Royal Commission on the Poor Laws and Relief of Distress. Appendix.
- Royal Commission on the Poor Laws and Relief of Distress 1905-09
- Date:
- 1909-1913
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Royal Commission on the Poor Laws and Relief of Distress. Appendix. Source: Wellcome Collection.
45/646 (page 35)
![nts of the school (Sec. 2). The school must be open to the visitation and inspec ion of any inspector of the Local Government Board and also of a member deputed by the child who may be sent to a certified school must be an orphan or a deserted child or a child one of whose parents or surviving parent consents (Sec. 6). In the case of an legitimate child the consent of the mother, if she has the care, custody or possession of the child, will be sufficient (Poor Law Amendment Act, 1868, Sec. 23). In such cases, the guardians may pay the expenses incurred in the maintenance, clothing and education of the child (Sec. 1), and the outlay must not exceed such rate of payment as may be sanctioned by the Local Government Board (Divided Parishes and Poor Law Amendment Act, 1882, Sec. 13). The guardians may also pay the cost of the conveyance of the child to and from the school and, in case of death, the expenses of burial (Poor Law (Certified Schools) Act, 1862, Sec. 1). If the parent, step-parent, nearest adult relative or, failing these, the god-parent of a child not belonging to the Established Church but relieved in a workhouse or a district school makes application to the Local Government Board, they may order the child to be sent to a certified school of the religion to which the child is proved to belong (Poor Law Amendment Act, 1866, Sec. 14). The Board may make the like order in the case of a deserted child or an orphan without any such application. (Poor Law Amendment Act, 1868, Sec. 23.) If the Local Government Board are of opinion that any person is aggrieved by any child being sent to or kept at a certified school, they may order the child to be removed (Poor Law (Certified Schools) Act, 1862, Sec. 3). “‘ The guardians may at any time at their discretion and shall upon the reqvisition of the managers of the school or upon the withdrawal of the certificate ... cause any such child to be removed from any such school and brought back to their- parish or union” (Poor Law (Certified Schools) Act, 1862, Sec. 5). The guardians may not keep a child in a school against the wil] of the child if above fourteen, or against the will of the parents or surviving parent, whatever be the age of the child (Poor Law (Certified Schools) Act, 1862, Sec. 7). A child must not be sent to a school conducted on the principles of a religious denomination to which the child does not belong (Poor Law (Certified Schools) Act, 1862, Sec. 9). The expression “school”’ as used in the enactments sum- marised above extends to any institution established for the instruction of blind, deaf, dumb, lame, deformed or idiotic persons, but does not apply to a certified reforma-. tory school (Poor Law (Certified Schools) Act, 1862, Sec. 10); and by Sec. 13 of the Hlementary Education (Blind and Deaf Children) Act, 1893, the powers of the guardians for sending blind or deaf children to school are limited to the cases of children who are (a) idiots or imbeciles ; .b) resident in a workhouse, or in an institu- tion to which they have been sent by a board of guardians from a workhouse; or (c) boarded out by guardians. “ Blind ” for the purposes of the Act of 1893 means too blind to be able to read the ordinary school books used by children; and “ Deaf” means too deaf to be taught in a class of hearing children in an elementary school. Other powers with regard to certain deaf or dumb, blind, defective or epileptic children, I do not describe in detail for the reasons given at the beginning of my evidence. 259. What is the meaning of certified schools in this ating to or Law tified 0ols. Government Board. 250. For the reception of defective children ?—For the reception of Poor Law children. They are schools which - were originally founded for the care of particular classes who may be described as defective. 261. What is the special meaning of the term under this head ?—‘‘ School”’ according to the definition extends to any institution established for the instruction of blind 262. Assuming that the child is not defective, would any school which complies with the conditions laid down by the Board of Education and is part of the supply of the locality come under the head. of a certified school ?—No. These are schools specially certified by the Local Govern- ment Board. Those other schools would be public ele- mentary schools or schools of a special class under Acts which LI did not notice, because they are rather outside the scope of my evidence. 429, 35 263. (Mr. Loch.) Are there conditions of certificaticn which are set forth in any paper of the board ?—Not in any paper, but they are in the Statute. The schools ment, that is, they must be well conducted and well managed. 264. Those are the conditions, put in broad terms ?— Yes. I think I have quoted the Act. They are schools supported wholly or partly by voluntary subscriptions. One can gather what the requirements that must be satisfied will ke, because the certificate may be with- drawn if the Local Government Board are dissatisfied with the condition or management of the school. 265. It depends on the negative ?—Sec. 2 reads, “The Poor Law Board,’ now the Local Government Board, “‘ may, if they think fit, upon the application in writing of the managers of any such school as aforesaid appoint such person as they shall deem proper to examine into the condition of the school, and to report to the said Board thereon, and, if satisfied with such report, that board may, by writing under the hand of one of their secretaries, certify that such school is fitted for the recep- tion of such children or persons as may be sent there by the guardians.” 266. (Sir Henry Robinson.) Are they day schools ?— No. 267. They are all boarding schools then °?—Certainly, as far as I remember. Mr. Alfred Douglas Adrian, GBS KG: 9 Jan. 1906. —— understand ?—Among powers which may be classified under the head of out-door relief are those given by the Poor Law Amendment Act, 1851, with regard to sub- scriptions to hospitals. Section 4 of that Act enables the guardians, with the consent of the Local Government Board, to pay out of the funds of the guardixns an annual subscription towards the support and maintenance of a public hospital or infirmary for the reception of sick, diseased, disabled or wounded persons, or of persons suffering from any permanent or natural infirmity. Tae Metropolitan Poor Amendment Act, 1869, Sec. 16, enables Government Board, to enter into arrangements with a public general hospital or dispensary within the Poor Law Union to receive and treat paupers on terms to be arranged between the guardians and the authorities of the hospital or dispensary. tended of late ; could you describe what is the present position 9—Section 10 of the Poor Law Act, 1879, enlarges the guardians’ powers of subscription, so that the Poor Law Amendment Act, 1851, Sec. 4, is to extend to author- ise the guardians, with the consent of the Local Govern- ment Board, to subscribe towards an asylum or institution for blind persons, deaf and. dumb persons, or for persons suffering from any permanent or natural infirmity, or towards any association or society for aiding those persons, or for providing nurses, or for aiding girls or boys. in service, or towards any other asylum or institution which appears to the guardians, with such consent as aforesaid, to be calculated to render useful aid in the administration of the relief of the poor. But a subscrip- tion to an asylum or institution will not be authorised unless the Local Government Board are satisfied that the- paupers under the guardians have or could have assistance: therein, in case of necessity. The guardians may also, with the consent of the Local Government Board, subscribe to any association or society for the prevention of cruelty to children (Prevention of Cruelty to Children Act, 1904, Sec. 26). Section 38 of the Metropolitan Poor Act, 1867, empowers the Local Government Board by order to direct the guai- dians of a poor law union to provide a dispensary, and for that purpose to purchase or hire, or to build and to, fit up and furnish, a building of such nature and size, and according to such plan and in such manner as the Board, think fit. As an alternative, the guardians may bg directed to set apart, adapt, fit up and furnish a portion EK 2](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b32184335_0045.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
