The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-12-15 00:00:00

WEST DERBY UNION.

The usual weekly meeting of this board was held yester-
day, in the Union-house, Mr. J. HARRISON, in the chair.
The guardians present were—Messrs. Alpass, Shaw, G. Har-
rison, Hayes, Roskell, Browne, Welsby, Jeffrey, Lunt,
Kirkus, MOuntfield, Craig, Abrahams, Medcalf, McGee,
Smith, and Carter..

The master of the workhouse reported that there were
674 paupers in the house, and in the corresponding week
last year, there were 710.
The accounts shewed that there were £BO4 4s. 10d. in the
hands of the treasurer, and £2OB were given to the four re-
lieving officers.
Mr. HAY E 9 requested to have the motion he had given
notice to move, remain on the minutes.

Mr. Kiaxus said at the last meeting of the board, he had
given notice that he should move that an organ be erected in
the chapel connected with the house, and he therefore had
much pleasure in doing so on the present occasion. He did
not know whether the guardians were in the habit of at-
tending the chapel, if they were not, he would tell them that
the service was one of the dullest things imaginable,
and he did not know how it was got over, and it was
all for the want of an organ. He should therefore move that
an organ be erected in the chapel.
A GUARDIAN : What would be the cost of the organ, ?
Mr. KIRKITS replied that he had been informed by a friend
of his, who was well acquainted with music, that one could
be obtained for L4O to X6O. —That would be the price of
one with 8 or 10 stops, and he had the pleasure of informing
the meeting that there would not be any additional expenses.
Mr. Kirkus concluded by moving that an organ be erected
in the chapel, at an expense not exceeding £6O.
Mr. RosRELL had great pleasure in seconding the motion.
The motion was unanimously carried and a committee
appointed, at the suggestion of Mr. Kirkus, to select the
most suitable instrument.

DISMISSAL OF THE SCHOOLMASTER AND MISTRESS.

The visiting committee reported that having considered
the report of the inspector of schools, which alluded to the
inefficiency of the school•mistress, and having also considered
the fact of her being a mother will render her services still
less efficient, it was resolved that the committee recommend
that she be requested to resign her present situation

The adoption of the repo-rt was. moved' by Mr. SHAND,
upon which
_ _

Mr. ALPASS said, on the face of the report it would appear
that nothing had been done or said about the schoolmaster,
Mr. Reid, and it would appear that they were perfectly
satisfied with him, and his management of the school, but
he was perfectly satisfied that such was not the case. He
had noticed the most gross mismanagement in the school
by the schoolmaster, and had on more than one occasion
complained to him.
Mr. SHAW explained that the conduct of Mr. Reid had
been considered by the committee, and it was only decided
by the casting vote of the chairman, that he should not be
requested to resign, as well as his wife. It was the unani-
mous expressed opinion •of the meeting :that his :conduct
was not what it ought to be.
Mr. JEFFERY, having been a guardian for the last 13
years, expressed the dissatisfaction he had felt at the mis-
management of the schoolmaster.
Mr. ROSKELL said he did not think they were doing their
duty to the poor, or to the ratepayers, in overlooking the
inefficiency which had characterised the management of the
school. The schoolmaster had not given satisfaction to the
board, that was a well-known fact, and he was only kept in
through merciful motives.

MI:-..ALPASS said he was.not aware that the inspector had
alluded to the schoolmaster and mistress in such direct
terms in his report as he had done—for he found he said,
"he should not recommend any pupil teachers to the school if
they should continue to hold the present appointment."
Such being the case he did not think he should be doing
his duty to the ratepayers or to the poor, if he did not
move that both the schoolmaster and the schoolmistress be
suspended. They would, by keeping them in office, not
only be doing an injury to the children in the school, but
they would be doing an injury to society generally. He
believed that it would be found that the school, under such
management, would be a curse instead of a blessing. He
concluded by moving that Mr. and Mrs. Reed be suspended.
Mr. JEFFERY seconded the motion.
After a b brief conversation it was aranzed lit
parties should be requested to resign, as, ny auoptmg teat
course, they would not be prevented from obtaining another
situation ; should they not do so the motion for suspension
would be again moved.

