into the STATE OF THE POORER CLASSES IN IRELAND.
249 Appendix (A.)
there are nearly 200 individuals who stand in need of, and receive, partial assistance from the benevolent.
There are thus 300 persons, without including childicn, more or less sup¬ ported by and a burthen on the community, and of these, by far the greater proportion are infirm through age or other causes.
The support of aged parents when past their labour devolves, as a matter of duty, upon their children, who being in many instances with difficulty able to procure an adequate subsistence for themselves and families, feel very severely the pressure which is imposed upon them.
The weight of the support of parents of persons among the poorer classes is not unfrequently a cause of great suffering and very great privation.
It sometimes happens that the old people become so far aware of this, that of their own accord they go about the neighbourhood and endeavour to aid their children's exertions by soliciting alms.
They who adopt this course are considered to be better off, and to have in general a larger share of the necessaries of life than those who continue to draw their entire maintenance from the scanty pittance of their impoverished children.
Mr.
McCarthy mentioned a few cases which had come to his knowledge, in which parents had been ill treated by their children ; but it was stated by Mr.
Wood and also by theJRev.
Mr.
Molony, the parish priest of Ross Carbery, that in a majority of cases the burthen of supporting aged and infirm parents was cheerfully and readily borne by their children.
The following statement of Mr.
M'Carthy is illustrative of the willingness and anxiety even of the old and decrepid to avail themselves of opportunities of earning an independent liveli¬ hood by manual labour.
In the year 1833, in consequence of the prevalence of unusual distress, Lord Carbery, who at all 1 imes gives a great deal in charity, was anxious to extend present re¬ lief to those whose circumstances indicated the greatest want of it.
According to the instruc¬ tions of Lord Carbery, he (Mr.
M'Carthy) employed some labourers to cut away about 200 perches of a hill.
In order to ascertain who most needed assistance, he made application to the Rev.
Mr.
Molony previous to putting any one on the list of employed.
The work gave occupation to about 16 or 18 persons every week.
Some of these were able-bodied, and others by no means deserved that name.
The number of applicants so much exceeded the number of those who could be engaged, that it was determined, as an expedient, to employ different sets on alternate weeks, retaining permanently only those who had large families.
Of the old men who were employed in this manner, some were hardly able to stand; seats were procured for them, and they continued to break stones as well as they could, getting id.
for each box barrow full; some could only earn ad.
in the day, others 3d, qd.
or &d.,
but all evinced the greatest desire to be allowed to labour at any wages whatsoever.
One man had not been at work for two years, and during that peiiod he had suffered from a disease in his hand, which had at last become nearly useless to him.
Mr.
M'Carthy pre¬ vailed on him to put on a glove and exert himself to break stones.
He did so, and with success, for his hand gradually grew pliable, and he expressed the liveliest gratitude and delight at having recovered the power of working for himself, and of having thereby some prospect of independence.
Among the witnesses who were present at the investigation, a large number expressed themselves favourable to the establishment of a legal provision for the impotent through age or other infirmities.
The sentiments of the landlords on this point may be gathered from the following observations which were made by Mr.
Hungerford, of Cahirmore.
The farmers were asked " Whether, if it were so arranged that the landed proprietors should bear their proportion of a tax for the support of the destitute they (the farmers) would prefer the con¬ tinuance of their present voluntary contributions to paying 0 definite but smaller amount m money," It was at once replied by some, that " if such an arrangement could be effected, they would certainly prefer the money tax."
Upon this Mr.
Hungerford, himself a landed proprietor, remarked, " why should the farmers be desirous for a poor-law?
for although the contemplated tax may be less then the amount of their present voluntary contributions, there is no guarantee whatever that in the course of a very few years it may not be doubled or even trebled ; and when once they have put into any man's hand the power of driving their cattle and seizing their property and effects for ever so small a sum, how can they calculate what costs that small sum, if not forthcoming at the proper time, may entail upon them?
and why should the obligation on the part of the landlord to pay a part, why should that be of any service to the tenant, whose proportion of the impost may soon increase to or even surpass what he now contributes in the name of God ?
and, moreover, who has the land-ford to look to for money to pay any tax that may be imposed upon him, except his land and the tenants on it?
" Mr.
Hungerford goes on to say, " I should not have taken this ap¬ parently selfish view of the case, did I perceive the probability of any good likely to arise hom the institution of a system of poor-laws.
For what is a poor-law to do?
It is merely to compel 50 or 100 individuals to labour, according to their ability, in a workhouse, whereas they would much rather continue to receive their food as at present, and would, much prefer it and their liberty to any additional quantity of better diet that can be given to them.
Let but one inch," adds Mr.
Hungerford, " of the wedge of a poor-law be driven in, and the '
pressure from without' will soon send it home, to the extent of ruining and* destroying the few comforts which taxation has left us."
Impotent through Age.
Minister, County Coik.
Examinations tal en hj Tliomns Mai tin, Ebq.
John Lalor, Esq.
Parish Ross-Car¬
bery.
Bar, East Carbcry, (West Division.)
0.5.
K K
