[from the Medical Aid and Poor Relief Commission Report - 1879]

POOR RELIEF.

No legal provision exists for the maintenance or relief of the poor, except, as your Excellency is aware, in the case of lunatics, for whose support in the Asylum a rate is levied under the Act of Tynwald, 1880.

The income available for the relief of the poor arises in each parish or town from endowments and bequests, either of money or real estate, supplemented by church collections, and annual and other subscriptions.

The nature, amount, and sources of such income in each place, together with the number of poor persons among whom it is distributed — distinguishing between those wholly and partially supported by charity — will be found in the returns in Appendix I. It is, therefore unnecessary here to recapitulate this, or to summarise at any length the evidence given in the country parishes generally.

The system of administering the charitable funds available for poor relief in all these is of one uniform character, viz., by the vicar and church wardens, who usually select the recipients after consultation with each other, and who periodically meet and reconsider the cases.

But there are some exceptions to this rule. In the parish of German, for instance, which includes the town of Peel, there are six wardens elected annually — two for the town and four for the country districts — and each of these country wardens attends exclusively to the poor of his own quarter, and is practically the relieving officer of that district; while the two town wardens, in conjunction with the vicar, attend to the poor of the town. Each country warden distributes the relief at his own discretion, and "receives the money from the poor fund." The same system prevails in the adjoining parish of Patrick, but the new vicar, Mr Hawley, is desirous of seeing this altered, and of holding periodical meetings of the vicar and wardens, for report, and consultation, upon each application for relief. In the parishes of Andreas, Arbory, Braddan, Malew, Maughold, and Rushen these meetings are held monthly, and relief is then apportioned, and dis tributed, according to the supposed necessities of each case. In the other country parishes such consultation is much less frequent, varying from once, to three, four, and eight times in the year.

In BALLAUGH it would seem that the list of those in receipt of charitable relief is not revised oftener than once in a year, when the new wardens come into office, and in consequence there have been many cases of recipients being kept on the list after they had ceased to require relief. Several such cases have been subsequently struck off after inquiry by succeeding wardens; but there are still on the list names, Mr Gell considers, which might be struck off with advantage to the parish. Probably no one who reads carefully the evidence of the Rev Mr Kermode, the rector of Ballaugh, will be found to dissent from that opinion. It will be there found that one old woman, who is known to be assisted by a daughter in England, is in receipt of £9 a year from the parish; and another daughter who lives with her, is also paid from the same source 3s 6d a week for taking care of her. Another woman (non-resident), who lives with a married daughter in the parish of Lezayre, receives £7 10s a year, and 3s 6d a month is paid for taking care of her to this daughter, who is the wife of one of Mr E. C. Farrant"s labourers earning 13s a week, with a cottage rent free. Two others, also, are non-resident — one in Jurby and the other in Ramsey — and of the former it is in evidence that "her son"? (with whom she lives) "is well able to keep her, but we have never tried to make him do so." Two others in receipt of occasional relief are described as being "in the happy position" of having, the one "cottage property of her own," the other "money of her own out at interest." How much interest the latter good lady receives from her invested capital it has not apparently been thought necessary to ascertain, but the former has been known to have been offered, and to have refused £3 a year rent for the one of her two cottages which she does not herself occupy. This cottage remains unlet, and "is rapidly becoming a ruin."

The poor in this parish are described by the vicar as

" Very independent as a rule, and generally have much self-respect. They will not throw them selves on the Poor Relief Fund if they can possibly help it, but take the money because (as they say) it was left by pious and benevolent people for their benefit, and they, therefore, think they have a claim on it."

Mr Kermode does not, however, think that they have more money "than they know what to do with" and "most decidedly objects to the funds of our parish being in any way appropriated for the benefit of other parishes."

