PART IV.] 



Dietaries of Prisons in England and Wales. 

 Dietaries of in-door labourers in England. 



647 



The average daily amount of nitrogen entering into the composition of the food of 

 these poor operatives is considerably less than two-thirds of the proportion given in 

 Moleschott's standard diet, even after excluding the needlewomen from the computation ; 

 and the carbon also is less by over 500 grains. They appear, however, to consume a 

 large quantity of fatty matter, the average daily amount, divided amongst the four 

 classes, being a little over 5 ounces. The nitrogen to the carbon is as 1 to 24. 



13. The dietaries of English labouring prisoners also have always been lower than 

 Moleschott's standard. Doubtless, the framers of the jail diets took into consideration 

 that a large proportion of the prisoners are from the lower classes and have been 

 accustomed to live, as Dr. Edward Smith's tables show, very sparingly. Moreover, as 

 the Jail Diet Committee which was recently appointed in England, and to which 

 reference is made in the following paragraph, say, " the question of sufficiency cannot 

 be dealt with entirely apart from the question of cost ; and we conceive that we 

 should ill-discharge our functions if we were to lose sight of the fact that prisoners 

 are, to some extent, maintained at the expense of those whom they have injured." 

 On the other hand, the diet scales of jails have, during recent years, usually been 

 considerably more liberal than those of English poor-houses ; and Dr. Letheby writes, 

 "the dietaries of prisons are so greatly in excess of the union that in times of 

 distress they offer encouragement for misdemeanour, in order that the prison' may be 

 reached in preference to the workhouse."* 



14. The special committee above referred to was appointed, during 1877-78, to 

 inquire into the dietaries of Local Prisons in England and Wales, "with a view to 



Op. cit., page 116. 



