An incident of this great experiment is worth recording, as possibly affording a hint and a precedent. In October 1862--before the Government loans had actually started the municipalities engaging in municipal works--the Central Authority authorised the Manchester Board of Guardians to give outdoor relief to able-bodied men for whom a labour test could not be provided, on condition that they attended educational classes arranged by the guardians. This permission was largely acted upon. One whole trade union (the Society of Makers Up), asked "to be sent to school, instead of to labour." Not only were reading and writing taught, but what we should now term university extension lectures were delivered (by Professor Roscoe, etc.).[297] [297] MS. Minutes, Manchester Board of Guardians, 30th October, 20th November, and 3rd December 1862. _B._--_Vagrants_ We left the Poor Law Commissioners, in 1847, at last awake to the fact that the policy of the Report of 1834--that vagrants should be treated like any other able-bodied male paupers, and offered "the House"--had been a conspicuous failure. The new "union workhouses," rising up all over the country, afforded to the habitual tramp a national system of well-ordered, suitably situated, gratuitous common lodging-houses, of which he took increasing advantage.[298] Confronted by this growth of vagrancy, the Poor Law Commissioners, towards the end of their term, had pressed on boards of guardians a new vagrancy policy--that of making the night's lodging disagreeable to the wayfarer. By statute and order the Central Authority had authorised compulsory detention for four hours and the exaction of a task of work. This policy had not been generally adopted, nor particularly successful where tried. In the bad years of 1847-9 vagrancy was still increasing at a dangerous rate, and one of the first duties of the new Poor Law Board was to issue instructions on the subject. [298] Reports and Communications on Vagrancy, 1848.