288 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



but it would operate still more 

 beneficially, if it enabled parishes 

 collectively, under proper restric- 

 tions, to follow the example of 

 those individual proprietors of 

 land, who have been in the j)rac- 

 tice of letting very small portions 

 of land, on reasonable terms, to 

 industrious labourers, to cultivate 

 on their own account : some of 

 the instances to which your com- 

 mittee allude will be found in the 

 appendix ; and they cannot too 

 earnestly recommend them to the 

 practice and imitation of those 

 who have similar ojjportunities. 

 \yhere the means of jiroviding a 

 supply of productive labour are 

 wanting, the re])air of the roads 

 has been found to aiford a useful 

 occupation, and it might be expe- 

 dient to make tlie duty of tlie sur- 

 veyor of the highways more avail- 

 able to the overseer for the pur- 

 pose of providing eniploymeiit. 



A practice has long prevaile<i in 

 agricultural parishes in ditlerent 

 ])arts of the kingdom, of sending 

 men out of work to the inhabitants 

 of the parish, in rotation, accord- 

 ing to their share oi'the ratej and 

 this usage has natiually increased 

 as the demand for labour is dimi- 

 nished, as it appears to afford the 

 means of seciu'ing some return 

 for the sums paid. It has been 

 generally, and perhaps wisely, 

 arranged in those cases, that the 

 remuneration for ?\ich service 

 should be less than the ordinary 

 wages of labour in the parish, 

 that an inducement might remain 

 to such persons to seek employ- 

 ment for themselves. A propor- 

 tion of the sum has also been 

 usually paid by the overseers out 

 of the rate. This latter practice 

 has been subject to such abuse, us 



to have rendered this mode of set- 

 ting persons to work higlily ob- 

 jectionable; for tlie occupiers of 

 land are supposed in many in- 

 stances to get their worktiius per- 

 formed, and paid for, in a great 

 part, out of the parish fund. 



With re.5pect to latge towns, in 

 the present state of this kingdom, 

 your committee fear the difficulty 

 of fulfilling the obligation of this 

 part of the law must be almost in- 

 superable, notwithstanding all the 

 exertions which can be made to 

 provide useful, if not profitable 

 employment — Your connuittee, 

 therefore, feel that all obstacles to 

 seeking employment wherever it 

 can be found, even out of the 

 lealm, should be lemoved ; and 

 evesy facility that is reasonable 

 afforded to those who may wish to 

 resort to some of our own colonies. 



The sums to be raised for the 

 relief of the lame, impotent, &c. 

 your conmiittee apprehend can be 

 applied, according to tlie letter of 

 the law, to the relief of such per- 

 sons only as the justices can con- 

 scientiously adjudge to be not only 

 poor, but impotent. For this aj)- 

 pears not only by reference to the 

 43d Eliz. and the adjudged cases, 

 but the 8th and 9th W. HI. c. 30. 

 imposes on those receiving relief 

 as such the necessity of wearing a 

 badge, (since repealed) "to the 

 end that the money raised only for 

 the relief of such as are as well 

 impotent as poor, may not be 

 misapplied or consumed by the 

 idle, sturdy, and disorderly beg- 

 gars." Notwithstanding which, 

 chiefly from the want of proj)er 

 means to set to work their chil- 

 dren, and the difficulty of finding- 

 employment for those out of work, 

 persons, who are avowedly not 



impotent, 



