§ LORD ROBERT CECILsaid, he rose to ask the President of the Poor Law Board, Whether his attention has been called to the case of two poor Women, brought up before the Worship Street Police Court on Friday last, who had been found in a state of great destitution on the pavement in front of the Whitechapel Workhouse, having been refused admission by the Master, and to the remarks of Mr. Knox, the Police Magistrate, who is reported to have said that such cases were of constant occurrence; and whether he has caused an inquiry to be made?
§ MR. C. P. VILLIERSsaid, he had directed the Poor Law Inspector for the Metropolis to communicate with the Magistrate to whom reference had been made, who stated that he had been incorrectly reported. Mr. Knox did not cast any reflection whatever on the workhouses generally, or on the authorities connected with them, but simply referred to one particular workhouse—that of Whitechapel—of which he had on one or two occasions lately had reason to complain. As to the case itself, he believed there was also some inaccuracy in the report. The Superintendent of the 1170 casual ward admitted that two women were brought to him on the evening in question, but, as there was no room, he was unable to take them in. As to the statement in the report, that on the policeman taking the women to the workhouse they were there refused admittance without any allegation being made of want of room, the authorities at the workhouse had deponed on oath that the women never were brought there at all, and that they had never seen them. They also stated, that when the police brought cases of that kind to the workhouse they were invariably received, and produced a book, from which it appeared that within the last six weeks they had taken in no fewer than eighteen such cases which had been brought by the police. There was a difficulty in pursuing the investigation further, as the women, who were tramps, on receiving some gratuity from the magistrate went away, and it was impossible to find them.