LONDON’S OUTCASTS.
A great effort is shortly to bo made by the London Asylums Board to clear the embankment of the tramps and outcasts who sleep there every night. Henceforth every policeman m night duty in the area will carry a number of tickets with him, and when he finds the night sleeper the latter will he awakened and presented with a ticket which will give him admission to an office of the Asylums’ Board about to be opened. This office will be open at night only, for the special purpose of dealing with outcasts,; and it is simply the fact that the situation of the office and waiting-room has not yet been decided on that has kepi the operation of the scheme back for a time. When the tramp presents ids ticket at the office ho will be questioned by the officer in charge, certain details and particulars,iwill be taken down, and one of the charitable shelters will be communicated with at once. A bed having been found, the individual is given another ticket and sent to his rest for the night, and on the following day he will he given some work which will repay his deb! to the institution. If the scheme is a success it will he extended to other areas. The Local Government Board has been helped in the consideration of the problem of the homeless poor
by an advisory committee. This committee, consisting of representatives of various voluntary agencies, suggested this scheme, and the Commissioner of Police has offered to lend help by allowing the night constables to carry the tickets. The tickets will contain directions to apply at the office, and show the number of the constable and the date. It will be impossible for the tickets to be used for begging purposes. One of the understandings, indeed, is that the police do not guarantee that the tramp will be helped. The hours during which the tickets will be given out are from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Practically every charitable organisation which works among the human flotsam in the district have placed their services at the disposal of the 'Asylums Board. Those tramps who refuse to take the tickets and prefer to sleep “in the open” will incur the risk of being arrested for the offence of sleeping out, which is dealt with under the Vagrancy Act, and it is hoped that the new scheme will strengthen the hands of the police in dealing with those who turn the Embankment and the neighbouring street into open-air dormitories.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/STEP19121210.2.55
Bibliographic details
Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 89, 10 December 1912, Page 8
Word Count
425LONDON’S OUTCASTS. Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 89, 10 December 1912, Page 8
Using This Item
Copyright undetermined – untraced rights owner. For advice on reproduction of material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.