OLD-AGE PENSIONS AND PAUPERISM.

[To TES EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR."] ST E,—Mr. Allen rightly points out that the figures of indoor and outdoor pauperism given in your issue of the 23rd August last only relate to paupers above the age of seventy. In this connexion it will be of interest to give the figures of total pauperism, indoor and outdoor, from the rat January, 1910 to 1912 for purposes of comparison with the figures given in the Parliamentary paper to which you referred. Unfortunately the Return of Pauperism on the 1st January, 1913, has not yet

appeared, but it is not likely to show results very different from those shown in the Return for 1st January, 1912.

clusive of insane and vagrants. (L) Paupers of all classes, ex- (II.) Paupers over 70 years of age included in L 1st January. Indoor.

1910 1911 1912 279,655 260,206 269,691

Thus, while the number of outdoor paupers over seventy decreased by 128,693 between 1910 and 1912, owing (we must assume) to the establishment of old-age pensions, the total number of outdoor paupers decreased by 127,231 only during the same period.

It is, of course, a matter of opinion whether relief given as a right by the State at the cost of the taxpayers is very different from relief given by the State at the cost of the rate- payers. In any case the money comes out of the same pockets. But the increased cost to the State is a very serious matter. Unfortunately the latest Local Taxation Return (that for 1911- 12) only gives the cost of expenditure on in-maintenance and out-relief in the extra-Metropolitan Unions. It shows, how- ever, by comparison with the corresponding figures for the two previous years, what has been saved to the ratepayers in those 622 Unions. (London has 31 Unions.)

Cost of Indoor and Outdoor Reliof in the Unions of England and Wales (exclusive of London).

Year. In-Mainten- Oat Belie[. Total. Net Total Poor Belief Expenditure

£ £

£

2 1909.10 2,391,510 3,198,445 5,589,955 11,030,252 1910-11 2,479,177 3,012,835 5,492,012 11,143,552 1911-12 2,451,719 2,270,785 4,722,504 10,603,803

These last figures show that the reduction of net poor relief expenditure since 1910 amounts to £426,449. I should doubt whether, when the corresponding figures for the London Unions can be given, the saving to the whole country on poor relief expenditure, owing to the transfer of aged paupers from the rates to the taxes, exceeds £500,000. Set this figure against the cost to the country of old-age pensions, viz., nearly £10,000,000, and the financial aspect of the question is seen to be a very serious one.

About the question of old-age pensioners receiving poor relief and pensions at the same time, I would refer your readers to the information given in the Special Report of the Central Committee of Poor Law Conferences on this subject, and in the valuable report of Mr. Rutherglen to the Wands- worth Board of Guardians on the abuses arising from the practice. The facts given in these two reports entirely support your remarks on the subject. There is no reason, however, why those abuses should not be put an end to, if only close co-operation can be secured between the Poor Law and Excise authorities, which is far from being attained at present.—I

Outdoor.

539,187 493,853 411,956 809,842 763.544 672,162 Total. Indoor.

57,701 55,261 49,370 Outdoor.

139,223 93,177 9,530 Total.

195.936 148,438 58,903