Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-09-10 00:00:00

THE G_43'E PORTER AND KIS W;P7,,

The CLEttis stltA, that there was a letter on the file
from tha wife of the gate porter, (Krorwill) but the case
"had a'raady been inquired into, and Mrs. Kennedy had not
th n coma forward to prove her case.
Mr. LuNr thou;ht that there had been an order passed
-that she sirup come and live at the lodge with her
husband, and she
,said sha would come, but why don't
Ehe ? . . .

Mr. Roscois said, as the matter had aireidy been invest'.
gated, he did not see what the B)ard had to do with it.
Mr. LuriT thought it should bs takea before a com-
mittee.

Mr. Su.4w said, if the Board intended to take the matter
up 'at all, they should do it themselv-s, as it was of no use
referring it to tl'e Special Officers Committee, as all that
commitre, (-mild never be got together.
The Cult : Refer it to the "Visiting C ymmittee.

The CLERK : There is a stan6iog order against it. If it
is refered to any cpmmittee it most be to the Special Com-
snittee, but the whole cas3 has been gone into three Limes
already.
Mr. SHAW: Bat there is a charge against an (facer (Mr.
Gough), as well as against the hu,band.

tAYLOR : L t US it quire into it.
Mr. LUNT: There are s:veral charges in the letter which
c4ight to be inquired into. The charge against Mr. Gough
has not been h• ard.

The azaii.: Yes, it has. Mr. Shaw has stated that
the c9nrnitte.. could near be got together. All lean say
is this, that there has never been an attempt to get theta
together, but it has succeeded.
Mr. Pirrs: I will move_ that no notice be taken of the
letter.

Mr. ROBERTS : I second it.
I.uNT : I will move that it be referred to the Visiting
Committee for them to report upon it.
Th. Board divided, when, on the eastirg vote of the
chairman, the letter WAS referred to the Visiting Corn-
-mittee.

THE WILED V. DR. NEVINS.

At the last meeting of the Board, on the motion of Mr.
Shaw, the Clerk was requested to write to Dr. Navin,,
reqae.ting him to attend personally on all c.s s of mid-
wif,-ry that occurred in the workhouse, and in answer to
that application the following letter was read :-
25, Oxford-street, Liverpool, September 7, 1857.
' To the West Dcrhy Board of Guardians.

Gentlemen,—l beg to acknowledge your resolution of the
2nd ult., requesting me-to attend upon all the ordinary con-
finements in the Lying-in-Ward. It will give me plea•ure to
comply with any suggestion of the Board for promoting the
benefit of the iscle, and I shall be happy to co-operate with
-you in making an arrangement by which this may be accom-
Vished. It is a duty for which I was not engaged when first
appointed medical officer to the workhouse, and the Board is
aware that the sick are already more numerous than 1 can
attend to properly without assistance. 1 cannot, therefore,
undertake the attendance myself, nor can I ask the gentleman
wto is assisting me to undertake the fatigue of attending on an
average fifty confinements a year without making a considerable
• addition to his stlary. You are aware that for nearly s.x
months I have provided the extra attendance necessary for the
sick, a1ti..,11 I have Vein unable to dispense with even during
the summer, the number of sick having scarcely fallen below
200 in the healt, i-te. part of the season. I feel assured that it
is not the wish of the guardians to allow the'r medical officer
to bear the burden of providing the assistance necessary from
the increase of sieitnt ss in the workhouse, and I leave the
matter in your hands, with confidence that you will make a
far and equitable arrangement for providing. the attendance
which you wish the sick poor to receive.—l am, gentlemen,
yours faithfuliy, J. BIRKBECK NEVINS.

Mr. Prrrs: B9fore the Board discuss the letter I wish to
ask the Oi r;c a question. It is this—was there a week's
no ice given of the resolution that wai• adopted last week,
which notice is required by the standing orders of the
1)..a,r I aw Board?

The CLARK: No.
Mr. PITTeI : Then, such be'rig the case, I ask why was
the rtsolutiAi entered on the proceedings. It was only
carried by the casting vote of the Cha•rman. As that rc -
solution was iregia'ar, I move that it be struck out, parti-
cu:a►ly as thtr- bed been a resolution adopted previously to
a contrary effec►, which o•ight to have been rescinded
before the other one could b I put.
Se CLERK : But the res ilution of Fist week has been
acted on—l have written to Dr. Nevins, and he has
answered it.

Mr. PITTS: There should have been notice given of such.
I move that it be s'ruck cut.
The CIAIRK: But all +hat was asked has been dine.
Mr. PIITS : But I have my reasons for wiihing to have
that last resolution struck cur.

