| AdminHistory | The Distress Committee was formed as a result of the Unemployed Workmen’s Act, 1905, which was a part of the Liberal Government’s radical programme of social and welfare reforms instigated during the first decade of the twentieth century. This Act, and the Labour Exchange Act of 1909, permitted local authorities to set up labour bureaus to help unemployed people to find work, and to finance the voluntary emigration of those out of work. Emigration, particularly to Canada, South Africa and Australia, was encouraged and sponsored, as it was with older children from the Industrial Schools (later Borstals), and people were also assisted to relocate within the United Kingdom.
A Labour Exchange was duly set up on Great Charles Street, Birmingham, and others, such as Washwood Heath, soon followed. The exchanges registered claimants and tried to sort work for them. The Exchanges kept records breaking down the claimants into gender, age, location, trades experience, incomes and the number of dependants that claimants had.
The type of work that the exchanges dealt with varied from the skilled to the menial, with each council committee making the exchange aware of the vacancies or skills it required. Many men were employed as street cleaners, though this was far from ideal as the cleaners needed monitoring and depended on the weather. Other work included agricultural digging at Washwood Heath, work on bacteria beds at Water Orton (for the Birmingham Tame and Rea District Drainage Board) and work in the public parks. Any drunkenness or lack of discipline led to immediate dismissal, whereas good performance led to further terms of employment. A scheme to set up a farm, similar to the industrial schools, was investigated, but never arose.
In January 1929, due to the central government committee having a similar name, it was felt that the name of the Distress Committee should be changed, and now became the Migration and Assistance Committee, also the Birmingham Migration and Assistance Committee, although its functions remained the same. The Migration and Assistance Committee was later reduced to the status of a sub-committee of the newly established Public Assistance Committee after March 1930. The Public Assistance Committee had been established under the Local Government Act, 1929, which replaced the Poor Law system (see BCC 1/CD Public Assistance Committee). |