§ MR. COBB (Warwick, S.E., Rugby)asked the President of the Local Government Board, Whether his attention has been, directed to the practice of the St. Olave's Board of Guardians, Bermondsey, of giving tea and sugar to men by way of payment for stone breaking and oakum picking; whether he is aware that the tea so given costs the Board 1s. 4d. per 1b., and is charged to the men at 2s., and whether the sugar is charged to the men at the rate of 28s. a cwt., which costs the Board 16s. 6d. a cwt.; and whether he will cause inquiries to be made into the matter, with a view to prevent such practices for the future?
§ THE PRESIDENT (Mr. RITCHIE) (Tower Hamlets, St. George's)I have communicated with the Guardians of the St. Olave's Union as to the practice adopted by them, and I find that the facts are as stated in the Question of the hon. Member with regard to the value at which the prices of the tea and sugar given as relief in kind has been estimated. The matter was brought under the attention of the Guardians on the 8th instant, and a Special Committee of the whole Board on the following day agreed to a Report recommending that 1216 in future the value of the tea should be estimated at 1d. per oz., and the sugar at 2d. per 1b. There is no reason to doubt that this recommendation will be adopted by the Guardians.