The et.iltK : 1 don't see what end is to be gained by it.
It will only delay the proceedings for a week whila notice
is given.

X:. TerLoa : I move that we go into the subject at
once.

Mr SHAW : The !Isolation of the 10th of Jaly is
oth+ng—it was pgair.st the law. The resolution we
p,ss.a.d last week was to do semi-thing; it was to call upon
11e medical officer to do his duty. By the Poor taw
Load he is eocopellPd to attend to all cases of midwifery.
and whatever opp;sition may be.made to it, it must come
enund to that at the end. In that let'er Dr. Nt,vias states
that ho was not engag, d to do it, but he well knew that
such is nit the case. Dv, he would take the opinioi of
the Clerk en the else. Was D. Nevins, when he was
ap,sein'ed, appointed to attend the midwifery casts in the
house
Toe CLERK : No doubt of it.

Mr. TAYLOR : Thrn Dr. Nerirs is shirking -from the
duties he was PppAntel to perform. I have co hesitation
in so)inz that he must do P.

Mr. Pins: Bu: there was a midwife employed before
Le was appointed,

Mr. S UAW said he woul.l suggEst a ease. Suppose a
child bhould die—the medical offi,t3r would not be
exonerated from the respmsit,il ty. I wiih that the reso-
lution should be altered, and that in all css.s the medical
offi.ler should be sent fo-, and that eventually must bo
done.

Tee Rev. Mr: TATTERSALL said he must say that he had
a very stronz feeling on the point, as it had reference to
the poor. For his part he did not see why a poor person
should not have as much at ention paid to her, at such
times, as the wife of any member at that Board. He was
sure that neither hims3lf, nor any member of the Board
would like to have a midwife attend upon their own wives,
then why have one attend upon the poor? He knew
there was a difference as to the expense. but they were
appointed to look after the poor, and he thought that they
should not be doing their duty as Christians or gentlemen,
if they were to do different to other persons, to what they
would if it was themselves or their wives. Oa the last
cec4sion ho had voted with Mr. Shaw, that the medical
cfil tr. should attend all such cases, and he did not see any-
thing to alter that vote, but, at the same time, Dr. Nevins
had stated that he was not appointed to do that duty.
No doubt he believed that he was not. but now that he
'ties called upon to do it, he thought that it was only
rigir. that some addition should be made to his present
salary to enab!e him to do it. He would ask Mr. Shaw
whether he Clad any objection to an increase in the
salary ?
Mr. Srutiv: Certainly. Before the Poor-law InTector,
Dr. Nevins was asked whether he expected to receive the
same salary after Toxteth-park was separated from the
Union ac he had done before, and he distir.etly said he did
not. Taerefore. he must expect a decrease in his salary
'ether than an kereuse.
fir, PITTS Urged ittal ,the matter should be referred to

the Visiting Committee, for them to report oa the duties
Dr. Nevins bad to perform.
Mr. SHAW objected to the adoption of such a cottrie.
Mr. TAYLOR also opposed the referring it to a committee,
on the ground that the committee did not do their buiineeis
in public, but in private, and nothing was known, as to
what was done at th, se hole and corner meetings. He
was there to do the public business, and he liked the public
to know what was done.
Mr. WZNISLEY supported the referring it to a com-
mittee.
The CHAIRMAN wished to know if it was coTrect that the
Poor Law B )ard had refused to sanction the employment
of midwives.
The CLIIIIK : 'they have.
After some further e.nversation. in the curse of which
it was suggested that the Clerk should write to the Puir
Law Board on the subject,
Mr. TAYLOR rose to address the }hard, but was intfr-
rnpted by Mr. Pats, who called out " Spcke, s?oke."
Yes, said Mr. Taylor, but I am here as well as Mr. Pitts,
and I will not be put down by such an it,dividual as that,
for we all know him toe well. Ho don't like to hear what
I have get to say. I mean to say it is no use referring it
a committee, for there only a few words is said ne the sub-
ject, and there is an end of and it is never brought before
the Board.

Mr. SHAM said, suppising it was referred to a com-
mittee', they could not make an order that was illegal,
or acqlost the order uf the Poor law Board.
11.? r. ABRAHAM., expresscd himself quite ashamed of th-
Board in getting into such p3fsonal recrimi nations, and
urged that the sobjtc7 shou'd be referred to the committee
for tt e n to bring it before the Board in a tangible shay.
• Mr. Sitraw again contecded that the Board must compel
Dr. Nevins to do his duty; and, after he had done tha.,
then would be the time t come forward and ask for an in-
ert aae in his salary.
The Board then decided that the letter should be refer-
red to the Visit-ng Committee, for them to report thereon
at a future rcee ing.