Captain FABERasked the President of the Local Government Board whether he has observed that whereas in Wiltshire the casual pauper is discharged in the morning with a ticket on which is stated the name of the union, also the destination of the casual, and an order to supply him with bread and cheese after noon, thus enabling him to try for work and with a result of practically no begging, and a cost to the ratepayer of only twopence a tramp per week, in the adjoining county of Hampshire the tramp gets no ticket, and therefore no food, except by begging, and has no chance of employment, with a result of 50 commitments a week to prison and a cost to the ratepayer of about les., and to the taxpayer of 5s. weekly; and whether he proposes to take steps to apply the Wiltshire plan to other counties?
§ Mr. BURNSI am aware that the system known as the "way-ticket system" is in operation in Wiltshire and some other counties. Some system of the kind appears to have been tried in Hampshire a good many years ago, but little use was made of it, and it was soon abandoned. The system is a purely voluntary one, and is worked by a committee, consisting of representatives of quarter sessions and of the various boards of guardians in the county. I have no authority to require' its adoption.