CARE OF THE POOR IN ELBERFELD [To THE EDITOR OF

THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR,—The more than usual attention which is being now directed to the Poor Law question, and the docile state of the public mind in England, incline me to think that a brief account of the Poor Law administration in Elberfeld,—long known and imitated in other parts of Germany, on account of its excellence,—may not be uninteresting to your readers.

Previous to the year 1853, Elberfeld—a manufacturing town containing 65,000 inhabitants,—appears to have been sinking lower and lower in the slough of Pauperism ; the system of out- door relief was at the same time unfair, wasteful, demoralizing, and thoroughly ineffectual. In that year a new system was adopted, chiefly at the instigation of one of the leading inhabitants of Elber- feld, M. Daniel von der Heydt, brother of the Prussian Minister of Finance, a system which at once reduced by one-half the expense of maintaining the poor, whilst it afforded the really deserving far more speedy and effectual assistance. M. von der Heydt met in the first instance with great opposition, both from the religious cor- porations of the town, and from the indolent poor, who preferred being supported by others to working for their own livelihood ; but after fifteen years, during the whole of which period he has presided over the Poor Law Board of Elberfeld, he has the satis- faction of seeing his labours crowned with complete and universally acknowledged success.

Attracted by the high reputation of the Elberfeld system, I took an opportunity, in January, 1868, of making myself thoroughly acquainted with its principles and working by attending the meetings of the Guardians, and inspecting the different pauper establishments supported by the town. By the " Municipal Con- stitution for the Rhine Provinces of the year 1842," the care of the poor devolves upon the commune in the person of the Burgo- master; the latter, however, is allowed to appoint a civic Poor Law Board (Stadtische Armenverwaltung), whose relation to the Burgomaster and Town Council is regulated by the general municipal law. The Poor Law Board consists of four town councillors and four citizens, who are elected at a general meet- ing of the Town Council for three years. The Chairman of this Board is the Burgomaster, or his deputy, or a member of the Poor Law Board, specially elected to the office by the Town Council, and approved by the Burgomaster. Two mem- bers of the Poor Law Board, viz., one town councillor and one citizen, retire every year, but are re-eligible. For the purposes of outdoor relief, Elberfeld is divided into eighteen districts, and each of these again into fourteen quarters. At the head of each district stands the District President (Bezirks-Vorsteher), and each quarter is entrusted to the care of a so-called " Father " or " Cherisher " of the Poor (Artnenvater, or Armenpfleger). The eighteen District Presidents and the 252 Fathers are nominated by the Poor Law Board, and elected for three years by the assembly of Town Councillors. Vice-Presidents of Districts are also chosen by the same body (for one year), that business may not be interrupted by any unavoidable absence of the President.

Every district president has the general supervision of fourteen quarters, and each father of one quarter, in which, on the average, he has four cases to attend to. A meeting of the Fathers is held in each district every fortnight, under the presidency of the District President, at which each father gives an account of his stewardship since the last meeting, proposes new cases, and receives the money or articles of clothing allowed him for the poor under his charge.

Any person seeking relief has to apply to the father of the quarter in which he lives. The latter then institutes a searching inquiry into the circumstances of the petitioner, and if he finds that the case is good and so urgent as to require immediate atten- tion, he is empowered to grant the necessary relief on his own responsibility. In other cases the father must bring the matter before the next district meeting, and must always get permis- sion for the continuance of any relief which he may have granted.

The district meeting decides upon all cases and propositions by simple majority ; but the Chairman, who has also a vote, has the right of entering his protest against the decisions of the meeting, and of referring them to the Poor Law Board. Exact minutes of the proceedings are kept by the Chairman and sent up for the inspection of the Poor Law Board, at the close of each fortnightly meeting ; and it is the duty of the Central Board to see that the acts of the presidents of districts and of the fathers of quarters are in strict accordance with the instructions laid down for their guidance, and to alter or quash any decision which may appear to them irregular or injurious. The Poor Law Board also holds its meetings every fortnight, at which the eighteen Presidents of districts are invited to attend and give an account of the state of their districts, to afford such information as the Board may require, and to seek a final de- cision on such questions as they have felt it necessary to refer from their own meetings. The Presidents also make propositions or sug- gest alterations to the Board, and state the amount of money, clothes, and provisions which they shall probably require for the en- suing fortnight. All the above-mentioned offices are honorary and unpaid. With a view of affording medical aid, Elberfeld is divided into five districts, each of which is placed under the care of one of the principal physicians of the town, and of a trained and paid assistant. The business of the Poor Law Bureau is conducted by six paid officials. Besides all these arrangements for outdoor relief there are, under the same control and supervision, a poor- house, a house for orphans and deserted children, a lunatic asylum, a hospital, and a temporary shelter, each of which is presided over by a directory of its own, consisting of one town councillor and two citizens, elected by the Town Council for three years. Among the general principles on which the relief of the poor is conducted are the following :-1. That the family tie should be preserved, and therefore the system of outdoor relief be adopted as a rule. 2. That no person is entitled to relief who can either earn, or who already receives from private charity, what is suffi- cient to procure the bare necessaries of life, or who has any relative who is bound by law to maintain him. 3. That where relief is afforded it should be sufficient, and only sufficient, to procure food, clothing, dwelling, furniture, and schooling. To cover these expenses under ordinary circumstances it is assumed that the

Father of a family requires Wife s.

