The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-03-30 00:00:00

THE GREENWICH SIXPENCE.

On Friday afternoon a deputation waited on the
First Lord of the Admiralty to present a memorial
with respect to the distribution if a portion of these
funds. It would appear that at the present time there
are between 3,000 and 4,000 old seamen of the merchant
service in needy circumstances, all of whom have in
former years paid the "Greenwich sixpence." Only
1,22 G of these, however, receive a trifling pension, rang-
ing from £1 12s. to £3 Bs. per annum. The capital of
Greenwich Hospital in funded property and cash, apart
Iron, the estates, amounts to £2, 800,000, while the income
for the year ending March 31, 1870, was £101,570. This,
after meeting all expenses, left a balance of £61,831 to
be carried to the capital account ; and, therefore, it VMS
considered that the claims of the old merchant seamen,
who collectively received but £4,000 a year (granted by
the Government), were most inadequately met, and de-
served a far larger appropriation from the " immense
available resources" of the hospital than they had yet
obtained. At a meeting held last month it was resolved
to bring the case under the consideration of the (love, -
went, and the object with which the deputation in
question waited on Mr. Gosche.nis now explained. The

following statement was submitted
"That by a return made to Parliament on the 23rd
of February, 1871, it appeared that there were only
4,150 applicants for merchant seamen's pensions on the
ground of their having paid the Greenwich sixpence;
and it is believed that not even all of these would be
found to be entitled to the said pensions on their claims
being investigated. That the sum of £4,000 per
annum, which was granted in 1869 in the hope that it
would afford relief to all those men who had paid the
Greenwich eixpence for five years previous to 153.5,
and were then disabled and in want, had proved to
be insufficient. That, by personal and documentary
evidence, It is known that many who do not re-
ceive pensions are in actual need of them; being
found in workhouses, in receipt of parish relief,
or in otherwise indigent circumstances. That,
moreover, the pensions granted are 110 small, being
only from a ld. to 2,14. per day (say from 1•05 d. to
2•234.) that they arc inadequate to the necessities of
the case. And that, many of these poor men, deno-
minated merchant seamen, are not exclusively so, but
have for some part of their lives served also in the
Royal Navy. Therefore, 'while deeply grateful for the
concession made in 1869, the deputation would most
earnestly entreat Her Majesty's Government to grant
such a further stun se may be sufficient adequately to
relieve the whole number of indigent seamen who con-
tributed the Greenwich sixpence for five years previous
to 1835, and may be found to be deserving. They
would also observe that, as these aged men can have
but a short time longer to live, they could not possibly
be recipients of this aid for any very long period."
Among those who supported these representations
were Mr. Barnett (the chairman of the meeting al-
luded to). Sir Stafford Northoote, Captain Shuttle-
worth (Elder Brother of Trinity House), Lord G.
Hamilton, Sir J. Maxwell, Mr. Llay, M.P., and Mr.
Norwood, MP. Mr. Barnett said that by grant-
ing the £4,000 a-year in 1869, Mr. Childers had
acknowledged the justice of the claim of the old
seamen to a contribution from the funds of the
hospital. The Government evidently intended that
the grant should be adequate to its purpose. The pub-
lished returns of the Board of Trade now showed that
the fund was insufficient; only 1,226 of the 4,150 who
had satisfactorily proved their claims were in receipt of
any pension. The memorialists spoke with the more
earnestness, as, owing to the reduction of wages in late
years, the seamen were very badly off.
Mr. Goschen, in reply, said that he felt strongly the
arguments put before him. Without pledging him-
self to the principle of the increase of the pension
beyond .1:3 Bs, per annum, he might state that, from a
suggestion which had been made to him by Mr.
Lefevre, Secretary of the Admiralty, he thought he
should have such funds at his disposal as would justify
him in recommending an increase in the grant suffi-
cient to assist every deserving applicant. The Govern-
ment would attentively consider the matter. The de-
putation, which had been introduced by Sir John
Ogilvy, thanked the right hon. gentleman and with-
drew.