Report of the Royal Commission on the Poor Laws and Relief of Distress. : Appendix Volume XXI. Report to the Royal Commission on the Poor Laws and Relief of Distress on an inquiry in certain unions into cases of refusal of out=relief / By Miss G. Harlock.

  • Royal Commission on the Poor Laws and Relief of Distress 1905-09
Date:
1910
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Licence: In copyright

Credit: Report of the Royal Commission on the Poor Laws and Relief of Distress. : Appendix Volume XXI. Report to the Royal Commission on the Poor Laws and Relief of Distress on an inquiry in certain unions into cases of refusal of out=relief / By Miss G. Harlock. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    Miss C told me that she goes sometimes to see some of the ladies she used to work for, and they give her a cup of tea and often a tea cake and a bit of dripping to take home with her. But of course there is no certainty abou': help of this kind. The house is beautifully clean and comfortable. Both sisters asked me if I thought there would be a chance of an Old-Age Pension soon. It's so hard for people who have always kept themselves respectable to be harassed like this when they can't work any longer. Remarks.—The refusal of relief causes much suffering to both E. C. and her sister. They simply do not know how to live. The nephew will give his aunt shelter, but will not provide for her further. If she were in lodgings where she could not be so comfortable as she is with her sister, relief would be given. But she cannot find lodgings. Out-relief would be a great comfort to this woman, as it would put her in a position to pay for her food, and now both she and her sister must often go short. It seems so unnecessary to make them suffer in this way, especially as this is one of the few cases in which the relieving officers state that the character is good. Relieving Officee's Report. Name of Applicant and Dependent Children. Age. Address. Occupation. Income of Self and Family. Character. Why was House not accepted 1 Kemarks. E. C. - 72 Single t Housework Nil Good No accom- modation at Kemoved from here to but now no certain address. 16. The doctors seem to liold out very little hope that No. 44 will ever be able to resume work. In the course of time I am afraid these sisters will come to the Poor Law for assistance; their resources cannot last long. 17. Three persons (Nos. 9, 32, 42) asked me as to the probability of getting old age pensions in the near future, and evidently felt that these woald solve some of their present anxieties. So many persons also seemed to feel that by paying rates all their lives they had earned the right to relief. They evidently look upon rates as a form of insurance. 18. It will be noticed that 14 of the cases visited were being dealt with by the Poor Law authorities. Of the remaining 21 cases in Class I. I should consider that 17 cases, Nos. 15, 17, 19, 23, 24, 26, 29, 30, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, and 41, were unsuitable for out-relief, and that 3 cases were doubtful, Nos. 18,28, and 31. In 7 cases, Nos. 16, 20, 21, 22, 25, 27, and 32 (Leeds Union might have been asked to repay the cost of temporary relief in the case of No. 27), I feel that out-relief would have been use- ful and would have saved considerable suffering. While fully realising the difficulty of obtaining uniformity in the administration of relief, it seems hard to understand why it was granted to Nos. 8 and 11, and refused to Nos. 16, 20, 21, 22 and 32. There seems no ultimate good to be achieved in forcing No. 21 and his wife into the workhouse, and separating them during the short time E. V, will probably live, and thus adding to his sufferings. For there is no doubt that, he is genuinely terrified at the thought of being in the workhouse hospital. The remembrance of his past experiences as a patient there being very real, indeed, they are a perfect nightmare to him. 19. I heard no complaints about the relieving officers. Several persons said they were gentlemen and wishful to do their duty. But I wondered whether their judgment was not sometimes unnecessarily harsh and censorious. Various persons told me of the treatment they received from the guardians, and said they did not like being laughed at and made fun of. Others felt that the doctors were often rough and unkind. 20. The notes printed on pages 7 [7] to 28 [28} give a brief description of each person - visitedand their present surroundings. Where persons are not now in receipt of out-relief I have added my own impression of each case under the heading Remarks^ In these remarks I have tried to show what has been the result of the refusal of out-relief so far as it was possible to judge from one visit. In each case I have put the age of the applicant in brackets ( ) after the name. G. Harlock.
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