STONE BREAKING FOR TRAMPS

A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE DATED APRIL 5th 1928
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PROBLEM OF THE HABITUAL VAGRANT

On the motion for the adjournment in the House of Commons today, Mr Lansbury (Soc., Bow and Bromley), asked if it was the intention of the Ministry of Health to refuse sanction for out relief to able-bodied men, married or unmarried, unless they went into an institution, relief outside being given only to their wives or dependents.
He said that, according to the figures given by the Ministry of Health there were 10,122 men, 538 women and 77 children on the road. In the workhouses there were 40,343 able-bodied men, 18702 women and 42,343 children. The outdoor able-bodied poor numbered about 500,000. These were staggering figures and they must add about 24,000 persons who came before the magistrates on vagrancy charges.
Sir Kingsley Wood said this was the first he had heard of the statement. Perhaps Mr Lansbury would be a little more definite. Mr Lansbury said Poplar Board of Guardians had been so informed. Both the inspector and auditor were taking objections to granting relief, for certain periods, for certain men, and arrangements were being made under which these men should be dealt with.
He also asked whether the ministry of health would see that a notice was posted in every casual ward inviting casuals to make applications for medical attention in cases of illness.

REQUEST FOR NAMES
He disputed the assumption that tramps were persons endowed with ‘a double gift of original sin’. They were not more wicked than others, but were victims of economic conditions. This was proved by the fact that during the war this class of person went out of existence for the time being. They found either work in and about the army or occupations elsewhere.
The Ministry of Health, he added, were now sanctioning the reinstitution of stone-breaking as punishment for these people, who, in his judgement were not responsible for the plight they were in. It cost £1.9s.5d. a week to maintain a convict, £1.0s.6d. a short-term prisoner and 14s. for a man in Belmont Workhouse.
Mr Lansbury said that the casuals had to break up to 13cwt. of stone. If these were criminals he would object to their having such a task to perform. Such tasks were not imposed in prison.
He heard that there was a proposal to reinstate the corn grinding machine by which corn was ground by a sort of treadmill or winding arrangement. Not only was that a perfectly inhumane task to put a starving man to, but it was perfectly useless.
Miss Lawrence (Soc.,East Ham N.) asked the Minister to give the names of the boards of guardians which enforced stone-breaking.
Sir Kingsley Wood, replying on the debate, said the problem of the casual poor treatment and their future was very difficult and that deserved their sympathy. The number of relief recipients in England and Wales at the end of January last was 11,221, and, despite the increase of population and trade depression, the highest figures were lower than those of the previous years 1905-6-9 and 11.

THE HABITUAL VAGRANT
The great majority of the casuals were decent people who too often were the victims of industrial depression and industrial disputes, but about one quarter of the men were undoubtedly habitual vagrants, and the task of dealing with them was very difficult and troublesome.
When Mr Wheatley was Minister of Health he said he was not prepared to abolish all task work, and that was the veiw of every responsible Minister of Health. the task of stone-breaking was in existence under the Labour Government. The Government had brought about a much more humane administration in connection with this matter than any other Government.