APPENDIX to the CHPtONlCLE. 



107 



ings. But it is evident that it" the 

 whole of this relief be given iti 

 money, it \vill be applied to the 

 piii,x*hase of bread to the usual 

 amount, and will thereby counter- 

 act that economy which it is so essen- 

 tial, for the interest of tlie poor 

 particularly, to introduce. It seems, 

 therefore, of the utmost importance 

 to jirovidc, that as large a portion 

 as possible of this relief should be 

 given neither in money, nor in the 

 sort of bread usually consumed in 

 each parish, but in some other 

 wholesome substitutes, such as your 

 committee have before enumerated. 

 They have, indeed, the satisfaction 

 of knowing, that this practice, 

 through the voluntary attention of 

 magistrates, has already prevailed 

 in many instances ; and that, where- 

 over it has been adopted, its con- 

 se(]uences have been most bene- 

 ficial : but partly from want of suf- 

 ficient authority in the magistrates 

 for this particular purpose, partly 

 from the use of the substitutes being 

 less generally known than at pre- 

 sent, and from the supply of them 

 not being as abundant as may now 

 be expected, the practice has been 

 less general tlian the interest of tlie 

 country recjuires. Your committee, 

 however, are aware that these 

 measures may not even now be in- 

 discriminately applical)le to every 

 parish ; from local circumstances, it 

 may be at first difficult to pi'ocure 

 the necessary articles in sufficient 

 quantity, or it may require some 

 time to introduce them into general 

 use. Your committee, therefore, 

 do not wisli that a peremptory rule 

 should be laiddown (witlioutexcep- 

 tlon) for tlie conduct of the magis- 

 trates in all cases, in carrying into 

 eflcct the general principle here 

 stated, but they conceive that whcrc- 



ever the exception is made, the 

 grounds of it should be specially 

 stated and allowed ; and tfiat in all 

 other cases the rule should be en- 

 forced. For this purpose they 

 would rcctmimend that an act should 

 be passed, requiring the nragistrate.s 

 in each district, within a certain 

 time, to take into consideration the 

 circumstances of each parish, and, 

 at the application of the overseer, 

 or at their own discretion, to make 

 an order for giving a certain por- 

 tion of relief in articles to be fixed, 

 and to direct the application of so 

 much of the rates as may be neces- 

 sary for providing such articles ; or, 

 if they shall be satisfied that circum- 

 stances will not then admit of such 

 articles being provided, that they 

 shall state their reasons, and report 

 them to a special sessions to be 

 directed by the act to meet for that 

 purpose. 



That the niagistratesasserabled at 

 such sessions shall make such order 

 thereupon as they shall think fit, 

 either authorising farther delay in 

 the execution of the measure, if 

 they shall be satisfied that the cir- 

 cumstances justify and require it; 

 or, if not, directing it to be enforced 

 in such a manner as they shall judge 

 expedient. The first advantage to 

 be procured by this measure, evi- 

 dently is that of rendering the sup- 

 ply more equal to the necessary 

 demand ; but thisadvantage, though 

 the greatest is not the only one: tlie 

 labourer, by receiving the propor- 

 tion of relief in some other article 

 than bread corn, will receive the 

 lienefit of the reduction of price, 

 which the diminished consumption 

 must tend to produce, in purcha- 

 sing cheaper what he provides out 

 of his own earnings, and will be less 

 dependent on the parish for his sub- 