In the ajoining parish of Kirk MICHAEL, though the endownments are less, the church collections, and annual subscriptions for the poor are on so liberal a scale that one of the witnesses told us it was a common saying that "if the devil himself came to Michael they would not starve him." This gentleman said there were several persons on the list receiving relief who should really be struck off; and at a large meeting of the parishioners held preparatory to the visit of the Commissioners, it was agreed — the late vicar alone dissenting — that five out of the eighteen persons in receipt of relief were undeserving of it, and ought to be struck off. Meetings in this parish of the vicar and wardens for distribution of relief are held quarterly, and at the May distribution, when the new wardens come in, most of the recipients get extra money, as it is then customary to distribute most of the balance in hand.

The parish of Santon, however, is that in which the funds available for the relief of the poor are most largely in excess of their requirements. Here, the average amounts distributed amongst the poor for the last three years, in ad dition to special collections at Christmas for coals, &c., has been £61 6s 9d., and the average number of recipients has beeen seven. One of these, to whom an allowance of 9s a month is made from the parish funds, "keeps a grocer"s shop,* and when he goes out to work he gets 2s a day and his meat. He sometimes goes begging. We can scarcely wonder that the witness added apologetically. "we feel that we are bound to give the money to some one;" or, that he was of opinion that "our paupers are much better off than many of the labouring class." But he, like the Rector of Ballangh, "would not like any arrangement by which our surplus funds could be used for distribution in poorer parishes." He further said, "We have certainly more money than we know what to do with, but we would not like to give it to poorer parishes."

* Upon subseqnt it inquiry, it transpired that this man is not a grocer in the ordinary sense of the term, but keeps a small shop for the sale of pipes and tobacco, and other insignificant articles.

Again, in Patrick, which, from the returns furnished to your Excellency in 1875, would appear to be the poorest parish in the Island — the funds then returned as available not yielding more than £1 0s 6d per head per annum, or less than 6d per head per week — it is tolerably clear, from the evidence, that they are now in excess of the necessities of the poor. The case of Margaret Kelly would alone lead to this inference. This woman, described as partly imbecile. is boarded with a Mr and Mrs Sayle out of the parish funds, at a cost of £2 12s 0d per annum, Sayle himself being

+ The return now made by the Vicar and wardens of Patrick shows £45 4s 5d distributed by them in 1878, among 19 recipients, which would, if equally divided, give £2 7s 7d per head per annum from this sources alone. Still, this is a smaller amount per head than is yielded by the church funds of any othe parish in the land except that of Lonan; but in both these parishes we have it in evidence (as noticed at pages xii. and xiii. of this report) how largely these funds are supplemented from other sources, from each of which assistance is given to the poor out any knowledge of what is being done for them by the others. in receipt of casual relief from the same source. Not only are the Sayles, to whom she acts partially as domestic servant, paid from the funds for the services of Margaret Kelly, but itis notorious that she goes regularly out begging, and brings the money thus obtained to Mrs Sayle. Two wit nesses, the captain of the parish, and one of the wardens told us they had endeavoured to find out what she made weekly by begging, but had been unable to do so. One of the gentlemen did "not think Mr and Mrs Sayle would like to part with her," but neither appeared to consider that the relief thus given was any encouragement to pro fessional begging.

In another instance, relief, to the amount of 5s or 6s every three months, is given by one of the wardens from the parish funds, to an old man who, with his wife and child, is known to be in receipt of 16s 6d a week from the Foxdale Mining Company. This warden says—

"I cannot say this family are in want of the relief I give them. I divide the money among those who come to me. I dare say it would be better if there were some organization of relief for the parish. Under the present system, no doubt, some get more than they really ought to have, and some get less than they want. I agree with you that the present system is rather haphazard.

In fact, we give to anybody who asks.

I think the poor are very well provided for indeed in the parish of Patrick. . . . What we are really in want of for the poor is medicine."

In this parish a voluntary rate of 1d in the pound has been levied for the last 10 or 12 years for the relief of the poor. It is collected by the wardens, together with the church cess, but is levied on the valuation of the Lunatic Asylum rates. whereas the church cess is levied on "the quarterlands, intacks, cottages, and partices, according to ancient custom."

