The "Casual."—Nearly all subsequent legislation deals with the treatment of the casual pauper and the regulations that should be enforced especially when the applicant for admission to a casual ward was an able bodied man. A general order dated Dec. 18 1882 prescribed the rules and regulations to be observed and pauper vagrancy decreased for two or three years, but increased again from 1885-1895. The number of vagrants in casual wards on Jan. 1905 was 9,768. There followed the appointment of the departmental committee on vagrancy in 1906. Since then the number of vagrants has increased and it is estimated that there are no less than 12,000 many of them ex-service men who for one reason or another tramp from place to place and find tempo rary accommodation in the casual wards and lodging houses or sleep in the open. It is extremely difficult to say how many of these men are bona fide unemployed but not more than one-third could be placed in the class of "rogues and vagabonds." The rec ommendations of the committee on vagrancy of which the Rt.
Hon. J. L. Wharton was chairman were of a varied character some of which could not be carried into effect without legislation. For example, it was suggested that the control of casual wards and the local relief of vagrants should be transferred to the police au thority with a view to securing uniform treatment throughout the country. At present (1929) it is often necessary for tramps to apply for tickets at police stations before they can sleep in the casual ward, although the police have no final control. Another recommendation was that of a detention colony and an indetermi nate sentence, a detention colony, for example, such as Borstal for boys and the place of detention for an indefinite period in stead of prison for a short term. The committee recommended that habitual vagrants should be sent to certified labour colonies for detention for not less than six months or more than three years. This recommendation would also require legislation. The third recommendation which has passed into law is that of the establishment of labour exchanges the value of which for the unemployed tramp is that information can be obtained at a labour exchange as to where employment is likely to be found. The dif ficulty however which has not been overcome is that if a man is compelled without money to tramp the country he cannot stay long enough in one place to enable him to find employment. A considerable advance has been made in the direction of forming vagrancy committees for counties or larger areas, the object being to secure uniform treatment of tramps, to find work for those who are willing to work and to deal with the difficulty of women and children on the road. Clearly what is required is a national sys tem of dealing with the problem; and all boards of guardians, if still in existence, should be included in these committees. A num ber of counties have also adopted the suggestion of a way-ticket system. By a statutory order of Sept. 23, 1914 the supply of a
midday meal for paupers discharged from the casual ward was legalised. The way-ticket system was by no means universally adopted and has not been a success.
The Metropolitan Asylums Board by unifying the London tramp wards has introduced uniformity in administration and generally speaking the London casual wards are clean and well kept. As a result of the report of the casual wards committee of the Metro politan Asylums Board many helpable cases are now dealt with separately, the idea being to enable those who are really desirous of work to stay in a ward which is treated as a hostel. A stay of a week or a fortnight often means that the man is able to find employment. The implication is that the casual ward with its one or two nights detention does not assist the man to find employ ment, but that given a longer time a considerable number of men can be assisted to find work.
Remedies.—The labour exchange should theoretically enable an unemployed man, likely to become a vagrant, to be transferred to some place where work is more abundant, but the labour ex changes are in many cases overworked and have a mass of local unemployment to deal with, most of it stagnant labour. If the occupants of casual wards could be given a chance there is no doubt that a percentage, small perhaps, but probably not less than io% would be willing to work if suitable employment could be found. To obtain this fluidity of labour some arrangement is required to enable the man to travel from place to place and this entails the expenditure of money. He also requires when he ar rives at a new town some decent accommodation other than the casual ward. Vagrancy reform must be based upon effective indi vidual dealing and proper classification since the vagrant may be either a genuine unemployed man, an ex-service man, an old and infirm person, a young boy, a married man with a wife and child ren or an habitual vagrant. Various remedies might be suggested for the evil. In the first place it would be as well to set up anothrr inter-departmental committee to consider what changes have taken place in the situation since the last committee of 1906 and what legislation is still required. Proper accommodation should be sup plied in the shape of municipal lodging houses for genuine unem ployed looking for work, and Labour Exchanges should supply the necessary information as to existing accommodation in their own districts. Every attempt should be made to induce the vagrant to call at the labour exchange for information and if he possessed a wayfarer's card it would be possible for the labour exchange to endorse it before he went "on the road." A training camp is re quired for the young man who has no real trade behind him, while for those who are seasonally unemployed some sort of a colony should be established in order that the man may not lose the habit of regular work.