Conisboro’ Council – Role of Oliver Twist – Unemployed Problem

March 1928

Mexborough & Swinton Times, March 16, 1928.

Conisboro’ Council
The Role of Oliver Twist.
Adamant Guardians.
The Problem of The Unemployed.

The Conisboro’ Urban Council were unanimous on Wednesday in condemning the Doncaster Guardians for their refusal to receive the deputation the Council agreed at their February meeting to send in response to an appeal from the “Unemployed Committee’ movement. The object of the deputation was to get improved treatment of able-bodied unemployed workers.

Mr. Spencer Baker (Clerk) reported that he had made the request that the deputation be received, and the reply was that “no useful purpose could be served” by its reception.

Mr. A. Roberts, a member of the Board, said he had some observations to make on the matter “at the slaughter house” on Saturday. He appealed for the reception of the deputation, but was informed that nobody could do their business better than the Guardians. The chairman of the Guardians’ Finance Committee said they “resented very much the interference of outside persons.”

Mr. Roberts’s view was that if the Guardians would not look after the sick they were not likely to look after the unemployed. He did not know how the matter might be further pursued, but he was concerned about what was to become of the children. It was said that men did not want work. Returning from Wakefield that day he had picked up a man who was walking from Halifax to Brigg seeking work. There were thousands of such instances of men genuinely doing all they could to get work, but they were ruled out of consideration because of insensate regulations solely devised to prevent men having extended benefit under the Unemployment Insurance scheme.

Favouring The Criminal.

The point was: who was to see that those people were fed? The most important consideration was that of the children.            In view of the fact that there was an Act to empower the feeding of necessitous children it was a crime that in the whole of the West Riding only £75 was spent for that purpose last year. So far as the men were concerned he wondered if a petition could not he sent to the local Employment Committee to reconsider the position of those men. The regulations were so drawn that it was impossible to do anything without a great deal of sympathy to -give the rules elasticity. A. committee that wished to carry out the regulations to the letter would find it impossible to help the men. The Guardians had treated the request from a statutory public authority practically with contempt. But that was an economic question which had to be faced—and a national one, too. If anything could be done it was up to that Council to see the men got elementary justice in their district.

Neither the Council nor the victims were responsible for the situation, but the Council were responsible for the welfare of the people resident in their area. He knew their power was very limited; but their concern with the consequences was not.

One of the points of the British Constitution on which they prided themselves was that under it no one might starve. But the thing that troubled him was, if the criminal got a long ‘term of imprisonment for ill-treating his wife and children the Guardians were bound by law to relieve the family during that term; was the family of the decent citizen who had the misfortune to be unemployed to be treated with less consideration ?

One of their proudest boasts during the war was that they gave care and attention to the dependents of enemy soldiers. It might be that he paid rates and taxes for the support of the wife and children of the man who shot his brother across the water in 1916! Were their own women and childdren to be less favourably treated than those of enemy soldiers? (Hear, hear.)

He hoped that after the refusal of the Guardians to give the matter any consideration the Council would take all other steps possible to see that the children at least were fed. It was useless spending so much money on education when they were asking children to go to school with empty stomachs.

A Pitiful Story.

Mr. W. B. Wells said that last Thursday lie went into a house in Conisboro’, and found in the room three children lying in two beds. Two of the children were ill. The mother had called him in to show him a doctor’s order for milk, which was essential for the children, who were suffering from pneumonia. She had taken the note to the relieving officer, who had refused to supply the milk. The father of the children had been out of work  for six years. The speaker remembered the man as a good workman who saved a little money while he was working. He never applied for relief till all those savings were gone. The mother was getting 15s. a week from the Guardians, and she had seven children. One boy was working at Edlington and took in about 8s. a week, out, of which she had to pay rent. The doctor’s note ordered the sick children a quart of milk a day, which it was impossible for her to give them. “She hadn’t a drop of milk in the house.

I told her to get it to my order. She, shall have it—this week, at any rate—whether I get the money back or not. Those children might have died for want of the milk. ‘ It is wrong in the extreme.”

Mr. Roberts: Come this side.

Appeal For “Christian Spirit.”

Mr. J .T. E. Collins, who with. Mr. Gillott was deputed by the Council to wait on the Guardians, said they did not want to dictate the policy the Guardians should adopt. Mr. Roberts made a good point when he said that the criminal had greater consideration than the Out-of-work, who had to wait till he was unfit for work before he might have ‘relief. If the Guardians would put into operation that boasted “Christian spirit” they would all get on better. He hoped that in the coming elections the public would show their view of the Guardians’ attitude by sweeping out of office those who refused to exercise decent, human feeling in such matters as that.

The Chairman (Mr. W. L. Worsley): Let it be soon.

Mr. Collins thought the matter ought to be further pursued if possible. The Guardians apparently thought more about rates than about the people who were gradually losing everything through the grinding of the economic machine. One doubted whether another attempt to move the Guardians would do any good, but he was prepared to move that they try again.

Mr. J. Shelton seconded the resolution.

Mr. Gillott said it he knew a a useless, Mr. Roberts said he knew Mr Collins was not the sort of chap to give up “but they will break his heart at Doncaster—if he hasn’t a heart they’ll break his head. He suggested a deputation to the local Employment Committee was more likely to bring results.

Another Attempt.

Mr. J. Maxfield thought there was more hope of receiving consideration from the Employment Committee than from the Guardians.

Mr. Collins said he would not withdraw his motion.

Mr, Maxfield: You will get a second snub, that’s all.

Mr. Collins: I don’t care if I get a thousand from those people.  I’m prepared to support both plans.

Mr. Roberts said he was a little concerned about what was going to happen after April. when the new Act came into operation. There would be only one standard benefit then—no “extended benefit.” If anything was to be done it must be done quickly. As for the Guardians, he was hoping to convert sufficient people before the elections to be able to carry out their wishes at Doncaster afterwards.

The Chairman : Let us hope so.

The Council decided to send a deputation to the Employment Committee. Messrs. Gregory, Collins, and Chadfield were deputed to the task.

Smoke Abatement.

The Council decided to become members of the Regional Smoke Abatement Committee which was formed at the recent conference of local authorities in this district at Bentley. That conference forwarded resolutions that the emission of black smoke from works chimneys be restricted to two minutes in thirty; and that an expert be appointed by the Regional Committee to advise the constituent local authorities when necessary.

The next meeting of the committee will be held at Bentley.