STATE PAPERS. 



275 



itself was limited for the time to 

 come, might not be applied to all 

 other parishes or districts. Your 

 committee are not aware that such 

 a provision would be less prac- 

 ticable, as applied generally, than 

 locally ; and it would obviously 

 not only operate in aid of any 

 other check to expenditure which 

 might be devised, but would ne- 

 cessitate a degree of economy, 

 which would probably be more 

 eflfectual than any detailed regu- 

 lations which could be prescribed 

 by particular enactments, and ren- 

 der necessary such careful and just 

 discrimination in selecting the 

 properest objects of relief, as 

 would contribute materially to put 

 an end to numberless evils arising 

 from the lax administration of the 

 poor laws ; the check, indeed, 

 which is proposed is perfectly con- 

 sonant with the nature of things, 

 not only individuals, but states 

 themselves are compelled to limit 

 their expenditure according to 

 their means ; and the money 

 raised for the poor being strictly 

 a tax, is in no greater degree ca- 

 pable of unlimited extension, when 

 applied to relieve the necessities 

 of the poor than for the purposes 

 of the state. Whether the future 

 assessments should be limited in 

 the first instance to the amount of 

 any one year, or to an average of 

 many, your committee think the 

 amount in each succeeding year, 

 not exceeding seven, ten, or even 

 a greater number, should then af- 

 ford an average, taken always 

 from the last seven, ten, or greater 

 number ; by which means a di- 

 minution in the amount might be 

 afforded, without the possibility, 

 on the other hand, of an increase 

 beyond the original limitation. It 



is fit, however, to apprise the 

 House, that it was thought neces- 

 sary by the legislature, in the year 

 I7&5, to relieve these parishes 

 from the obligation of this clause, 

 " by reason (as it is stated) of the 

 late very great increase of the 

 price of corn, and other necessary 

 articles of life." They were, there- 

 fore, enabled to raise sums ex- 

 ceeding the amount of the limited 

 assessment, whenever the average 

 price of wheat in Maik-lane ex- 

 ceeded the average price at the 

 same market, during those years 

 from which the average amount 

 of the poor rates were taken. But 

 a new limitation was again im- 

 posed by the same act, providing, 

 that after the 1st January, 1796, 

 no assessment should exceed dou- 

 ble the sum raised in 179.5. And 

 your committee apprehend, that 

 this limitation remains still in 

 force. In case it was thought ex- 

 pedient to adopt this limitation of 

 assessment generally, it appears 

 to your committee, that provision 

 might be made against such an 

 emergency as that of the year 

 1795, without abandoning the 

 principle, by ])roTiding, that in 

 case of an urgent and unforseen 

 necessity, far exceeding any such 

 average, the vestry of the parish 

 might apply to the justices, in their 

 quarter stssions, for an aid from 

 the county to the amount of one 

 moiety of such necessary excess, 

 and for peimission to raise the 

 other moiety, by way of assess- 

 ment within the parish, in addition 

 to such average amount ; and if 

 the justices, or a committee of 

 them appointed for that purpose, 

 should, after examination on oath 

 as to the necessity of such excess 

 of expenditure, be of opinion that 

 T « it 



