[254] Instructional Letter of 5th February 1842; in Eighth Annual Report, 1842, p. 109.
[255] Consolidated Order for the Administration of Relief in Town Unions, 7th March 1836, in Second Annual Report, 1836, p. 91.
In 1842 the central authority declares itself unable to suggest for the able-bodied men in the workhouse "any kind of labour which is likely to be productive of profit"; and remarks that "stone-breaking under proper superintendence is generally found to answer." other occupations which are named to the guardians as being frequently adopted are grinding corn in hand mills, pounding or grinding bones for manure, and oakum-picking.[256] the horrors revealed in the inquiry into the andover workhouse scandal led to a summary prohibition of the employment of paupers in pounding, grinding, or otherwise breaking bones, or preparing bone dust.[257] this left practically only stone-breaking, hand-grinding, and oakum-picking at the disposal of the boards of guardians--occupations, as it seems to us, combining in the highest degree the characteristics of monotony, absence of initiative, toilsomeness, and inutility--giving, in fact, to labour, in flat contradiction of the recommendation of the report of 1834, an aspect as repulsive as could be devised.[258]
[256] Letter of 18th February 1842; in _Official Circular_, 13th February 1843, No. 23, p. 43. _See also_ the interesting letter of 5th March 1842, giving the reasons for grinding by stones rather than by a steel mill (_ibid._ 30th July 1842, No. 20, p. 298).
[257] General Order of 8th November 1845, and Circular Letter of the same date, in Twelfth Annual Report, 1846, pp. 72-77.
[258] The last instruction of the Central Authority during this period with regard to employment is the Circular of 1st April 1846, stating that the task to be exacted in oakum-picking should be 4 lb. per day for males and 2 to 3 lb. per day for females (_Official Circular_, 1st April 1886, No. 58, p. 57).
As the policy of the Central Authority was to exclude from the life of the workhouse inmates everything of the nature of reward, encouragement, stimulus, responsibility, or initiative, the question arises by what means the monotonous discipline was to be maintained. The documents indicate that the Central Authority relied on the two forces of punishment and religion.