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Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. Excerpt from book: Section 3CHAPTER XII A.d. 1786-1803 Reign of George III. continued—Proposed universal benefit society— Visitation of poorhouses—Defective management and organisation— Punishment of vagrants—Prohibition of begging—Neglect of families —Parish apprentices—Friendly societies—Restrictions on the removal of the poor—The law of settlement—Out-door relief—" Roundsmen "— Justices may order occasional relief—Speech and Bill of Mr. Pitt on the Poor Laws—Mr. Bentham's textit{Observation!—Commercial treaty with France—Trial of Warren Hastings—French revolutionary war—Bank Restriction Act—Union with Ireland—Imports and exports—National debt and revenue—Population—Prices of com and provisions—Rate of wages—Berkshire bread-scale—Increase of poor-rates—State of the country—Collection of poor-rates—Limit to liability of justices. The plan proposed by Baron Maseres in 1772, forme, establishing life annuities in every parish for the benefit of the poor, has already been noticed.1 In 1786 Mr. Acland, with a like benevolent intention, proposed a uDngivaersal scheme for establishing a kind of universal friendly or benefit society, by contributing to which at certain prescribed rates, according to age and other circumstances, all persons might, independently of the Poor Law, assure for themselves adequate support in the time of sickness, infirmity, and old age. Mr. Acland proposed that an association should be established by Act of Parliament for the whole of England, to which every one between the ages of twenty and thirty should be compelled to subscribe, in manner following—a labourer earning l0d. a day, and a man-servant having Is. 6d. a week or £4 a year wages, or if a female, 1s. 3d. a week or £3 a year wages, to pay to the common stock, the man 2d. weekly, the woman l^d. Persons 1 textit{Ante, p. 70. VOL. II.—7 disa...