§ MR. J. C. TALBOT () Oxford UniversityI beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether his attention has been called to the report of a recent meeting of the Hampstead Board of Guardians, at which a Guardian called the attention of the Board to the enormous waste of bread in the workhouse; whether this arises from the Regulations of the Local Government Board, which prescribe the same allowances to every inmate whether they desire them or not; whether the same Guardian was justified in saving that in another workhouse, by serving out only the bread which was really required, a ton of bread per month was saved; and whether, if this be so, the Local Government Board will consider the propriety of amending their Orders in the interests of economy?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. HENRY CHAPLIN,) Lincolnshire, SleafordMy attention had not been drawn to the matter prior to the notice of the Question. I have made inquiry, and am informed that the amount of waste which is represented by the bread which is not consumed is about three or four pounds a day. The dietary table in force in the parish provides for a certain quantity of bread being served out for each inmate, and if this quantity should be found to be in excess of what is require, it could, of course, be reduced; and I shall be happy to consider any representations which I may receive from the Guardians on the subject. With regard to the statement of an individual Guardian as to the saving of bread in another workhouse, I have no such information as would lead me to suppose that there has been any such saving as that suggested.