RED POPLAR 
and richer boroughs were appointed to meet the next day and 
continue the efforts towards agreement. The following official 
announcement gives the result: — 
““ The representatives of contributing and receiving boroughs 
who were nominated as a committee at the conference held by 
the Minister of Health on October 17th with the London 
County Council, the City Corporation, and the London 
boroughs, met at the Ministry of Health on October 18th, 1921, 
with Sir Arthur Robinson, K.C.B., as chairman. After discus- 
sion, agreement was arrived at on the following measures as 
a means of relief to the poorer areas in the present difficulties 
arising out of unemployment: 
1. That, as from October 1st, 1921, the expenditure on 
outdoor relief throughout the London County Area should 
be equalised through the Metropolitan Common Poor Fund. 
2. That from October 1st, 1921, the charge of 5d. per head, 
per day, in respect of the maintenance of indoor paupers 
should be increased to 1/3 per head per day. 
3. That the Guardians should be authorised by the 
Minister of Health, as may be necessary, to borrow on over- 
draft or to raise loans to an amount and at a rate of interest 
to be sanctioned by him, the interest payable being allowed 
as a charge on the Common Poor Fund. 
4 That the Minister of Health should make regulations 
prescribing scales of relief and other conditions governing 
the charge on the Metropolitan Common Poor Fund under 
the above arrangement. 
The above proposals were agreed to by the representatives 
of the contributing boroughs on the basis that no change 1s 
made in the present rate of 6d. under the Equalising Act of 
1894, pending the findings of the Royal Commission on the 
Government of London. A majority of the representatives of 
the receiving boroughs maintained a claim to an increase in 
the equalisation rate, irrespective of the settlement arrived at 
as to Poor Law expenditure, while expressing their readiness 
to negotiate with the contributing boroughs as to the precise 
amount of the increase. The Chairman noted the views 
expressed on this subject, and undertook to report them to the 
Minister.” 
Thus, in the words of Mr. John Wheatley, ‘One of the 
results of the confiict between the Poplar Borough Council and 
the Government of the day was a real and substantial surrender 
to the principles for which Poplar was contending.” 
In the three and a half years covered by the new equalisation 
scheme, Poplar has received from the Metropolitan Common 
Poor Fund more than £1,300,000 to be expended as Out Reliet 
to the unemployed and destitute in the Borough. For the 
current year the contribution is equivalent to a rate of over 
10/- in the £, a saving in the local rates which no cheese-paring 
Municipal Reform Council in London can hope to equal. 
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