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It may at this point be of interest to compare
briefly the system of relief now instituted with
that which had hitherto been in force.
Coparison of the old
and the New Systems
of Relief.
In winters previous to that of 1903-4, unemployed men
were allowed to register their names at the various depots of
the Borough Council. Each man then received two days'
work in rotation.
Under this system no verification of residence was
attempted and no enquiries were made as to the requirements
of the individual cases. There was in consequence no certainty
that Camberwell men were being employed, and there was
nothing to prevent unemployed men from other districts of
London obtaining work by giving addresses in Camberwell.
Advantages of the
New Scheme.
The new system which was initiated in 1903-4
has been of great value in obtaining reliable facts and statistics
for the first time; in ascertaining whether the distress was
real and widespread, or only peculiar to certain districts; in
drawing into co-operation all local bodies, which were able to
give valuable information, and sometimes practical help in
individual cases when required; in keeping in touch with the
families of the men employed; in establishing a system of
co-operation and interchange of information between the
Guardians, employers of labour and charitable associations,
thus avoiding overlapping; and, lastly, in the discovery of so
many volunteer helpers who were willing to give their time
and thought to the work.
As will be seen from the regulations for the
Executive Committee (page iv.) it was originally
intended in the scheme that the amount of work given should
be in proportion to the size of the family of each applicant and
should be continued week by week as long as it was considered
advisable.
Amount of work
Available for the
Unemployed.
This plan could not, however, be carried into effect
owing to the limited amount of work available and to the fact
that the proposed distribution of work entailed so much extra
labour on the staff of the Borough Engineer.
In order, therefore, to save that department as much
trouble as possible it was decided to give each man recommended
by the Executive Committee three days' work in rotation,
irrespectively of the number of those dependent on him.
When the work first started the number of men recom-