Page:Item 7 1858.pdf/164

withstanding the increase of property and the decrease of pauperism in the borough, the rates for St. Clements and All Saints were increasing: and, that while other parishes were doing with a 4dy rate, those two parishes were having rates at 1/4. For this condition two causes existed. One was the large amount of settled poor in the parishes, and the other was the heavy charges for the irremovable poor, which formed a part of the common fund; and this amounted to more than a third of the sum expended in relief, the total being £3283; the kind of poor - 1st, those who had lived in the parish more than five years, 2nd, those who were suffering from temporary sickness; and 3rd, widows in the first year of their widowhood. None of these could be passed home, nor would any he thought, wished that they should. It was desired to do away with the irremovable poor, but that the common fund from which they were relieved should be fairly apportioned. The way in which it was now done was to take the yearly average of three years expenditure of poor-rate; so, that, in fact, the more poor they had the more they required for the irremovable poor, which was manifestly an injustice. Last year, St. Clement's had to pay out of the £1189 just mentioned, £360 and All Saints, £255. The other parishes paid - St. Mary in the Castle, £144; Holy Trinity, £18; St. Mary Magdalen £90; St. Leonards £21; Ore, £88; Guestling £122; Fairlight £71; Pett, £16, St. Michael, £5; St Andrew's and St Mary's Bulverhithe, nothing. So that the first two parishes paid £615, whilst all the others in the Union only paid £513 - a sum less by £40 that the amount contributed by All Saints and St. Clement's united. In his opinion, the fairest way would be to assess every parish according to its rateable value. If this were adopted, St. Clement's would be called upon to pay £80 only. The great bulk of irremovables came from St. Mary Magdalen's, the cost being £95 during the last half year, while they only contributed £90 per annum; St. Clement's and All Saints' having to provide a large part of the deficiency. The rateable valueable of St. Mary Magdalen's was £31,328; and under the more equitable system he proposed, it would have to pay £350, instead of as now standing fifth on the list. St. Mary's, Bulverhithe, had no poor of its own, but had two old people belonging to Bexhill who were unremovable, and who received 5/- per week from the common fund. As that parish had no expenditure for relief, they were charged from the Common Fund, and that expenditure had to be made up by the other parishes. Holy Trinity parish was also in similarly favourable position. The reason why the subject was now brought was that a select committee -