GENERAL BOOTH'S SCHEME.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 2915, 21 March 1891, Page 2

GENERAL BOOTH'S SCHEME.

At Adjutant Bishop's address on " l General Booth's Darkest England Scliome,'' at the Hamilton Salvation Army Barracks, there was a very fair attendance. The Adjutant dwelt at soino length on (1) its objects or why necessary, (2) foundation, or what has already been done, and (li) the schemo itself, which is divided into three divisions, viz, : (a) City Colony, (b) Farm Colony, and (c) Over Sea Colony. Under the first heading, to prove its necessity, he gave a few statistics, shewing something of the amount of crime aud poverty that existed in England, and in London especially, and said there were H2.000 thieves iu prison, 30,000 known thtuves out of prison and 110,000 juvenile thieves, while the drunkards amounted to half-a-millioii. The law courts iu olio year cost L'ooo,ooo which does absolutely nothing to bettor thiugs, the effect of sending this class to prison being to harden in crime rather than otherwise. Taking estimates by Lord Brabai-.ou, Mr Chamberlain and others, and striking the medium, < leneral Booth considers that at the lowest figure, there were 1(0,000,000 of people in England in actual poverty and degradation, and !)!>!->,OOO of these are iu London. In reference to the efforts now in operation, he referred to the poor law, work house..-'., casual works, &c., and to the fact that poverty is treated by the State as a crime, the work laid u|iou casinds being precisely the same as given to the inmates of the gaols, therefore the casuals refused to work in these places. In order to cope with this, the Army now have, the followiug Homes, ifcc., in operation : —illi female Resjue Hotfie.s, where useful trades and means of earning an honest living are taught; 33 Slum Posts, where lassie officers live and work in the worst spots of London and other latge cities, aud educate these people, both morally and spiritually; 1 Food Depots, where three and a-half millions of meals from }d upwards have been served during the past two years ; ■> Night Shelters, where tea, bed and breakfast is to be obtained for 4d ; 2 Industrial Workshops, where the -Id can be earned for the tea, bed and breakfast by those able to work, and where prices for labour are kept up, aud the " sweating system" put down ; 2 Labour Bureaux, where work has been found for between 300 and -100 people in three mouths ; Inebriates Home, Prison l.iate Brigades, where officers meet prisoners coming out of gaol, when they are taken to the Brigade and cared for. In relation to the scheme itself, which was to be in three divisions —City Colony, Farm Colony, and Over Sea Colony—the speaker said the City Colony was a more complete organisation the minor efforts that had already been put forth. A receiving house is to be erected iu every centre of population, where the working men will take up their abode. In connection with the City Colony, a Salvage Brigade will be formed, where officers will he segregated to gather up old bones, rags, paper and everything that can be put to a profitable use. The Farm Colony is tu bo composed of from ,"iOO to 1,000 acres, where the working men will be taught everything about the farming business. The OverSea Colony is to be brought into operation after tho City and Farm Colonics aro filled up, and nobody will bo despatched to this colony until ample provision has been made for their reception. South Africa is likely t.i bo thu tirst place where the Over Sea Colony is to be located. The address was very interesting, and was listened to with rao't attention, and those present were considerably onligh'oned as to the maimer in which I iencral Booth intends to spend the £100,000 at his disposal for Betting on foot his great social scheme.