That the supreme committee may be exactly informed of the real
state of those in distress who apply for relief, every petition,
forwarded by a parochial committee, or by a commissary of a
district, where there are no parochial committees, should be
accompanied with an exact and detailed account of the
circumstances of the petitioner, signed by the commissary of the
district to which he belongs, together with the amount of the
weekly sum, or other relief, which such commissary may deem
necessary for the support of the petitioner.
To save the commissaries of districts the trouble of writing the
descriptions of the Poor who apply for assistance, printed forms,
similar to that which may been seen in the Appendix, No. V. may
be furnished to them;--and other printed forms, of a like nature,
may be introduced with great advantage in many other cafes in the
management of the Poor.
With regard to the manner in which the supreme and parochial
committees should be formed;-- however they may be composed,
it will be indispensably requisite, for the preservation of order
and harmony in all the different parts of the Establishment,
that one member at least of each parochial committee be present,
and have a seat, and voice, as a member of the supreme committee.
And, that all the members of each parochial committee may be
equally well informed with regard to the general affairs of the
Establishment, it may perhaps be proper that those members
attended the meetings of the supreme committee in rotation.
For similar reasons it may be proper to invite the commissaries
of districts to be present in rotation at the meetings of the
committees of their respective parishes, where there are
parochial committees established, or otherwise, at the meetings
of the supreme committee[4].
It is, however, only in very large cities that I would recommend
the forming parochial committees. In all towns where the
inhabitants do not amount to more than 100,000 souls, I am
clearly of opinion that it would be best merely to divide the
town into districts, without regard to the limits of parishes;
and to direct all the affairs of the institution by one simple
committee. This mode was adopted at Munich, and found to be easy
in practice, and successful; and it is not without some degree of
diffidence, I own, that I have ventured to propose a deviation
from a plan, which has not yet been justified by experience.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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