This is the only instance of such a rate being levied in the Island. '

But in the parish of MALEW an instance was adduced where £12 a year is still regularly granted out of the church cess, at each Easter vestry, for the relief of a man named James Gawne, and, previous to Mr Gill becoming vicar of this parish, similar grants, varying in amounts, had been made from the same source for the relief of other individuals who had died off.

Such grants have merely the sanction of custom, as have those for defraying the costs of coffins or other funeral expenses of the poor people out of the church cess, which it was generally admitted were charged on this fund elsewhere when bodies are washed ashore, or when the expenses are not defrayed (as they usually are) by the relatives of the poor. Cases were cited, too, in other parishes, in which either relief to individuals, or expenses of a special character, had been thus charged on the church cess.

In Kirk Michael, for instance, when scarlet fever broke out about twenty years ago, it was unanimously agreed that the cost of a medical man, to attend the poor during the prevalence of the epidemic, should be paid out of the church cess, and the same fund has been here resorted to for the support of poor persons sent to the House of Industry at Douglas, and upon other special occasions. "If we are short of money for any parish purpose," says this witness, "we appropriate some of the church cess ;" and in the parish of Andreas, we were told by the Archdeacon (who has had practical experience of similar practices under the old poor-law in England), that although they are "more economical of late years, and do not make any such vote now," they, "at one time paid £5 10s a year out of the church cess for relief in a particular case," and, he says —

"I have known instances in which we have paid rents for poor people out of the parish cess," . . "and it was mentioned in the estimate of the expenditure that we laid before the vestry."

These instances are important as showing the readiness of the inhabitants of these parishes thus voluntarily to tax themselves for the relief of their poorer neighbours, for in every case the application of church cess to these purposes appears to have been voted willingly in open vestry.

Notwithstanding, too, the unmistakeable and almost universal feeling which prevails in the Island against compulsory rating, opinions were expressed by highly competent witnesses, in more than one parish, in favour of giving power to parishioners in vestry assembled to levy a voluntary rate to meet any ordinary deficiency of charitable funds, or any extra strain upon the present resources.

That the funds ordinarily at the disposal of the vicar and wardens in the country parishes would require to be thus supplemented, except for special objects to be hereafter noted, is not very probable. Not only, as we have already seen, is there a positive plethora of charitable funds in some parishes, but almost everywhere have we found that the relief given is only supplementary of earnings or other incomings.

Omitting the towns of Douglas, Castletown, and Ramsey, the whole number returned as entirely dependent on charity for support certainly amounts to 81, but no less than 32 of these appear in the return for ANDREAS, to which return a note is added by the experienced rector, Archdeacon Moore, that —

"The question 'entirely dependent on charity for support,' is altogether inapplicable to the cir cumstances of the poor in this parish. Almost all of these obtain help from neighbours, friends, and relatives: and what this amounts to it would be next to impossible to ascertain." " In fact," says the Archdeacon in his evidence, " there are none of the poor, in the parish of Andreas at all events, who can be described as entirely dependent upon charity for support, and I believe that this is generally the case throughout the Island."

Again, in the parish of Bride, our late lamented colleague, the Rev Mr Qualtrough, told us—

"Practically what we distribute is more in the nature of relief in aid of wages, than anything else. They are all able to work to a certain extent. They may all be regarded as semi-able men and women, and are quite capable of doing something for themselves."

So, too, in LEZAYRE, the churchwarden, Mr E. H. Christian, says, " They are nearly all able to do something for themselves ;"? and in JURBY, we learn from the Vicar that, "as a rule, the relief given is supplementary, and in aid of earnings."

Even in Rushen, where the funds annually to be depended on for purposes of relief are, in pro portion to the number of the poor, probably lower than in any other parish of the Island, yielding an average of about a 1s a week per head* — although the Vicar does not think it possible for the poor to live on what they can give them out of the poor fund, yet, he says—

" With the aid which they receive from benevolent individuals I do not think there is any absolute want in the parish."

