POPLAR SCANDAL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1930, 12 November 1906, Page 2

POPLAR SCANDAL.

EXPENDITURE DELIBERATELY INCREASED.

PRESS ASSOCIATION - COPYRIGHT. London, November 9. The report of the Inspector of the Local Government Board on the inquiry into the charges of extravagant administration of the poor law at Poplar suggests that the guardians. deliberately increased the expenditure in order to force the Legislature to complete equalisation of the rates all over the metropolis, , The report exonerates Mr W. Crookes. M.P., the well-known Labor leader, the chairman, and Mr Geo. Lansbury, one of the guardians, from the misconduct of which some of their colleagues were guilty, but holds them in no small degree responsible for a policy leading to pauperisation of great numbers of people. The subsiding of casual labor has brought about an inevitable growth in the number of those working at starvation wages, and has in* creased the expenditure of the borough, inflicting great hardships on struggling tradesmen and others. °

Mr Crookes describes the report as wicked and prejudiced.

MR CROOKES’ REPLY.

PRESS ASSOCIATION COPYRIGHT Received 5 p m,, Nov 11. London, Nov 10. William Crookes, in a letter to the press iu connection with the Poplar Union report, declares that until dismissed he will continue the policy of humanising tho poor law, and is confident that the Labor Party will support him. He considers the local Government’s rude challenge an attempt intimidate to their democratically, the elected Board of Guardians.