THE AGED AND DESERVING POOR IN WORKHOUSES. (Hansard, 31 July 1899)

LORD STANLEY OF ALDERLEY

My Lords, I rise to ask Her Majesty's Government whether the attention of the Local Government Board has been drawn to the plan adopted by the Guardians of the Macclesfield Union for dealing with the aged and deserving poor in the workhouse; and whether this plan has been adopted in many other places. Although many Royal Commissions have had no legislative results, yet gratitude is due to some of the barren commissions which have nipped in the bud schemes either impossible or useless, and even pernicious. One of these has been the Royal Commission which has shown the impracticability of Old Age Pensions. Nevertheless, Mr. Chamberlain still pursues that will-o'-the-wisp, but his object, within the limits which he himself 838 has laid down, seems likely to be attained without any legislation, whether heroic, socialist, or vote-catching. What is an old age pension? It is board and lodging for a deserving and worn-out labourer, as much as can be provided for him by 5s. a week. The Macclesfield Union has established privilege wards for the deserving aged poor of sixty years of age, and the rules which that Union follows have been introduced in a Local Government Order issued about l896, recommending all workhouses to adopt some such scheme. Such provision might, with encouragement from the Local Government Board, be made in many other places, and such privileged wards or cottage homes might serve for two unions. This plan was adopted as long ago as 1850 and 1851 at Norwich by the rural guardians, but it came to an end when the town council took over the management of the workhouse. It is about a month ago that I obtained from the Master of the Macclesfield Workhouse a report of what he has done, and it seemed to me that this, if generally extended and assisted by private charity, might supply what alone is practicable in the matter of Old Age Pensions; and I am very glad to find that the Bishop of Durham is of this opinion, and has been the first to announce this publicly, and also to set an example of private assistance to these schemes. In a paragraph in the Pall Mall Gazette of the 22nd July, it is stated that: In forwarding a donation to the Aged Miners' Cottage Homes Fund for County Durham, the Bishop of the diocese writes:—'One cottage can, I understand, be provided for for about twenty-one pounds. May I then have the privilege of providing for one? You know how highly I value this scheme which the men have organised. It appears to me to be a contribution towards a true solution of the problem of old-age pensions'

* LORD HARRIS

My Lords, the Local Government Board are aware of the plan adopted by the guardians of the Macclesfield Union for dealing with the aged and deserving poor in the workhouse. Two large rooms, one for males and the other for females, are set apart as privileged wards for inmates of good character and conduct. Inmates are placed in these wards by direction of the visiting committee, and special privileges are allowed them. Thus they may receive visitors, and are allowed to go out of the workhouse every afternoon. 839 The Board are not in possession of information which enables them to state how far the precise plan adopted by the Macclesfield guardians has been followed elsewhere. But the subject of improvement in the classification of the aged and infirm inmates of workhouses has been brought by the Board under the attention of guardians generally, and much has been done in the matter. This is recognised in the recent Report of the Select Committee of the House of Commons on Cottage Homes, who state that they: Have received evidence that in several large unions the guardians have made special efforts to provide separate accommodation for paupers sub-classified with reference to conduct. Thus at Liverpool a house has been set apart for well-behaved old women; at West Derby, Portsmouth, and Sheffield cottages have been erected in connection with the workhouse for married couples and the aged deserving poor; at Fulham a wing entirely separate from the rest of the workhouse has just been provided for the aged deserving poor; and provision of a similar character has been made at Grimsby, Hull, and Kensington. Other instances might be given, and it may be said generally that to a greater or less extent the subject is receiving the attention of guardians everywhere. One of the chief obstacles in the way is the lack of accommodation in some workhouses, which prevents the carrying out of further classification.