He says, "The wardens and myself know, as a rule, what is given"; and, after mentioning "one lady who is ready to give special help in every case in which she is asked," he gives several illustrations of the facility with which subscriptions are raised in any special case of need.

This, indeed, is a characteristic of every parish in the Island.

The great desideratum would seem to be, not more money for the poor, but the more intimate knowledge of their resources ; more communication between those engaged in the the work of charity ; and in some instances, at all events, greater care and discrimination in the selection of its objects.

* We had prepared, and purposed given in the Appendix, a tabular statement showing the "total at the disposal of the vicar and wardens or other trustees" in each parish, with the number of the recipients, and the proportion per head per annum which would be thus available for each person if equally divided ; but we found this would be, in many instances, so misleading that we abstain from doing so, and content ourselves with here stating that, while the returns (excluding those for the town of Douglas) show 836 persons in recipt of charitable relief, of whom 135 are returned as " wholly dependent on charity," there is, we find, an average annual income, from ascertained sources, of £3,898 17s 2d available for division among them, which would yield, irrespective of what is given in private charity, or from other unascer tained sources, a fraction more than £4 13s 3d per head per annum, or nearly 1s 10d per head per week—varying from 1s per head per week in Rushen, to nearly 5s per head in Santon, 4s 4d (including medical relief) in Ramsey, and more than 3s in Michael.

It must, indeed, be marvellous to those who know the rapid demoralization which usually fol lows in the wake of every system of poor relief unaccompanied by those checks which the restraint of a workhouse can alone be depended on to afford. to find how a spirit of thrift and independence still flourishes among the poorer classes of this Island. Not only will a " Manxman" (as the Archdeacon — no mean judge — told us) "live where another will starve," but, in spite of the fact that — as we were told by the same authority— "in some parishes they do seem to have to make paupers to get rid of their money," the provident habits of the population are strikingly exemplified in the returns which we have obtained fron the various benefit and provident societies of the Island (vide Appendix II.)

From an examination of these returns, we find that, out of a total population of 53,763 persons no fewer than 7,446 are contributing members of one or more of these societies, and that the annual contributions of members amount to £11,026 13: 6.5d, and the accumulated funds of these societies are £88,631 0s 3.5d.+

The hardy fishermen of Peel are, indeed, an example to the whole kingdom, of sobriety an thrift, and, notwithstanding the indubitably heavy; losses sustained by many of them through the failure of the City of Glasgow Bank, of which the Bank of Mona was a branch, we did not hear a single instance of their throwing themselves on the accumulated funds of the numerous charities of their native town. ++

+ It should be noted that these figures include the Isle of Man Savings Bank, which has 937 depositors, contributing yearly £3,908 15s 94; and the accumulate funds of the Bank amount to £30,595 188 6d.

++ In this town " there has been," as we learn from the High-Bailiff (see Mr R. J. Moore's evidence, p 82) "a bequest for the relief of the poor nearly every year for a considerable time."

The character of the fishermen of Port St Mary stands equally high.

We may add, as a counterpoise to some of the cases we have already cited of misapplied charity, that instances were brought under our notice by the Rev F. LaMothe, the curate of Andreas, and by others, of the reluctance of the poor to accept relief from the church funds.

A considerable amount of relief, in kind, is given by the farmers and others in many parishes, of the particulars of which the vicar and churchwardens, as arule, know nothing; neither does it appear to be known to the vicars and wardens what is given by the ministers of the Nonconformist chapels in their several parishes. It is generally admitted ,though,that this does not amount to much, so that the overlapping of relief from this source in the country parishes is trifling, and no distinction of creed appears to be ever made in the dis tribution of relief by the vicars and wardens, the latter of whom are not unfrequently themselves Nonconformist.

On the other hand, in Lonan and Patrick—in the former of which the celebrated Laxey Mines, and in the latter the Foxdale Mines are situated— there is doubtless considerable overlapping, not withstanding that in the former parish the Rev J. Bellamy, the curate of Christ Church, Laxey, is also President of the Laxey Mines Poor Relief Committee and is a most valuable link between the vicar and wardens of Lonan and that committee.

