40
THE BRITISH EMPIRE: — UNITED KINGDOM
committee (who may appoint sub -committees) is appointed by the borough, district, or county council. Pension officers (to investigate and report to the committees) are appointed by the Treasury. The central pension authority is the Local Government Board. The weekly amount of the pension is 10s. if the yearly means of the pensioner do not exceed 261. 5s. If the yearly means exceed 261. 5s., the weekly pension decreases by 2s. for every 51. 5s. by which this limit is exceeded, up to 4.71. 5s., when the rate becomes Is. per week. If the yearly means exceed 49Z. 17s. 6d. no pension is payable. On March 28, 1919, there were 920,198 pensions payable in the United Kingdom. The estimated cost of old age pensions in 1920-21 is 25,969,000Z.
Pauperism.
There is a Poor Law, under a variety of statutes, applicable to the three Kingdoms, by which paupers, under certain conditions, are to be relieved in their own houses or lodged in workhouses or poor-houses built for the purpose. The law is administered by the Local Government Board, through Boards of Guardians elected for the purpose. England and Wales, including the Me- tropolis and the municipal boroughs, are divided into 658 poor law unions, for each of which there is elected a Board of Guardians. In urban districts and in the Metropolis guardians are separately elected, but in rural districts the rural district councillors act as guardians for the parishes they represent on the district council. Guardians are elected on the same popular franchise as district councillors. Women are eligible. In every civil parish overseers are appointed whose duty it is to make and collect the poor rate.
Amount expended in poor-relief for year ended March 25 for England and Ireland, and May 15 tor Scotland. For Scotland, the amount includes expenditure on buildings and loans repaid and interest : —
Tear
England 4 Wales
Scotland
Ireland
Total U.K.
£
£
£
£
1899-1900
11,567,649
1,141,660
1,125,110
13,834,419
1913-14
15,055,863
1,609,358
1,320,987
17,986,208
1915-16
16,085,586
1,411,521
1,400,406
18,897,513
1916-17
16,187,748
1,497,326
1,474,297
19,159,371
1917-18
17,039,623
1,536,924
1,599,531
20,176,078
1918-19
18,423,883
—
1,816,093
—
The aggregate expenditure by local authorities in England and Wales, which is or- dinarily classed as relating to the relief of the poor, during the period of 80 years ended March 25, 1914, was approximately (576,000,0001.
Statistics
England
of Paupers.
and Wales.
1st
J miliar}
Indoor 1
Outdoor i
Ivuuatics in County ami Borough Asylums, Registered Hos- pitals and Licensod Houses
100,941
'.'7.:: .<■ >>(),71S 88,17! 82.2S8
Casual Paupers
7,508 2,875 1,470 1,091 2.035
Net total of persons relieved *
1914 1917 1018
1919 1920
2ii4,202j 215,288 198,498 183,1111 186,273
388,917 321,813
HI! 287,214 805*822
761
687,387
688,785
5i4.(H7
..7(">,418
1 Excluding casual paupers.
'i Deductions being made for persons counted twice in the preceding columns.
