§ MR. SCULLY, in the absence of the hon. Member for Limerick (Mr. John O'Connell), asked the following question, which had been put upon the paper by the latter hon. Member:—"Whether, considering the enormous and every-day growing increase of destitution in many parts of Ireland; the nearly total want of means among her small farmers and agricultural labourers to purchase food and maintain their families; and the inability of the poor-law to support the overwhelming pauperism of the country—the Government have not some measure ready for the pro viding of relief by means of food or employment, and thus far preventing the wholesale wasting and destruction of human life among the poorer classes of Ireland."
§ SIR G. GREYcomplained of the inconvenient form in which the question was framed, involving as it did a series of assumptions, the disproving of which, if he were to undertake that task, which, how ever, he did not intend, would necessarily lead to a long debate. It was unfair in any Member to avail himself of his privilege to insert upon the paper, contrary to the rule of the House, late at night, a question like that which had been read by the hon. Member. On the present occasion he could only repeat what he had al ready stated on a former occasion, namely, that the Government was not prepared to submit to Parliament a proposition for the resumption of public works, or the system which superseded the public works; that was to say, the system of feeding all the destitute poor of Ireland by means of advances of public money. He would take that opportunity of reading to the House some papers, which would show the manner in which relief had been afforded in Ireland under the Poor Law Act:—
By a statement furnished to the Committee of the British Relief Association by their agent in Ireland, dated the 31st of January, it appears that assistance has been afforded out of the funds at his disposal to those unions in which either a temporary pressure arose from the inefficient action of the board of guardians, or the extent of the distress really exceeded all the power of legal relief duly and fully exerted by them. 'The selection of the proper cases for the interference of the association was made by the Poor Law Com missioners; and the expenditure of the relief afforded at their recommendation was superintended by the temporary poor-law inspectors, and accounted for according to the provisions of the Irish Poor Relief Acts.' But the chief mode of relief adopted by the association has been the assistance given in food and clothing to the children of the poor through the medium of schools. It 220 appears that 'the Commissioners decided, on the 29th of October, that such assistance should be given.' On the 6th of November the agency issued a circular letter to the Inspectors of twenty five unions, acquainting them with the intentions of the association, and soliciting their co-operation. All the inspectors responded to the appeal, and set out, without delay, to bring the intended relief into operation. The returns of the first week, ending the 28th of November, showed eighteen schools, with 2,136 children daily attending them. The returns of the last week, ending the 23rd of January, showed above 44,000 children, to whom relief was afforded by 655,229 weekly rations. The increase during the intervening eight weeks was gradual. The total number of rations issued since the beginning was 2,111,513. The assistance which is given in food to children becomes a great auxiliary to that given for the out-door relief and otherwise, and meets a case of the utmost exigency which had sadly needed the charitable interference of the committee. The reports of the inspectors upon this subject, and which I have laid at different times before the committee, concur in this. They also bear testimony to the visible and daily improving condition of the poor unhappy children, to the cheering and beneficial reaction which this provision has had upon the parents, and to the faithful appropriation and distribution of the bounty by those intrusted with it.Extract from Poor Law Inspector's report at Skibbereen, Jan. 30, 1848:—'Many lives (I may say, hundreds) have been saved by the plan adopted of giving food to the children at the schools.'The House would also, he wa8 sure, excuse him for reading an account of the amount of the poor-rates collected in Ire land in 1847 as compared with 1846, which, he was happy to say, furnished most satisfactory indications of the ultimate success of the Poor Law Act:—Amount of poor-rates collected in Ireland in the last quarters of the years 1846 and 1847:—
1846. 1847. October £26,805 £121,255 November 36,639 151,684 December 46,440 168,860 Total £109,884 £441,799 The returns for January, 1848, were not yet complete, but the sum collected would probably amount to 170,000l.
Total amount collected in the twelve months:— 1846. 1847. £390,071. £970,318."