The latter body, which was only instituted in January, 1877, "distribute a very much larger amount of relief than is at the disposal of the vicar and wardens, and there is in this parish a third body—the Lonan Harvest Home Committee — who also dispense considerable sums annually. Of these three distinct sources of relief, Mr Bellamy—whose evidence deserves to be carefully studied—says—

"The members of the Harvest Home Committee are not members of the Laxey Mines Poor Relief Committee, and there is no co-operation between them, nor between either of these committees and the vicar and wardens. The only thing that is commonly known is, that the same recipients of poor relief are in many cases recipients from all three sources." . . . "As a general rule, we don't know what the other sources of relief give," but having "compared our lists of recipients in order to fill up with greater accuracy the return which the Commission have before them, we now know, with greater certainty than before, the several cases to which relief is given from all sources."

"I think," he adds, "it is most desirable there should be a Central Relief Committee for such a parish as ours." My opinion is—

"That all the centres of relief should be combined into one organization; and that the vicar and wardens of the parish should form the nucleus of such an organization, to give it permanency an cohesion. They would form a kind of centre, & keep them together. As the vicar and wardens have only a small sum to dispense, and the Laxey Mines Poor Relief Committee and the Harvest Home Committee by far the largest share of the relief, it is hardly likely that they would put all their funds at the disposal of the vicar and wardens, unless they were put with them on a common ground. Indeed, I am inclined to think that it would require a supplemental authority, legally constituted, to enable all the requirements of the poor to be properly met. I am not quite sure, if the thing was thoroughly investigated, that sufficient relief js given, with all our funds. I consider that the present system is imperfect, and that it does not guarantee either an equal or a sufficient distribution to each. I consider there should be one proper authority to deal with all the poor, with power to supplement the charitable relief by levying a rate, if necessary. I am not quite sure that, if the poverty of the parish was thoroughly investigated into, by a properly-constituted Committee, it would not be found that further action was required, and that further funds are wanted to give adequate relief to the poor. I do not think that such a power for raising further funds for the relief of the poor would be prejudicial to the pre sent sources of income. Indeed, I think that it should act in the other way. Provided that the power to levy this supplemental rate were invested in the parishioners in vestry assembled, I cannot see any objection to it. The power to levy such a rate would be a powerful argument to use against those who do not contribute their fair share towards the existing system of relief. I think that it would induce them to subscribe, if they knew that if they did not do so they would render themselves and the parish liable to this taxation."

And Mr J. Killip, the secretary to the Laxey Mines Poor Relief Committee, says—

I quite agree with what the Rev J. Bellamy has said. that the best way of dispensing relief in this parish would be by a central organization representing the whole parish."

The vicar and wardens might, as these gentlemen suggest, form "the nucleus of such an organi zation, to give it permanency and cohesion," but the real nucleus for the practical working of such an organization is to be found in the admirable rules of the Laxey Mines Poor Relief Committee, as described by their secretary, Mr Killip, which reflect the greatest credit on the founders of this infant society.

In the parish of Patrick, the vicar says—

"There is a large amount of relief given in private, of which it is impossible to give an approximate account. In addition to the money at the disposal of the vicar and wardens and other trustees for the poor, there are several amounts which are raised by tea festivals and such like. The Wesleyans raise about £6 annually, and the Primitives £3. About £11 a year is raised by the Dalby tea party, and about £10 by the Foxdale tea party. About £16 a year is collected by the Captain of the Foxdale Mines. None of these funds go through the hands of the vicar and wardens. I am quite of opinion that if these funds were put into one common fund, and distributed by a central organization—say the vicar and wardens—it would be much better, and tend to prevent waste and imposition. Each body now distributes its own funds. There are in our parish under the present system no fewer than six different centres of distribution of charitable relief. We do not know to whom the moneys are given by the other persons who distribute relief. There is one of the wardens living at Foxdale, and he may know something of what is done there; but the vicar and wardens, as a body, have no official knowledge on the subject.*"

Again, in the parish of Lezayre, it transpired that 12 persons belonging to Lezayre were relieved from the Ramsey funds to the extent of £26 10s a year, of which the churchwardens of Lezayre knew nothing. "We do not know," says this witness, "what the Ramsey Relief Society gives. I do not say that the Ramsey Relief Society do not know what we give."

