The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-01-16 00:00:00

instant were 673, including 49 fever and 57

number in the house upon the 9th ins
Mr. Shaw moved the adoption of the minutes, which, afte

The tota

Ent was 2536

some unimportant conve

rsation, was carried

INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS COMMITTEE,

•
The minutes of this committee were read, and their adoption
moved by Mr. Woodruff. Con a'ning nothing of any import-
ance, the minutes were passed without any conversation.

L RELIEF' COMMITTEE

The minutes of this committee contained the following
letter from Mr. William Earle

Liverpool, 18th December, 1355.
Dear Sir,-1 received a note from you two dap; ago,
requesting me to pass some lunatic paupers to the asylum. I
was unable to attend, having other business; but had this not
been the case, I should have had some hesitation as to meeting
your wishes. The fact is I have not approved, on the two last
occasions when I have been called on to act, of the certificates
as to the lunacy of the paupers being signed by the medical
men of the parish. I mean no disrespect to these gentlemen,
but there are most serious objections to it. I hardly think it
is a system which would be approved of by the Poor Law
Commissioners; but unless the law compels me to adopt it, I,
as an individual magistrate, shall decline doing so. I have no
wish to conceal my sentiments upon this subject, I am, dear
sir, yours truly, WILMA:II EARLE.
Mr. Bradley moved the confirmation of the proceedings.
Mr, 'Whitby asked what had been done in reference to the
letter of Mr. Earle?

Mr. Bradley said it would be taken into consideration, and
brought before the attention of the vestry, at the next day of
meeting.
The proceedings were then confirmed.

PINANCE comaturtg.

The proceedings of this cotinnittee contained the following
correspondence between the Poor Law Board, Mr, William
Jordan, of London-road, and Mr. Hart :

Gentlemen,

48, London-road, Liverpool 6th Dec., 1855.

other ratepayers, that great abuses have crept into the system
of administering outdoor relief to the paupers of this town, I
shall feel much obliged by your answering the following queries
for our satisfaction t--

Ist. Can one member of a quorum of threes which should
sit daily, transact business in the absence of the other two
2nd. In case none of the members of a quorum attend, can
any member of the select vestry act in their absence?
3rd. Can the select vestry delegate their authority to any
individual member to act in their absence ?

(Signed) WILLIAM JORDAN
*geers, London.

I am, &e.,
To the Poor-law Commis

Poor law Board, Whitehall, 17th Dec., 1856.
Sir,—l am directed by the Poor-law Board to acknowledge
the receipt of your letter of the 6th inst., and in reply to
your inquiries to state that Article 3 of an order issued by

the .00r-law Commissioners to the parish of Liverpool, ou
the 22nd March, 1841, provides that no guardian elected for
that parish shall act in virtue of his office except as a member,
and at a meeting of the board of guardians. The operation of
this order, which related to the board of guardians, as then
constituted, for the parish of Liverpool, was afterwards ex-
tended to the select vestry of the parish by an order dated
30th July, 1842.

'Fite board further desire to refer you to the statute 7 and 8
Vic. cap. 101, sec. 4, regulating the mode in which guardians
elected under the local acts shall conduct their proceedings, by
which it is provided that such guardians, in all matters con-
cerninuthe relief of the poor, shall act as a board at a
meeting, and not individually.—l am, &I ,
Cou ItTN EY, secretary.
To V. Jordan, Esq., 43, London-road, Liverpool.

48, London-road, Liverpool, 22nd D.c., 1855.
My Lord,—l am honoured by your lordship's communica-
tion of the I 9th, in reply to my letter, dated 6Lh iostant, by
which lam informed that it is illegal for any yu,mber of the
select vestry of Liverpool to act in his individual capacity. I
now beg to inform the Poor-law Board that lamia a position
to prove that individual members of that body are constantly
in the habit of performing duties, particularly in the adminis-
tra'ion of outdoor relief, which can only legally be performed
by a committee or quorum appointed by the full vestry ; the
consequence of which is that the outdoor paupers of this
extensive parish are (oftener than otherwise) quite at the mercy
of an individual, instead of having their claims for relief sub-
mitted to a committee, as specially provided by law for their
protection.

I can also prove that instances have lately occurred where
the names of paupers have been struck eff the relief list by
one member of the select vestry, have had their names restored
shortly afterwards by another member, who also ordered all
arrears of relief to be paid to them, no change whatever having
occurred in the circumstances of such paupers during the period
in which relief was discontinued. It is also notorious that
individual members of the vestry are constantly in the habit of
giving orders, and making suggestions to the workhouse o!ficials,
which appear to have quite as much weight with those gentle-
men as the orders of the entire vestry.
If the Poor-law Board will cause an investigation to be
made into these matters it would hn

ca aa AuG or justice to the
poor, and give great satisfaction to the
oratepayers.—l have the
honour to remain, ex., (Signed) WILLIAM JORDAN
To the Right Hon. Lord Courtney, Secretary to the .
Poor-law Board, London.

Poor-law Board, Whitehall, 2nd January, 1856.
Sir,—l am directed by the Poor-law Board to acknowledge
the receipt of your letter of the 22nd ult., in which you allege
that individual members of the select vestry of the parish of
Liverpool are in the habit of performing duties in the admin-
istration of the relief of the poor which cannot lesplly be
performed by them.

I am directed to state that your letter will receive the
consideration of the board, who will make inquiry as to t'te
circumstances which you have brought under th,eisrencroettaicery.7l
am, &c., (Signed)
To W. Jordan, Esq., &c,, &c.

Poor.law Board, Whitehall, 2nd January. 1856.
Sir,—l am directed by the Poor-law Board to transmit to
you, for the consideration of the select vestry of the parish of
Liverpool, the accompanying copy of a correspondence which
has taken place between Mr. W. Jordan, of London-road,
Liverpool, and the board. and t. .

the board be
furnished with any observations w,q
which thetnat select vestrymay may
be desirous of making on the subject of this correspondence.--
I am, sir, your obedient servant,

To Charles Hatt,GRENLE L. BERKELEY, S E3q., V viL
Vestry Clerk, Liverpoole cretary.

Mr. Owen expressed a hope that this correspondence would
induce a better attendance upon the part of members of the

quorums

Mr. Denton said the statements contained in the letters
to the poor law board were all matters of hearsay.
It was agreed that the quorums should in future meet every
Wednesday morning at 10 o'clock.

Mr. Whitty asked why no account was rendered of the cost
of the removal of English poor to other unions ? He had made
this enquiry upon a former occasion, and was told that the
information would be given in a short time, but it had never
been given since.

Mr. Hart said the business was going on every day. He
was collecting the information from different parties and would
lay it before the board.

The proceedings were then confirmed

A report from Mr. Wylie was laid before the board, in com-
pliance with a motion of Mr. Denton, cf the number of
assessments revised during the last six months. The report
stated, that 739 assessments had been altered in I IS streets,
but that no numerical statement could give any estimate of
the number of assessments which required to begone over.