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him to, and to vagrant to accompany appear before a Magistrate.
Should the Magistrate upon inquiry find that such person is a vagrant he shall declare him to be such, and if he be of opinion that he is not likely to obtain employment at once, or that he has already been declared a vagrant, he shall require such vagrant to go to a Government Work House. Should the Magistrate be of opinion that the vagrant is likely to obtain employment, he is to forward him in charge of the Police to the place where such employment is likely to be found.
The Magistrate is, moreover, required to assist the vagrant to the best of his ability to find employment, and for that purpose may keep him in charge of the Police; but in case the vagrant does not find employment within seven days, the Magistrate shall forward him to a Government Work House.
The government is to provide a Work House, and until one is provided, the Gaol at Victoria is declared to be such Work House.
There are, of course, objections against temporarily using the Gaol as a Work House, but these objections are not so great as would at first appear, because destitutes are already received in the Gaol as such, only they are not subject to prison discipline, and cannot be made to work. If the present measure be passed, I think the numbers would be promptly and greatly diminished, and eventually cut off the supply.
I do not know of any suitable building which could be rented for the purpose, or adapted as a Work House without great expense. It would be very inadvisable to erect a Work House until we know what accommodation will be required, or whether the provisions of this Ordinance will not speedily do away with the necessity of it.