Indeed, in the towns of Castletown and Ramsey alone, has any effort been made to cope with the difficulties and abuses which are inherent in any system of almsgiving unchecked by personal and minute inquiry into the resources and condition of the poor. In these two towns those efforts are so creditable to the promoters, and have been at tended with such a measure of success that we do not hesitate to reproduce, a little later in this report, the history of the organised systems of charitable relief which have been there established and which are stilllsuccessfully worked by the committees of the Ramsey Central Relief Society, and of the Castletown Poor Relief Fund.

* The evidence above quoted shows how impossible it is to give reliable statistics of the numbers actually receiving relief from charitable sources in the different parishes of the Island; but we have prepared a table (Appendix XI.) showing the percentage of poor to population according to the returns furnished in Appendix I. This table must, however, be accepted as approximate only of the numbers relieved from the church funds and other ascertained sources.

Both these societies owe their origin to the efforts of a few gentlemen to put a stop to the unchecked system of house-to-house begging, which then prevailed in their towns, as it still does in Douglas and Peel, and indeed, more or less, throughout the rest of the Island.

How great that nuisance was, and we regret to say, still is elsewhere, may be readily inferred from the evidence given by the High-Bailiff of Peel, by Mr Robert Corrin, and the witnesses generally in that town, and from the testimony borne — not by the witnesses from Douglas only — but from, almost every parish, to the extent to which the beggars of Douglas still continue to levy black mail from the respectable inhabitants of that town, and generally throughout the Island.

Indeed, in the town of Douglas, the most effective system of organisation at present in existence would seem to be that of the beggars and tramps who, in organised gangs, go round the town every Monday morning begging contributions from the shopkeepers and other respectable inhabitants, which they appear to be afraid to refuse.

On Monday mornings, says Mr Killey—

"You will see strings of beggars going from door to door, 30 to 50 of them at a time. They find it a more profitable business than working for a living. There is, I understand, an organised system of poor relief in Ramsey which has had the effect of stopping house to house begging to a great extent."

And Mr Callow, inspector of nuisances, and for 25 years a police constable in Douglas, says

"I am aware that there is a system of going round the shopkeepers every Monday morning, and that it has been the habit of shopkeepers to give them money to get rid of them. Those people in fact, levy a kind of black mail on the trade of Douglas, and I have no doubt that the majority of them are getting relief from the House of Industry, from the clergy, and from some other of the charitable institutions. Most of these beggars are inhabitants of the town, and I know many of them do not deserve any relief at all. They go round the town in organised gangs."

After their regular Monday's raid in Douglas, those who have not expended their last 6d in drink, appear to take the train in the direction either of Castletown or Peel in search of other "happy hunting ground," but Castletown no longer presenting a profitable field of action, they usually stop short at some of the villages en route, in search of more victims—as at Santon, where Mr Bridson told us—

"We have no beggars belonging to the parish, but very often tramping vagrants come from Douglas and elsewhere to beg. In no case. however, are these beggars parishioners, they are always tramps. Some of them travel by train."

Or they proceed a little further — as to Arbory, where says the Rev F. Grier

"We have tramping beggars coming from all parts. Some come from as far off as Douglas, and there are a few from Castletown. These are generally drunkards ; and the very worst of characters. They must make a great deal of money, as they seem well able to pay their railway fares. They come out by train, and go back by train.

It would thus appeat that the race of beggars is not yet quite extinct in Castletown, though they no longer levy contributions in their own town, and this, it will be afterwards seem, is confirmed by the chairman of the Castletown Poor Relief Committee.

