§ MR. TALBOT (Oxford University)To ask the President of the Local Government Board what is the number of able-bodied men now maintained in the metropolitan workhouses; whether his attention has been called to the experiment made by the guardians of St. George's Union for testing such persons on a farm colony at Hadleigh, in Essex; and, if so, can he state the result of such experiment, and say whether he is prepared to recommend it to other boards of guardians in London.
1438 (Answered by Mr. Walter Long.) In February last I approved an agreement between the guardians of the St. George's Union and the Salvation Army for the reception and maintenance at the Hadleigh Farm Colony of a certain number of men chargeable to the union I required that a full report should be made to me at the end of the first six months as to the working of the experiment, and this report will be due in about a month's time. Hence I cannot at present say whether I should feel able to recommend the adoption of a similar course in other cases. The number of male inmates of workhouses in London who are returned as able-bodied in health is 1,581. I understand, however, that probably not more than one-tenth of this number would be certified by the union medical officers as being fit to be sent to a farm colony like that at Hadleigh.