The Bee-Hive. — 1872-10-26 (London, England)

LABOURERS AND PARISH RELIEF.  Mr. George Mitchell desires us to publish the following, which has been forwarded to him : Sir,—Allow me, as a friend, to offer you one word of condolence on your loss. Although living at a great distance from you, I have need of your sympathy and untiring perseverance on behalf of the west country agrioulttiral labourers' that I determined to meet you at one of the labourers' meetings, held at 13ridport this past summer, and which convinced me of your earnestness in their cause. I sincerely trust that kind. Providence will still continue to smile on you and yours, and that your great loss will not be felt so severely as to prevent you from continuing your praiseworthy work on behalf of those poor, deluded, ignorant, and half-starved people who inhabit this part of the nation. I, myself, do take a deep interest in the poor creatures, and living as I do amongst them, it enables me to speak perhaps more positively than many others as to their wants, and still more SQ as one of their so-called guardians. The Axminster Union, in which I am located, is composed of seventeen parishes, and I believe there is not half-a-dozen labourers or any one member Of their family to be found in the whole seventeen parishes that are not paupers. The adults are paid for their labour from 4s. to 10s. per week, and I am afraid so long as the present poor-law is in existence we shall not see their condition bettered, nearly half of the rates that are collected being appropriated under the present system to the parsons, doctors, lawyers, and other officials. The local union boards are composed principally of farmers and their landlords, exofficio members, which accounts for out-door relief being paid and received in consideration of wages. I must tell you how pauperism is on the increase in this neighbourhood. At our last board meeting, held at Axminster on Thurs.. day, 17th inst., application was made by a. farmer's wife for out-door relief for 'her son, who lived at home with his parents, who farmed over 120 acres of land, well stocked, thus showing you that farmers have little or no more. pride or independence in them than their labourers, and they argue in their ignorance that they have paid poor-rates for years and never once received back a penny in any other way than by reduced wages. I endeavour to instil on tha ratepayers the necessity of procuring education and better remuneration for ;he labourer's work;and by so doing we should men pauperism and relieve ourselves from ,eavy rates.—Yours,  JOlll4 Dirratut. Lyme Regis, 21st Ocitober, 1872.  A number of pensioners from the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich are preparing for a voyage to Canada and back, in order, as it is stated, that they may obtain a commutation of their pensions.  The debate on the subject of gratuitous education to destitute children was resumed at the weekly meeting of the School Board of London on Wednesday, and after several members had spoken, Par. Reed, M.P., withdrew his motion in favour of Mr. Pioton's amendment, which, he said, would open up the whole question. Mr. Pieton, however, altered his amendment so as to make it declare that the Board will consider each ease sent up by the Divisional Committee on its merits. To this another _a.menatncnt was Moved by Lord Ma hen, afartning that the necessity of establishing free instruction has not yet arrived. Eventually Mr. Picton'ilinoticia was carried by 17 to 6.  Mr. Stanley, the discoverer of Livingstone, arrived at Glasgow on Wednesday, au tt was entertained at luncheon by the Lord Provost and magistrates. He afterwards gave a lecture to the Christian Young Mon's Association, on Central Africa.  The herds of deer running in the Homepark, Hampton Court, are, it is stated, affected with foot and mouth disease. ,  Owing to the great rainfall of the last few days, the Trent and Derwent and. other streams in the Midland Counties have overflowed their banks, and the waters have risen higher than during the greatfloods of 1857 and 1864.  From Oldham we hear of a suicide under what might have seemed perfectly respectable and "safe." conditions of life. Mr. J. D. Worthington, of Collier House—a Wesley.an in religion, two of whose brothers were mapstrates—vtas found in his bath, with throat out, and other wounds on the body lie had been in low spirits for some time, from some house not stated, and the verdict was ono of "temporary insanity."