At PEEL, the same system of house-to-house begging prevails as at Douglas. Saturday is, here, the favourite raiding day, and it will be seen, our worthy colleague, the High-Bailiff of Peel, himself, is not exempt from their rapacity.

We here reproduce his evidence on this subject—

"There is a regular system here—and has been so far as my recollection goes back, say upwards of forty years—of house-to-house begging. A large number take Saturday as their raiding day, and droves of them go from house to house. They do not all belong to Peel. A good many of them come in from the country. Many come from Douglas. I could not give you anything like an idea of the amount these roving beggars receive, but I can tell you what they get at my house, and I have no doubt that many other persons in Peel give quite as much. There are, to start with, 18 who come to our house every Saturday, and they get 2 penny each, regularly. Then a certain number come every Monday, and about half-a-dozen on different other days. All these are regular recognised beggars. Some of them are of a better class, and they get more than a penny. We put away 3s a week in coppers, as a general relief for beggars at the door. Others in the town no doubt give as much, if not more. We do not give indiscriminately at our house. They are recognised recipients. Some of these better-class beggars get 2d or 3d each, when they come. Three shillings a week is the minimum of the relief which we give at our door to these beggars weekly. This is of course irrespective of contributions to other charities. No doubt some of these beggars are also relieved by the vicar and wardens, and also receive relief from other sources. Those who belong to Peel are known. If it could be ascertained with accuracy it would be found that the amount given in this sort of charity each year is very large."

We also quote the evidence of Mr R. Corrin; of Mr W. Faragher, the secretary of the Peel Artificers Society; of Mr J. J. Killey, Chief Ruler of the Star of Mona Rechabites (Benefit Society), Peel; and of Mr T. C. Kermode, also of Peel, to give some idea of the extent to which this system is carried, and of its demoralising effects,

Mr Corrin, who takes a somewhat rose-coloured view of all the customs and institutions of his native town, says —

"Possibly, a few, who are undeserving, get relief under the present indiscriminate system of giving charity, and probably it would be better if there was a central committee for the distribution of charitable relief. That undeserving cases get relieved, is no doubt a misfortune for those who receive as well as those who give; and I, for one, would be very well pleased to see a central organi sation established here. No doubt at my own house a good deal is given away to tramping beggars, but I cannot say that I ever begrudged the odd pennies that are thus given. It is very likely, as you say, that some of this money may be illspent, but I think not much of it. I think that. as a rule, the Manx poor are very provident. No doubt under the present system undeserving cases are frequenently relieved, but I think that is the exception, and not the rule. We give about £20 a year away at our door, and I hope it is a benefit to those who receive it. If I thought otherwise, I would not give it Perhaps some few of those who receive the money may be undeserving. A voluntary organisation might be established which might devise a means of distributing this money better."

Mr W. Faragher says—

"I am decidedly of opinion that there should be a stop put to street begging. The example would do good, for we find little ones growing up as beggars following in the footsteps of their parents. The present system is a great evil, and I perceive that under it begging is becoming professional and hereditary. If we may believe what they say themselves, some of the beggars make a very good thing out of it, earning as much as from 10s to 20s a week. I refer to the tramps, not to the Peel beggars. A great proportion of the money finds its way into the public-houses. Among these beggars are numbers who take up their position at the foot of the hills and pester the visitors."

This gentleman also said—

"I think that a central organization for the relief of the poor would be desirable, and that it would be beneficial to the poor. I belong to the church myself, and judging by my own feelings,I think all denominations would work harmoniously together. I would hand all charitable funds over to the control of a central committee."

