
ut than $50 900, or say four and a half per cent
IL the whole population. In 1870 the ratio Ia
le slightly increased, and five years aftorwal
is ii had declined to about four and one-ten
H. per cent. 1t is worth while to decOnpo
Il, these totals and point out how many W.
N confined In warehouses;, to signalze, also,
g. still more decisive Indication of social IN
Is, ualities-namcly, the number of ahlc-bo
IL led adult males who, from want OF cmplo
al tupnt. have been constrained to ask rcli,