THE GUARDIANS AND THE POLICE MAGISTRATES.
The CHAIRMAN said there had been another subject
brought before the committee, upon which no report had
been made, but it had occupied much of their attention ; he
alluded to the charge which had been made against the
master of the house, Mr. Gough, by a woman named
M'Nally, and is thus alluded to in the papers.
"A CASE OF HARDSHIP.-A poor woman, named Mary
M‘lVally, who presented a most wretched and poverty-
stricken appearance, was charged with assaulting two of the
officers of the West Derby workhouse, and throwing a stone
at the governor. From the evidence of one of the officers,
it appears that she had gone to the workhouse, to see her
husband, who has lain ill there for the last seven months,
and that on coming out she committed the assault with
which she was then charged. In her defence, the prisoner
stated that her husband was in a dying state, and she was so
incensed at her daughter, who accompanied her for the pur-
pose, not being permitted to take leave of her dying father,
that she knew not what she did. In reply to the magistrate,
the officer stated that the mother and daughter could not, by
the rules, be admitted to see • their relatives on the same day.
The governor would have admitted them, but he could not
violate those rules. The magistrate said that it was a very
hard case, even though the father might not be in a dying
state, to refuse to allow so near relatives as a wife and daugh-
ter to see him ; but if he were in the condition stated, it was
cruel not to have admitted them. If it were a ruleof the
workhouse, it should be administered with much care, and he
hoped the matter would be mentioned to the guardians. The
prisoner was discharged."
In consequence of this statement, the committee had men-
tioned the matter to Dr. Nevins, and the Catholic priest who
attended the union, from whom they had received the fol-
lowing letters : _

West Derby Workhouse.
" GENTLEMEN,—At the request of the governor and
committee of the workhouse, I beg to state that I have
visited the Catholic poor therein for upwards of three
months, as their priest. I have universally been treated
with respect and kindness, and have had every means
afforded me of performing the duties of my calling, and the
administration of the holy sacrament at all times.
" The only complaint I have ever heard from the poor
under my charge was to the effect that there was some
delay on Sundays in their departure for holy mass. This I
mentioned to thee governor, and it was kindly and duly
rectified.

"With regard to the one in question, of. Mary M'Nally,
I will add, that I found her at her husband's bedside on a
day when I apprehended imminent danger, and when I was
administering extreme unction to him, I told her that if
allowed to come in, she might be present at the acception
of thg holy eucharist next day,
" The next morning she came early to the Mission-house,
in Salisbury-street, and told me that she feared she had been
doing me mischief, and getting me into trouble, by her silly
words and importunate language to the governor of the
workhouse, who had turned hr out of the house with some
violence. She admitted she had used abusive language, and
had threatened the law to the governor.
" For the rest, gentlemen, I can only add, that the
Catholic Irish poor are too apt to represent their supposed
grievances with temper. With regard to the general import,
cleanliness, and sufficiency of food in the union, so far as I
have observed, the people are quite content.
" Lastly, I have observed, that on more than one occa-
sion, the governor has not only shewn impartiality to my
poor; but has lent towards the side of indulgence, in cases
where severity might well have been exerted.- --Yours, &c.,
IGNATIUS GRANT, Catholic Priest."
The following letter was from the head medical man of
the establishment :

"Mary M‘Nally made a statement to the magistrate yes-
terday that her husband was in a dying state and on that
plea excused her conduct. He has been ill and bedridden,
but he is not worse now than usual, and neither is now, or
was in a dying state, when she came to see him. When-
ever a patient is in danger of death, I inform the governor
of the circumstance, and he sends for the near relatives,
whether they have lately seen the sick patient or not. A
few weeks since I had to call Mr. Gough's attention to her
presence in the ward at an unusual hour, as the patients had
notbeen made clean for the day. She the stated thatthegover-
nor had given her permission to see him, which on inquiry I
found to be untrue, as he was not aware that she was in the
building. It is not suitable that females should be admitted
on demand into the men's sick ward without previous
knowledge of the state of the patients, as some of them are
not in a decent condition many minutes together where there
are so many ailments.—Your,
BIRKEECK NEVINS.

The CHAIRMAN said he had now placed the facts before
the board, and it would be for them to take what steps they
pleased. To him, the letters be had read appeared very
satisfactory, and fully exonerated their officers.
Mr. SHAW said they could, if it was the wish of the
board, have Mr. Gough in, and he would explain the entire
facts of the case , but as ho was not called upon he (Mr.
Shaw) could not allow the subject to pass over without say-

