The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1868-02-04 00:00:00

THE PORTLAND GRANT MONEY.

We have received • letter from an anonymous
correspondent upon this subject, and, although it is
contrary to our prastios to take any notice whatever
of letters sent to us.unaccompanierl by the names of
their writers, we mak• an exception in this class,
because it presents the vexed gosestion of the great
Mona, in • new light, and on, in which it appears
to us the subject is worthy of consideration. He thus
describes the situation :

"We all know' OA inhabitants of Portland, that
there is a arrest deal of Money paid as Grant Money for
the benefit of !be people of the island ; but what
benefit do we derive from it? . . I always
thought the school, were telfeenoporting, but from the
statement made by Mr. A. Seriven, at the lineal Board
meeting, I Ifni £213 were paid to them in the last year.
This is very astonMhing, fee parente have to pay 23. a
week for every child they send there, and into. 31. •
week. I myself have • family of eight childree, four of
whom I send to Bt. John's ...boot, and have to pay 81. n
week : it is very seldom that I eon get either of them
free. . . . We all know that water and gas are
two very useful articles, but I don't see that the
Grant Money need be spent to (World(' them.
If the Local Board agree that the island ought
to be lighte 1 with gnu, no doubt the gas company
would lay down the pipen, and for the gag onnsumed the
inhabitant. at large would have to pay by a rate. As
to water, I believe that providtng a food and onnvenient
supply would boons of the beat things pessible for the
island. Bat why trouble the Trustees of the Grant
Money for that, when there are so many man of capital
in Portland? Why not form a eornpany to supply we'.,?
for where could there be a hotter investment? Erect
an engine and rewervoir at Cu!, rwell, or in some other
place *here there is • good soling. and send it all over
the Wand by pipes. I.m sure thst everybody on the
island would be gad to have a supply of water in their
own bolas., and pay • fair price for the accommodation.'
Now we onme to the principal part of his letter,
and we commend to our readers' consideration the
arguments be advance, :
I think myeelf there maybe aomething done by means
of the Grant Money, erp•lly beneficial to the inhahl.
tents as gas and water, and with tar more justice. than
there yonld be in its applioation ton thom purpo.e..
Where dnes the Grant Money paid to the Trustee. evcry
year come from ? Is it not got by the "hit ef the
axe r Does it noo proceed from the labour of the poor
nuarrym•n I If thee, were no quarrymcn would there
be any Grant Money? No, no. Then let on be juet
' in propming to deal with this matter. I think it wou'd
be a good and a proper thing to establish a fund, into
which the Grant Money diould he paid, from which
every poor man telonging to the island, after attaining
the age of 60 or 65. shook be allowed seven shillingo
per week for the remainder of his life, instead of his
having to end his day, in the Union house, as is now
sadly ton o'ten the mac Is would be ehring the
quarrymen something to look forward to in their
old age, and they would not he compelled, as •
great many old men now are, to continue ay.-whine, when
more then three seme yeses of age, and really or able to
do a day's work. And such • sops rannuatinn fund would
lemma our poor 4 tea, for, instead of ohil 'ren sending
their aged parents ton the workhouse, or applying to the
guardians for relief, sore. one of the family Imola
manage to keep them, and find them house room for 2..
a week, where*. they *mild not afford to do it for ,he
meaty pittance of 2s. • week and a loaf, which Is all •
poor man gets when he con work no longer'. after paying
poor's-rates all hie life. And if the Grant Mnmey wonld
not be sufficient to moiotain ouch an institution, I feel
sore that every Protlasder would be pleas•d to sub-
' seribe as his mean. would allow towards it. I think
1 there could he ani k fund eet.blisbed with it. and to
1 that every working man would &ally contribute so a.
to get scorn-thing towards his support in cram of Plume
or accident. By such a scheme as I have sketched. our
poor would be provided for in a way which
would reflect the geo stoat honour upon the
island of Portland, and be worthy of a Christie's
onmmunity, while the poor-rates world be redneed to
the veriest tride—indeml, the Wand would thas care for
it. own poor end infirm. and we could do without
Weyomuth Union altogether. Fix or seven handfed
pounds • year, which the Grant Money protium., is a
noble sum, audit Is worths trying if we cannot get some-
thing done for it which would be really bensileial to the
Wand, I am much obliged to yna for the attention
you have drawn to this subject, and I hops you will
give them remark. • place in your valuable paper.
—Yours truly, "A PORTLAKDZIL AND CONItTANT
RSADIL,"

WINTERBORNE T. MARTIN AND WINTER-
BORNE STIRPLSION.
We ore requestet to state thst k the list of consc-
ious which appear' in the report of the Dor.st County
linapit.l for the post year Just Wetted, the name of
Wneethorne Sleepiest h.. been by niiatake introduced
for that of Winterborne M. Merlin.

CH A NBORRP.
Parr! 811118101,11, Januar/137. —Before Rector
Morro, and H. Brouneker, ra—John Niekten, of
Fordingliridee, was charged with trespeadng in match
of game an lands belonging to G. Churchill, 13 el —The
ease was roved by Henry Davis, and defendant was
deed 2a. 64, and coeta.--George Still and John
Sneer were severally charged with the earns offence.—
Still pleaded guilty, and wan fined fic SE and Pieta
The witnem who &pottered in support of the charge
against Brewer being deaf and dumb, and no one in
wort being able to interpret bin sigma, the GaAs was
adjourned.—Edward Nieklen was summoned on a
proseention by the Esnise, for haring illegally need a
gun for the purpose of killing pane—Mr. Willinan
Young. supervisor, appeared to Klement., and the
clisrge being eatisfactorily proved, defendant Wag fined
in the niitiritod penalty of IA --Janine Churchill.
John Molten, and Job Haskell, pleaded guilty of
trespassing In marsh of game, sod were each deed Si.
and Goats.