STATE PAPERS. 



301 



dicial to him, and so impolitic in 

 its effects, as to counteract any 

 advantatje which could be derived 

 from such diminution of litigation. 

 These are among the reasons for 

 which the committee suppose that 

 no alteration, short of that whicli 

 they venture to propose, would 

 have the effect of removing the 

 evil of litigation incident to the 

 present law of settlement. But it 

 is to the labouring class of the 

 community tliat they conceive this 

 great alteiation would be most 

 benefici.il. It would insure their 

 being maintained where they had 

 maintained themselves ; where they 

 would be more likely, if merito- 

 rious persons, to experience in 

 case of need the kindness of real 

 benevolence. It is hoped also that 

 it might operate as an inducement 

 to active and faithful service on 

 the one hand, and on the other, to 

 prevent such service being inter- 

 rupted by an interested consi- 

 deration for parochial funds. And 

 they propose this alteration with 

 the more confidence, because they 

 therebyrecomniend the restoration 

 of that law, which was coeval with 

 parochial contributions, whether 

 voluntaiy or compulsoiy ; and 

 because it is still the existing law 

 in that part of the United King- 

 dom, Scotland, where the local 

 management and maintenance of 

 the poor has been best conducted. 



There are some other sugges- 

 tions of inferior importance, which 

 have not found a place in the fore- 

 going part of the Report, to which 

 your committee would refer be- 

 fore they conclude their observa- 

 tions. 



It ajjpears denrablc, that jus- 

 tices out of sessions should have 

 the power, which they can now 



only execute in sessions, of mak- 

 ing orders of maintenance on near 

 rel.itions. 



That a power should also be 

 given to enable overseers to re- 

 cover, by a summary process, tiie 

 possession of tenements which 

 they may have rented and used for 

 the accommodation of the poor, 

 without being driven to the tedi- 

 ous and expensive proceeding by 

 way of ejectment. 



Your committee moreover think, 

 that the vexation and expense of 

 removals might, in some instances, 

 be saved, by an arrangement for 

 postponing the execution of the 

 order, till after a final decision in 

 case of iippeal. 



It is also suggested, that the 

 power given by the Mutiny Act 

 (vide 56 Geo. III. cap. 10, sect. 

 70,) " to any justice of the peace, 

 where any soldier shall be quarter- 

 ed, in case such soldier hr.ve either 

 wife, child, or children, to ex- 

 amine such soldier a* to the place 

 of his last legal settlement, and 

 which requires him to give an at- 

 tested copy to such soldier, of any 

 affidavit made by him in this re- 

 spect, in order to be produced 

 when required j and which j)ro- 

 vides that such attested copy shall 

 be at any time admitted in evi- 

 dence, as to such last legal settle- 

 ment," be extended to any person 

 confined in any gaol or place of 

 safe custody in Great Britain, j)ro- 

 vided that such copy of the exami- 

 nation shall not be admitted in 

 evidence after the discharge of 

 such prisoner. 



By the act 22 Geo. III. c. S3, it 

 is provided, that when any appli- 

 cation shall be made to a justice 

 of the peace for relief, such justice 

 shall not summon the guardian, 



unless 



