The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-09-11 00:00:00

THE CHAIRMAN DECLINING TO PRESIDE.

At the last meeting of the board, a communication was read
from the General Poor-law Board, relative to the administer•
ing relief to the poor in sections, instead of by the whole board.
At that meeting the chairman was unanimously requested to
write to the board, informing them that the guardians con-
ceived tint such a course was most advisable, and requesting
to have an order passed to that effect. This wish of the board
the chairman complied with, and has since received a letter
from the board, acknowledging the receipt thereof, and, at the
same time, enclosing a letter which had been sent by Mr.
Richard Shaw, of Everton, on the subject. The General
Board stated they should reserve giving any opinion on the
suhj ct, until they had the opinion of the local board on Mr.
Shaw's communication.

The following is a copy of the letter referred to:-
40, Everton-road, near Liverpool, August 30th 1856
MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN,---At the weekly meeting of
the Guardians of the West Derby Union, held at the Work-
house on Wednesday last, a letter was read from your Honour-
able Board, dated 26. h August. 1866, on the snbjzct
".parsuel by the Board of Guardians of the West Derby
Union, in hearing applications for relief by sections of their
body."

As the practice in question is not authorised by any law or
order of your Honourable Board, and seriously affects the
interests of several townships in the Union, f trust I may not
be corsidered presumptuous in thus addressing you.
At the commencement of each meeting of the Guardians, it
has been the practice for some time past to move that the
Board divide for the purpose of hearing applications for relief,
which, to a casual observer, does not appear objectionable, but
the mode in which it is tarried out by the Guardians, is not
only so to tho ratepayers but to the poor themselves,
The usual attendance of Guardians are from twelve to fifteen,
nine of whom are Guardians from Toxteth-park ; and when the
Board divide, the whole of the Toxteth-park Guardians rgit and
adjudicate upon the cases from their own township only ; and
the amount of relief given by them to their own paupers is
generally less than the amount given by the other section of
the Board to tho paupers from West Derby, Everton, and
Kirkdale ; and when any Guardian has considered it right and
his duty to attend with them and give an opinion as to the
amount of relief that should be given, he has generally been
insulted for so doing. It is also notorious that parties (whose
settlement could not be found) have removed from Toxteth-
park into adjoining townships in the Union for the purpose of
obtaining a larger amount of relief.

Having been a Guardian for sixteen years, and knowing the
injustice that has resulted from the practice pursued by the
Guardians, and not seeing any benefit to be obtained by an
alteration, except it be for the purpose of breaking through the
orders laid down by your Honourable Board, which is the ex-
pressed cieterroination off' certain Guardians, I trust your
Honourable Board will not sanction the relief to be given to
applicants otherwise than by the whole Board.
I have brought this matter repeatedly before the Guardians,
and pointed out several cases of injustice. I have also
suggested that the Guardians of Toxteth-park should
hear applications for relief from persons who reside
in West Derby, Everton, Kirkdale, &sc., and that the
Guardians of West Derby, Everton, Kirkdale, (Itc., should
adjudicate upon the cases from Toxteth-park, or that there
should be one standard of relief fixed for all the townships ;
these propositions, I am sorry to say, have generally been
scoffed at by the Guardians of Toxteth park, and not met by
any argument.

Under the above circumstances, should your Honourable
Board feel disposed to acquiese in the wish of the Guardians, I
hope, before giving your decision on the subject, you will be
pleased to direct the Poor-law Inspector to visit the workhouse
and enquire into the working of the system now pursued by
the Guardians.

I have tho honour to be, my Lords and Gentlemen, your
most obedient servant, RICHARD SHAW.
To the Poor-law Board, Whitehall, London.

The Olerk said : This letter was brought to me by the Rev.
M. Badnall, who is -very much hurt by the interference of
Mr. Shaw, in writing the letter to the Board, to say nothing of
the untruths it contains. He also wishes mo to carry to the
Board that he shall decline taking the chair until the matter is
settled ; and that, if it is settled contrary to the express wish
of the local board by the general board, that it is not his
intention of again holding the office of chairman.

The Deputy Chairman : I think the chairman has acted
perfectly right.
It was suggested that the Clerk should answer the letter,
and point out to the general board every falsehood that it
contained, but a general opinion was expressed that the board
should, by a vote, mark its disapprobation of such conduct. It
was then suggested that Mr. Batten should answer the letter
on behalf of the board.

