The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-03-04 00:00:00

FINANCE COMKITTEE.

Among the proceedings of this Committee was a letter from
Mr. John C. Deane, secretary to the coming exhibition in
Manchester, requesting that the portrait of the late Archdeacon
Brooks, in the possession of the vestry, might be exhibited
there. The Committee recommended that the application be
granted, and that the portrait of Rector Campbell be also
exhibited, if desired, the council of the exhibition paying all
the expense of removal ar.d return.
The Chairman called the attention of the board to a
paragraph which appeared in the Daily Post, of the 19th
February, headed, " What are the relieving officers doing ?"
The Cierk read the paragraph in question, the effect of
which was, that a woman, named Bridget Glynne, having
summoned another woman for a severe assault, the complainant
was stated to be unable to attend in consequence of the
injuries she had received, and the detective officer stated that
he had seen a certificate from Mr. Bennett, of St. Anne's

Dispensary, to that effect. In the course of the proceedings
following, it was stated that the woman, her husband, and three
children were in great poverty, and that the relieving officer
had refused to give them any more relief, offering the husband,
who was a tailor, employment in breaking stones, which as his
wife was sick, and he had no one but himself to attend
to her and the three children, he was unable to accept, being
prevented by the same cause from seeking employment in his
own business. Mr. Mansfield was then reported to have
said—" It is perfectly infamous that this woman should not
be relieved when in a starving state, and nearly dead from
suffering. What are the relieving officers about ? I am sure
the husband called upon me, and I have given him 15s. Ho
seemed half starved himself, poor fellow."
The Chairman said the attention of the Committee having
been drawn to that paragraph, the necessary inquiries were
made to know what it was which was "perfectly infamous,"
as expressed by Mr. Mansfield. Now, Mr. Martindale, the
relieving officer, having been examined, stated that immediately
his attention was directed to the woman he gave her both

time Mr. Mansfield made his remarks it appeared that the
man himself had two orders in his rocket ; one order for the
woman to be admitted into the hospital, and another for the
man to go and break stones, the only means the vestry had of
affording him a livelihood. If this statement would appear to the
vestry to be borne out by facts and evidence, they would probably
agree with him that there was nothing whatever to call forth from
Mr. Mansfield tle remarks be made; and he was sure they
would agree with him that neither Mr. Mansfield, nor any of
the other magistrates sitting on the bench, would think it

creditable, on the part of any member of that board, to sit in
judgment on the proceedings of the magistrates, in the absence
of information. (Hear, hear). As, then, the vestry did not
presume so far to forget their position as to question the conduct
of Ves magistrates coming before them, where there was no
evidence to lead the vestry to a different conclusion, or, in
the absence of proof, they did expect that magistrates would
have the same consideration for other gentlemen, whose time
was as valuable to them, and who were prepared as conscien-
tiously to discharge the duties which they were not paid for,
and as honourably as Mr. Mansfield or anybody else. (Hear,
hear.) They must secure for their officers, as well as for
themselves, a proper consideration for their services,
when they knew they were acting conscientiously in
any case which came before them. On the one hand,
they would not permit the funds of the people to be ex-
travagantly wasted in the support of idle vaglbonds
who would not work, (Hear, hear.) On the
other hand, they would, so far as they had the power of
controlling it, take good care that the poor should, on every
occasion, be properly attended to, fearless of expense, or of
any other consequences. (Hear, hear.) He should now ask
the clerk to read the relieving officers' report, the report of
the outdoor inspector, and the report of the medical officer,
and he should then move that copies of those documents be
sent to Mr. Mansfield. (Hear, hear.)
The Clerk read the reports in question, from which is ap-
peared that the parties had had relief, hut that the man refused
to allow his wife to go into the hospital, or to break s'ones.
The report of Mr. Sayers, the medical officer, was to the
effect, that the state of the woman's health did not appear to be
nearly so bad as she had represented. The report of the out-
door inspector contained a number of statements made by the
neighbours living around these parties, the effect of which
was, that Glynne and his wife were riotous and disorderly
people, living by begging and imposture—that Mrs. Glynne
received relief at the same time from a Protestant and a
Catholic clergyman, representing herself as a Protestant to
the one, and as a Catholic to tho other; that they were
constantly is the habit of shamming sickness to excite pity,
and concealing any relief they had received, in order that they ,
might obtain more from other parties, and that they were
persons altogether undeserving of charity or sympathy.
The Chairman : You perceive, gentlemen, by the certificates
from the relieving officer, the out door inspector, and the
doctor, that they consider these persons' object principally is
to impose upon other people, and to got money from any source
rather than work. (Hear.) Now, I think you will agree
with me that it is not the duty of members of the Se,eet
Vestry to assist such people. (Hear.) We prefer the exami-
nation of people's circumstances before we make statements,
and I hope the magistrates will not be so misguided as to give
such people funds out of the poor's box, or to make statements
which involve not only the character of ourselves, but the
character of the board, without making a due examination in
the first instance. (Cheers.) I believe, if persons would be
more ready to investigate than to make charges, we should not
have so many of these reports in the papers. (Cheers.) The
Chairman then moved that a copy of the documents be for•
warded to Mr. Mansfield.

Mr. Shaw seconded the motion, which was unanimously
cat tied.

Advertisements were ordered to be issued for the half yearly
contracts.

The proceedings of the Committee were then confirmed.
THE RECTOR'S FEES.

The Chairman said the next business was a resolution, of
Which he had himself given notice, to rescind a resolution
passed on the 9th of May last, relating to the rector's claims
for burial fees in St. Martin's cemetery.
Mr. Jackson begged to call attention to the 26th clause of
an act .5 and 6 Victoria, for the administration of the laws for
relief of the poor in the parish of Liverpool, which he thought
would show that the vestry could net possibly entertain the
Chairman's motion at that meeting, it being the ordinary
fortnightly meeting of the board. The clause set forth, "Be
it enacted that no resolution, or other act, of any meeting of
the se/met vestry, shall be revoked or altered at any subsequent
meeting, unless such subsequent meeting be called expressly
for such revocation or alteration, on notice given seven days at
least previous to the holding thereof." Now, he maintained,
that the present was not a meeting called expressly for the