Strong exception was taken at a meeting of the Luton Board of Guardians on Monday [August 23rd, 1915] to a policy of dealing with the English-born wives of interned aliens on the same level as pauper cases.
Boards of Guardians are given discretionary powers to deal with applications for assistance in these cases up to a maximum of nine shillings per week for a wife and 1s 6d per week for each child, the money paid out in this direction being refunded from Government sources.
In one of two cases which came before the Board it was stated that the woman had had her husband interned a second time after having been once released and, having two very young children had had to be assisted on the previous occasion that her husband was taken away.
It was stated that the brother of the interned man, having been born in this country, had come to Luton to take over his brother's work and was lodging with his sister-in-law and paying 15 shillings a week, and this was all the woman had.
The Clerk therefore suggested that the Board should deal with the case on exactly the same lines as other cases which had been dealt with and grant the maximum, but it was argued that as there was a lodger some allowance should be made. This led to an appeal by Mr Burgess that the Board should look on these cases from a very broad standpoint. These unfortunate women, he said, were English born and came of respectable families, but unfortunately they married Germans and now that their husbands were interned they were thrown on their beam-ends. He thought, therefore, they should deal generously with these women. "They suffer enough, goodness knows," said Mr Burgess.
On the other hand Mr Impey argued that because this money came to them so easily there was no reason why the Board should be extravagant in voting it. They would not think of giving one of their ordinary cases more than five shillings and two shillings each for the children, and he proposed that should be the grant in this case. Mr A. J. Pitkin seconded, with the remark that the Germans were not very generous with our prisoners over there, and the amendment for 9s was carried.
Mr Burgess also brought forward another case, in which he said a woman was left absolutely on her beam-ends and had three children to provide for. Here, he said, there was not a penny going into the house, and he asked the Board should grant nine shillings and 1s 6d each for the children.
"Why serve this person different to the other?" asked Mr Impey. "I have every respect for these people being English born, but I don't see why our sympathies should run away with us and cause us to treat them in a more generous way than we should our own poor. We should not think of granting more than nine shillings a week as relief in a case like this, and I move we do that in this case."
It was pointed out, however, that the woman was paying ten shillings a week rent, and the Clerk said he must demur to the Board bringing these cases down to the level of pauper cases. They were expressly desired not to treat these cases as pauper cases. They had to consider that these people had been in moderately comfortable circumstances, and to bring them down to pauper cases was a great hardship.
"We are not doing it," said Mr Impey. "There's not a case on our books where they have so much."
Mr Bone thought in this case Mr Impey was straining a point. "I am an economist myself," he said, "and I think I am inclined to get a bit hard, but I am not so hard as that."
The difference between the two proposals was 11 shillings and 13s 6d a week, and by 13 votes to four the Board decided in favour of the maximum grant.
[Luton Reporter: Monday, August 30th, 1915]