Pauperism in New South Wales. 117 



bling nature of the digger's hopes and labour, the dull monotony 

 of the shepherd's life, the uncertainty of the seasons, the heat of 

 the climate with its accompanying temptations, and the solitude 

 of country life, all these must, and do, injuriously affect a certain 

 proportion of average humanity, producing pauperism in its true 

 sense, as well as " pauperism " arising from chronic illness and 

 infirmity. Eecent experience, has, however, brought to light 

 another source, in the fencing in of runs, b) which many aged 

 hutkeepers and shepherds, capable of no other labour, have been 

 thrown out of employment into the Government Asylums.* On 

 the other hand, it may reasonably be expected that, as the colony 

 becomes more settled in its pursuits, family ties will be stronger, 

 and the disposition to support aged relations greater. Upon the 

 whole I conclude that the rate of increase of this class has been 

 disproportionately large of late years, and that, although the 

 numbers must continue to rise, they will not in future be likely 

 to do so in quite the same large proportion to the population. 

 Somewhat similar reasons appear to have stimulated the numbers 

 of destitute children. It is notorious that during the gold mania 

 the diggings and accompanying excitements induced many men to 

 desert their wives, and many mothers their children ; while the 

 readiness with which Charity and Pity accepted the charge of the 

 infants thus deserted, became in its turn an excuse to some in 

 whom parental affection was weak, to relieve t hemselves of 

 the trouble and expense of those whom nature had bestowed upon 

 them to support and caress. It may be hoped, therefore, that 

 a more settled character of employment, together with the great- 

 est firmness and discrimination on the part of the directors of our 

 industrial schools and reformatories, will ere long diminish the 

 hitherto enormous proportion of destitute children, if not the 

 actual numbers in the establishment. The third class would not 

 demand space in a paper devoted to Poor Law relief, but for the 

 peculiar circumstances of the colony, which render it difficult, if 

 not impossible, for a person afflicted with incurable disease to ob- 

 tain support except at the hands of Government or Charity. My 

 own experience indicates that many of the most pitiable cases of 

 suffering and poverty occur among this class. The general activity 

 of life, the limited nature of the homes of the hand- working class, 

 and in many instances, the absence of family ties, often leave 

 them shelterless and friendless. There appears little hope, there- 

 fore, that any diminution will take place in this class ; it is more 

 probable that increase of population will more than counter- 

 balance past and temporary influences. 



* In one Station, upon which a large portion of land has recently been 

 fenced in, the number of hands has already been reduced from two hundred 

 (200) to thirty-three (33), and further reductions are to be made, — this may 

 be accepted as an average instance. 



