THE PERMANENT POOR.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9509, 5 April 1909, Page 2

THE PERMANENT POOR.

HALF A MILLION ON THE RATES

(" Daily News.")

An unusual return dealing with poor law relief in England and Wales has been published, figures being given for the year ended September 30, 1907. The ordinary returns do not show the duration of relief in individual cases, or the number of occasions on which relief is given. In Juno, 1906, the Poor 'Law Commission represented to the Local Government Board the necessity for the purposes of the Commission of obtaining more detailed information. Accordingly the Local Government Board prepared special forms for a register of paupers to be kept for the purpose of recotding during the twelye months from October 1, 1906, to September 30, 1907, adequate particulars as to each person or family relieved in that period and the nature and duration or the relief granted. ' Summarised, the returns show that the total number of persons (excluding lunatics and casual pauper©) who received relief in the year was 1,709,436, or 4.9 pwr cent of the estimated population. Children under sixteen years of age numbered 564,314, forming slightly less than one-third ; the remainder consisted of 618,673 females and 526,449. males. One section, amounting to nearly three-fifths (995,994 persons) of the aggregate number relieved was made up of members of some 305\658 families, 502,752 v persons received none but indoor . relief , 1,125,507 nope but outdoor Telief (including 216,022 persons who received medical relief only), and, 71,177 persons received both indoor and outdoor relief at different times in the course of the year. Nearly one-third of the total number ■ — 538,680 persons—^were relieved for the whole. of the twelye months, and nearly 12 per cent were relieved for periods exceeding six months, but less than the year. Thus, more than twofifths of the aggregate pauperism of the year, was virtually of a permanent character. • -. .

Over four-fifths of the persons relieved were or became chargeable' on one occasion only', irrespective of the period of their relief. The total number of persons (excluding lunatics and casuals) who received relief is classified in the following table : — •

Unions Unions in outside Total. London. London. -* Men . , . 116,622 409.827 526,449 Women . . . 113,126 505,547 618,673 Children (under 16) 109,508 454,805 564,314 Total . 339,256 1,370,180 1,709,436 The proportion of pauperism in London, with a» estimated population of 4,758,218, was much higher than for the whole of England, being equal to one in 14 persons, or 7.1 per cent. i Classification by sex and family shows that of the total number of persons ; relieved the proportions of men* wo> men and children were 30.8, 36.2 and 33 per cent respectively. The proportions as compared with the estimated ; adult male. and female and child populations (1907) were, as follow : — ■

Men, 526,449, equal 4.8 per cent of male population.

Women, 618,673, equal 5.1 per cent of female population. Children undar '6, 564.310. equal 4.7 per cent cf population under sixteen.

Women form the largest section of .paupers, -but it is curious to note the difference between the results of the enumeration for a year and the average pauperism of a single day. Thus: ' Beceived relief „ in the year. For every 100 men relieved on one day ' • . " . . • 242 For every 100 women . . 177 For every 100 children . . • . 249 From this it may be inferred that the relief of adult females is of a more permanent character than in the other two classes. Comparison is made with the pauperism in the year ended Lady Day, 1892, that being the last return of a similar nature. In relation to estimated population, the rhte for 1892 was 5.4 per cent, as compared with 4.9 per cent for 1907. In London the corresponding i*ates were ' 7.4 per cent and 7.1 per cent respectively. Thus, both in London and in the whole of. England and Wales, the estimated proportion to population of pei«ons relieved in the course of the year shows a decrease in the later as compared with the earlier year. These decreases, however, may be only apparent. The earlier return was not, as in the case of the present return, prepared from a special record instituted, for the purpose, and its absolute accuracy oould not be relied on.