POOR-LAW EXPENDITURE:
The Report of the Poor-law Board for 1855 shows an increase of pau- perism and an augmentation of expenditure, to be ascribed to the high prices of food and the severity of the winter. In the year, 5,890,041/. was expended in relief of the poor' an increase of 607,188/. over 1864, or 7d. per head on the population. Durham shows a decrease of 0.3 per cent, but every other county exhibits an increase,—Middlesex, 14-6; Herta, 19-4; Lancashire, 169; Surrey, 200; West Riding of York- shire, 16-0. The average cost of poor-relief for twenty-two years since 1834 has been 6s. 2d. per head on the population ; in 1855 the expendi- ture was 103d. per head more than in 1853. In the year ended Septem- ber 30, 1865, 964,0411. was expended for in-maintenance in 623 unions and 3,0450741. for out-relief, making a total of 4,009,115/., against 3,867,101/. in 1853-'4. The nuniber of persons of all classes in receipt of relief on-the 1st of January and the 1st of July1855 was, respectively, 840,720 and, 810,893, against 819,985 and 796,081 in the corresponding January and July of 1864. The latest numbers included 791,518 general paupers, 17,999 insane paupers, and 1576 vagrants or, vagabonds. On the let of July 1855 there were 132,049 adult able-bodied paupers in re- ceipt of relief, against 125,267 on the 1st July 1854.
Education is not neglected by the Poor-law Board. In the half-year ending March 1854, the average number of children attending Work- house Schools was—Boys, 18,455; .Girls, 17,829; while the "District" Schools were attended. by 1129 boys and 927 girls. In the year ending September last, there were 464,099 vaccinations performed by the parish medical-officers, nearly all successful. The whole sum received in the year 1834 as poor-rates amounted to no less than 8,338,000!.; the new law quickly reduced this some 3,000,000!.; but in the year 1855 the total had again swelled to 7,864,0001. But what are raised as " poor-rates " are not all expended on poor-relief. In 1834 the payments from these rates towards the county-rate or bo- rough-rate amounted to 691,000!.; last year these payments had in- creased to 1,598,000k The County and Borough Police expenses are met from these so-called "poor-rates ": a large part of the cost of the Metropolitan Police is thus raised. Other payments out of poor-rates are fees to vaccinators he salaries of officers who register births, marriages, and deaths, and the expenses of preparing the lists of Parliamentary voters.
Some of the increase in poor-relief last year is to be ascribed to the war ; there was a considerable augmentation in the number of soldiers', sailors,' and marines' widows and orphans relieved by the Guardians.
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