Sir William Chance read an excellent paper on " Old
and New Ideas on Public Relief, 1834 and 1910," at the North Wales Poor Law Conference at Welshpool on Tuesday. Commenting on the Report of the Poor Law Commission, Sir William Chance asserted that it had by no means convinced the electors that a clean sweep must be made of Boards of Guardians. While admitting that reforms were necessary and desirable in certain directions, he held that the wholesale condemnation of the existing system by the Commission was most unjust. Boards of Guardians ought to remain as they were now, authorities directly elected by the ratepayers, and he was absolutely against the transference of their powers to indirectly elected authorities. He supported the establish- ment of district Poor Law, authorities to cover wider areas than the existing Poor Law Unions, so as to enable certain classes of " dependants" to be dealt with more satisfactorily than was now possible. But little, if any, legislation was necessary to secure this end, as the Local Government Board bad full powers to establish such District Boards. He was convinced that it was for the good of the country that the Poor Law should be consolidated and strengthened on the present basis, instead of being " broken up " altogether or transferred to authorities already overburdened with work.
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