Mr. Batten said : I do not wish to have it left to me. I
am one of the parties accused, and I do not wish to sit as
judge in my own case. I deny the imputations cast upon me
and the board, and likewise reprobate the conduct of the
writer. If the guardians recollect, about four years since, a
resolution was passed with regard to persons writing privately
to the board. It was then considered very reprehensible, and
it must be thought so now. I would suggest that a similar
resolution be forwarded to the board, with a full refutation of
the allegations.

Mr. Abrahams : It is a charge against the Toxteth-park
guardians. Surely they can answer it.
Mr. Johns : As one of the guardians for Toxteth.park,
and on behalf of the whole body of guardians, I think it my
duty to rise on the present occasion, and in doing so I have
no hesitation in saying, that this letter of Mr. Shaw's is from
the beginning to the end a tissue of falsehood. (Hear, hear.)
I am surprised at the presumption (to use his own words) of
Mr. Shaw taking upon himself the writing of such a letter on
business connected with the board. I think it an unwarrantable
liberty. He had no right to take such a liberty. Now, with
regard to the letter itself, it is full of falsehoods. He has
stated in it that the average attendance of guardians at the
board is from twelve to fifteen. I have before me the statistical
account of the attendance, prepared by the Clerk for the pre-
sent year, and I find that during that period there has been
434 attendances, which will make an average of twenty and
sixteenths, instead of twelve or fifteen. Toxtetb-park has nine
guardians, their attendance have ,been 131, while West Derby
and Everton, who have seven guardians, the attendance has
been 123, so that their attendance by far exceeds that of
Toxteth-park. That I think will answer him as far as that
part is concerned. It is well known to the board that Mr.
Shaw has always accused the Toxteth.park guardians with
being too liberal to their paupers--in this letter he tells the
Commissioners that we give them less. He has always taxed
us with being too liberal. What inconsistency. What can
be thought of such a man ? What could have induced him
thus to disgrace himself, as he has done by this letter? What
right had he to write, and hurt the feelings and insult the
chairman, the clerk, and every member of the board? It is
most disgraceful on his part, and I cannot see how any man
can, after such conduct, recognise him as a member of the
board in future. I beg to move that the letter be referred to
the visiting committee, for them to report thereon.
The Chairman : That will cause a delay, and as we have no
chairman until the matter is settled, I should wish to see it
settled directly.

Mr. Johns : I am sorry there is not a full board present, that
it might be settled.

M. Bolton thought that the charges were of such a grave
nature that the board should request the inspector to come
down and examine into the whole of the allegations.
Mr. Johns : There is another point. Mr. Shaw scarcely
ever attends the meetings until after all the relief cases are
disposed of. That ought to go forth. He comes at twelve
o'clock, when the reporters come, just to get his name into the
newspapers.

Mr. Lunt : And then he finds fault with everything that has
been done.

Mr. Wensley suggested that the clerk should reply to the
letter.

The Clerk said he should prefer it being answered by the
board, as, if he had to do it, he should have to accuse Mr. Shaw
of uttering falsehoods.
~
-

be
was unanimously agreed, that the following gentlemen should
Afteradop
tseodmeinfurftohrewracrdoni
nvgersaatiroenplya s
to
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board, it
compose a special committee to answer and refute the aliegs-
tions—Messrs. Bolton, Edwards, Johns, Lunt, Mcdcalf,
Wenslcy, Craig, Wilson, and Elias.
There being no other business, the board adjourned.

REDUCTION or THE ARMY—According to a circular issued
by order of thelCommander-in- chief, we believe the reduction
of the army will take place from the Ist of October, when
all regiments of the line that served in the Crimea will be
placed permanently on a peace establishment of 12 companies.
As these regiments had been raised to 16 companies, the
reduction of 12 companies will necessarily send a large num-
ber of officers on half pay. Nominally, the reduction of
men will, however, appear greater than it really is ; for, of
course, all the vacancies in other regiments will be supplied,
so far as they can, from the regiments in course of reduc-
tion. Henceforth the strength of the regiments of British
Infantry will stand at 1,000 rank and file.