Again, Mr J. J. Killey says—

"I think that, if there was a central organisation, and if each denomination in the town were represented on it, the relief would be distributed more fairly. There would be less imposition, and, I daresay, more money forthcoming than there is at present. We would be able to relieve deserving cases more effectually ; while undeserving applicants would be discouraged. and begging would be put a stop to. I think that begging from door to door should be put a stop to by law. As a rule, these begging tramps get money in the morning, and get drunk in the evening, I have myself seen them lying drunk in the middle of the road, and have removed them to the side of the hedge, so that they might not be run over. They are mostly tramps, from Douglas and elsewhere, very few of them belonging to Peel. These tramping beggars arrive in Peel every Saturday, for the purpose of getting money. I do not know where you would get half-a-dozen resident in Peel altogether. Most of them come from Douglas, and they lodge at the intermediate villages. They go regularly round the Island, taking Peel on the way. There is no system whatever for the relief of the poor except through the vicar and wardens. I think that if there was an organised system it would stop begging. Weshould be able to ascertain who were the really deserving poor and to relieve them, and let the others go where they came from, to be supported there. There are no doubt some people who will not turn these street beggars away from their doors, but I think that the money they give them is thrown away. There is no place of shelter in Peel for these tramps. They give shelter to them in some of the farm-houses. There used to be a general custom of giving shelter to tramps, but it is passing away. The police do not interfere with beggars. I have seen the beggars selling the meal, which has been given to them in charity at the farm-houses, and most likely they drank the money. Some no doubt save the money, but others spend it in a way that is not beneficial to them have heard of cases of paupers who had saved money and invested it. They have been getting too much relief, A central organization, which would sift every case, would prevent imposition of that sort. I would gladly act on a central committee for the organization of charitable relief if one were established."

And Mr Kermode, who knows Peel well, having lived there all his life, says—

"I know the system of begging that is practised here. I have often asked them what they considered was a fair day's relief to receive, and how much they would earn in a day. They have frequently told me that it would be a poor day if they did not earn half-a-crown, besides as much meat as would last them two or three days. Most of them would make no secret of what they got in this way. but used to tell it in a boasting way. They generally sell the meal they receive. Tramps invariably carry a bag or basket, in which to carry meal and scraps which they get at the various houses they call at They think nothing of making 14s or 15s a week. and their "grub," as they describe it. I have made many inquiries into the system of begging, and I think it could be put down if there was a central organization, properly and efficiently worked. If there was a central organization for the administration of charitable relief, and the law was made to reach them, then the police could be put upon these tramping impostors. I am visited at my shop regularly once a week by these tramps, to the number of some fifteen or eighteen. It costs me from fifteen to eighteen pence a week to satisfy their demands.

I give a penny a week to those I consider the most deserving. Some of them "tried on" coming fortnightly, and demanding the double allowance I refused to agree to that. They said they could not go round on Peel and Castletown in one day ; and, as they only came once in two weeks, they thought they were entitled to the double allowance. I did not fall in with their proposal; but I would rather give it to them than subject myself to the abuse they very frequently give you if you refuse to give them relief. Most of them are strangers to Peel, not more than half-a-dozen of them belonging to that town. I am convinced if there was a properly organized system it would have the effect, if efficiently worked, of putting down house to-house begging. It would enable us to give more assistance to those belonging to the town, and to discourage the tramps who come in from other parts of the Island. A central organization would be of no service unless they were put down. I believe that the few belonging to Peel also receive relief from the churchwardens. I believe that a much larger amount would be contributed towards the relief of the poor if there was a central committee,because people would then have confidence that the relief was distributed properly, instead of being given to tramps, as is the case under the present indiscriminate system. I would much prefer giving to a central committee to giving the relief as I do now."

These views as to the necessity, in Peel, of some organised system of charitable relief which should embrace, as at Castletown and Ramsey, the leaders of all denominations and place the distri bution of all chariable funds under one central committee, are shared by the High-Bailiff of Peel, by the Vicar, and by the ministers of the Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist churches in the town, so there is every reason to hope that ere long the example of Castletown and Ramsey will be here followed by the establishment of a Central Relief Society supported by all the leading anthorities of the town.

Any comments, errors or omissions gratefully received The Editor HTML Transcription © F.Coakley , 2026