2 1 d.

6 11 Children of 15 years (and upwards) 1

84- 77 10 7.

1

61 7, 5

" 1

1

11 1

71

0

11

below

11

0

7

10 3 a week.

Where any member or members of the family are capable of earn- ing any part of this sum, the deficit alone is supplied by the Poor Law Board. Relief is, for the most part, afforded in money, but also in articles of food, fuel, furniture, and bedding ; the last two of which are frequently only lent for a certain period by the Poor Law Board, and remain under the constant surveillance of the fathers of quarters. 4. That no relief be granted for a longer period than 14 days, and that its continuance be made depend- ent on the report of the father of the district and the decisions of the district meetings. 5. That, as a rule, no father have more than 4 positions, whether families or individual cases, under his care, in order to ensure a thorough supervision and investigation in every case. I had the privilege of attending one of the District meetings at which Fathers of the poor make their reports and receive their instructions. I was much struck by the respectable appearance of those present, who represented all classes, " from banker to mechanic, " and appeared to act together, not only with intelligence and zeal, but with the greatest harmony.

After reading some passages from the minutes of the previous meeting, the district president called on each father in turn to give an account of the state of his quarter. If relief was sought on the ground of permanent or temporary inability to work, the attestation of the poor doctor was produced. If a new petition for relief was brought forward, the father presenting it read the results of his examination of the case from a printed form, which he has to fill up. He has to inquire, (1) whether the applicant is legally entitled to relief in Elberfeld ; (2) whether any persons are legally bound to contribute to his support; (3) of bow many his family consists ; (4) what income he or any member of his family gains by work or from any other source ; (5) what character each member of the family bears ; (6) whether the children attend any school, and which. He also inquires into the situation, condition, and rent of the applicant's dwelling ; the state of health of each mem- ber of the family ; the amount of wages received by any of the family, which has to be attested weekly by the employer's signa- ture, in a book furnished by the fathers.

The father is bound to visit the poor of his quarter at least once a fortnight, to keep up his acquaintance with each family, and report any change in its condition. He helps them to obtain work, mediates between them and their landlord, and endeavours by advice, reproof, and warning to keep them in the paths of sobriety and virtue. The district president is always ready to help the fathers by word and deed in any case of peculiar difficulty. At the regular meetings, of which he is the standing chairman, he reminds the fathers of their duties, not only to the poor, but to the public, whose money they distribute ; and nothing excited my admiration more than the way in which M. Hold (who presided at one of the meetings which I attended) checked the exuberant charity of the more soft- hearted " cherishers," and mitigated the severity of others who were inclined to forget the sufferings of the poor in their anxiety to spare the public purse.

The proportion of the population in receipt of public support in any shape was for the year 1865 2i per cent. The entire cost of outdoor relief and the maintenance of the five establishments before mentioned was about 13,5001., of which two-thirds are chargeable to the communal taxes. The expenses under each head are in round numbers as follows :—

Outdoor relief

£4,500 Hospital and medical care 3,500 Orphans and deserted children 3,000 Poor House 1,500 Office expenses 450 Contributions to other charitable institutions 550

£13,500

It may, perhaps, be urged that the system now described, resting as it does on the benevolence and activity of numerous unpaid agents, is only fitted for a large town, and one in which an unusual amount of intelligence, public spirit, and genuine philan- thropy exists. This may be so, and it is not my present object to suggest any alteration in our Poor Law system ; but I think that there is mach in the organization I have described which might be applied with excellent results by that numerous class of charitable persons in England who desire to save the poor from falling into that state of utter destitution and loneliness which alone our Government recognizes as giving a title to relief. There is surely no lack of men in England ready to expend both time and money in helping the poor. Hundreds of thousands of pounds are yearly distributed in charity by hundreds of thousands of truly Christian people. But who will say that the results correspond to the exertion and the outlay? Who will deny that a very large portion of our alms falls into unworthy hands, and goes to foster idleness and vice,

hypocrisy and deceit? Who will deny that many a warm-hearted Christian woman spends her years in labours of love which operate injuriously to almost every one but herself, which enrich the gin palace and seduce the industrious from honest labour ?—that many a thoughtful man has held his hand, fearing the unsystematic and uninvestigating charity which often makes itself a curse, and not a blessing ?

Would it not be possible, at any rate in our towns, for all those who feel it to be their duty as men and Christians "to lend to the Lord by giving to the poor " to forget their religious and political differences, and co-operate in carrying out a system similar to that in Elberfeld, the main and most excellent feature of which is the close investigation of every case of distress by a person at once charitable and intelligent,—by one who can feel the deep injury he does, not only to society at large, but to the recipient himself, when he relieves an unworthy person ?—I am, Sir, &c.,