ing a, few words. It appeared that the woman and her
step-daughter came to the house last Thursday for the pur-
pose of seeing her husband who was ill. The governor
could not allow the two to go into the room at the same
time, and told the daughter to stay until the woman had
been up, which he would allow her to do, if she behaved
herself, having on a previous occasion got in by stealth,
when the doctor had blamed the governor for admitting her.
The woman was allbwed to go, and the girl was requested
to stop —it being visiting day, every officer in the place was
engaged, and it would not do to permit persons to go about
the house alone. The governor told the girl to stop until
her mother came down, upon which she turned round and
she is not my mother, she is my step-
msaoidthyero,u
and then took up a large stone to throw at his
head. Fortunately it missed him, and she then threw
some snuff into the porter's eyes. Ile thought the go-
vernor was justified, after such conduct, in taking the wom sn
before the bench, but Mr. Mansfield, the stipendiary magis-
trate, sympathised with the woman, because she was
prevented to see her husband. Mr. Mansfield was perhaps
not aware that she had been allowed to see him five or six
times during the week. Surely Mr. Mansfield would not
wish the guardians to allow persons to go in and out of the
house as they liked; if they did, there would be 3,000 visiters
a day. Would that be consistent. The great question was,
what were they to do ? Where were they to take the of-
fenders ? Mr. Mansfield is unwilling to punish the persons
they sent from the union, and Mr. Wybergh, the clerk, had
told their officers they had no right to take the West Derby
cases to the borough court. It was true they were in West
Derby, but West Derby was a part of the parliamentary
borough. The police took the persons before Mr. Mansfield;
but it did not matter how clear a case from there was proved,
it was pushed off with a committal for a day, which was
that the person was discharged before the words were out of
his mouth. He. should recommend that when a case was
again sent there, that the guardians should attend and press
that the punishment be awarded as set down by the law for
such offences. The woman was committed for one day.
It was his decided opinion that the guardians must take
some steps to alter such a state of things.
Mr. ROSKELL, after testifying to the general good conduct
and kindness of the governor, moved the following resolu-
tion—The guardians having had their attention directed to
a paragraph in tie newspaper, having reference to .the as-
sault upon the master of the house, by the relatives of a
patient, and Which assault having been proved before the
stipendary magistrate of the Borough of Liverpool, that
gentleman discharged the person who committed such an
assault without any punishment, on the score of hard treat-
ment on the part of the master : it is resolved that the con-
duct of the master in this mutter meets with the entire ap-
proval of the Board.
Mr. ALPASS, censured the treatment the guardians had
received, when they had taken the person before the board
for punishment, for the magistrates should -recollect that it
was only the very worst characters that Were thus taken be-
fore them, and if they were not punished, it encouraged
them in:their ill conduct, and would prevent the discipline
being carried out.
Mr. Krnxus, stated that the governor had allowed two
visiting days in the week instead of one, as the Board had
ordered, thus showing that he had for their comfort increased
his own work.

The CHAIRMAN said he did not forget when he had before
sent two persons before the bench. This was not the first
time he had sent people there, and they had not been
punished. Any man of common sense would say it was not
right. There was a good deal too much of ss. and costs in
that court. He hoped that they should not have to com-
plain again ; if they had, be hoped the guardians would do
their duty—he should most certainly recommend, should
there be any further complaints, that they would petition
the secretary of state. He could not submit to having the
guardians thus treated.
The resolution was unanimously adopted, after which the
meeting separated.

MANCHESTER CITY COUNCIL.

SPECIAL MEETING YESTERDAY.

Yesterday, a special meeting of the Manchester City Coun-
cil, was held in the Mayor's-parlour, Town-hall, King-street,
his Worehip the Mayor (BENsMxN NICHOLLS, Esq.,) pre-
siding.

The minutes of the proceedings at last meeting were read
and confirmed.

The Towx CLERK next read the proceedings of the various
committees.

NUISANCE COMMITTEE.

Mr. 'Councillor WILLIAMS called the attention of the com-
mittee to a growing nuisance which had existed a colsiderable
time. He alluded to an area of land at the top of Union-street
near Islington, and a piece of land in London-road; near the
Borough-buildings. These areas were occupied by booths of
.quack-doctors, .and shows, and all sorts of nuisances, drawing
together largo numbers of vagabonds. There was a constant
noise from the paying of drums and fifes which was a great
nuisance to the people living in the neighbourhood.
The TOWN CLERK said it would be 'quite wrong to let the
remarks made by Mr. Councillor Williams pass by without
.h.ervatuan, lest the -public- shouln- led to believe
that drums and fifes were contrary to law. He knew of no
power the council possessed to put an end to this alleged
nuisance ; by cotumen law they had no power to remove shows.
This was not at all a case with which the nuisance committee
could deal.

ARDWICK COMMITTEE.

Mr. Alderman llEvwooD wished to know if the committee
had taken any steps for the repair of Gorton-lane, which was
in a most disgraceful state.
Mr. Alderman WlTKL'cs, chairman of the committee
stated that instructions had been given by the Ardwick com-
mittee for the repair of the road in question.

PAVING SE WERING AND HIGHWAYS COMMITTRII.

Mr. Alderman Havwoon stated that the committee in-
tended to see that all the properties in Manchester were
properly and effectually sewered into the main sewers of the
streets, and that attached to these sewers at every private
dwelling or place that sewer entered there shall be a trap, and
that system of trapping, would, in his opinion, be one of the
greatest sanitary improvements which could possibly be effected,
(iiear, hear.)
Mr. Councillor HAWORTH expressed himself very much
opposed to the use of Penmaen maur or blue sets in the pav-
ing of the streets, and was of opinion that a material of a softer
character should be substituted.

Mr. Councillor MIDDLETON was opposed to the use of traps
for the street sewers, as it would lead to the .sending of noxious
effluvia into the houses of the inhabitants.

The proceedings of the committee were then approved.
NEW PUBLIC HIGHWAYS.

Certain streets ih the townships of Manchester and Cheet-
ham were certified and delivered to the public highways.