The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-12 00:00:00

Defalcations of the Lambeth Rate Collectors

Last evening a public meeting of the ratepayers of the
parish of St. Mary, Lambeth, was held at the Horns Tavern,
Kennington-park, for the purpose of considering the serious
defalcations which have recently been discovered in the case
of two of the collectors of the parish rates, and to devise
means for the prevention of such occurrences in future. As
the matter had given rise to much commotion in the parish
the meeting was crowded by respectable ratepayers, who
evinced much interest in the proceedings.
Mr. Webber having been voted to the chair,
Mr. GILES then moved the following resolution :—" That
defalcations having occurred with two of the rate collectors
of this parish to a very considerable extent, this meeting
deem it of the highest importance for the protection of the
ratepayers that immediate steps be taken to ascertain and
inquire into the management of the collectors and the sys-
tem of check adopted with the accounts, and that the Poor-
law Board be requested to institute an inquiry forthwith into
the whole of the circumstances and report thereon." In
support of the resolution Mr. Giles entered into a detail of
tha manner in which the business of the parish was con-
ducted. There was the board of guardians, who had the
management of the poor, but who had nothing to do with the
collection of the rates. Then there was the }curial board and
the vestry, with the churchwardens and overseers, the
latter having the management of the rates. The number
of assessments in the parish was 23,000, and the rateable
value £556,420, the amount assessed as poor rate being
£93,000, and the total amount assessed fcr all purposes was
£152,221, for the collection of which there were 12 collec-
tors, and the cost of collection was £3,240, an average of
£270 to each collector. Under such circumstances, there-
fore, when there was such an amount of money to be dealt
with, the most rigid supervision should be exercised over
the collectors.
Mr. MERCER having seconded the resolution,

Mr. STRATTON said he had the misfortune to appearbefore
them as one of their churchwardens, and ho could assure
them no one regretted the state of matters more than did
the churchwardens. He admitted the system was bad, and
that more supervision was necessary, and in order in some
degree to remedy the matter they had called in a profes-
sional accountant, who was making a strict investigation of
the books. He was churchwarden in 1855, and they had
then a staff of arrear collectors, who, coming after the re-

gular collectors, operated as a check upon them, and it was
almost impossible for them to have cheated the parish, but
in 1556 the Poor Law auditors had refused to sanction those
arrear collectors, and ever since they had little or any check
upon the collectors.
After some further disc fission Mr. Buckton moved as an
amendment that the meeting abstain from expressing any
opinion in respect of these defalcations until the account-
ant now examining the books gave in his report thereupon.
Mr. GODFREY seconded the amendment, but the mover
of it having ascertained that the accountant who was in-
vestigating the books had been appointed by the church-
wardens and overseers, and not by the Poor-law Board,
withdrew the amendment, and the original resolution was
carried amid much applause.
Mr. PHELPS then moved that a memorial, founded on
the resolution just adopted, be proposed and presented to
the Poor-law Board—such memorial to be signed by the
chairman on behalf of the meeting.
Mr. BATLEY having seconded the resolution, it was
unanimously adopted, and the proceedings terminated with
a vote of thanks to the chairman.

Frightful Accident at Woolwich Dockyard,

THREE MEN KILLED AND SEVERAL INJURED
Yesterday afternoon considerable excitement prevailed in
the town of Woolwich, in consequence of a fearful accident,
which occurred at her Majesty's dockyard, causing the death
of three workmen and severe injuries to several others em-
ployed at the establishment. It appears that the paddle
steam•vessel Spiteful, lying at the east side of the inner
basin, had been condemned as unfit for further service, and
arrangements made for the removal of her boilers and ma-
chinery by means of the powerful crane and sheers on the
wharf, which is worked by hydraulic pressure. A conside-
rable number of artisans and labourers from the steam fac-
tory department were employed on board the Spiteful to carry
out the required operations, and one of the boilers having
been attached to the gear, was lifted from its position, and
had just cleared the hold of the ship when at that time (a
quarter to 3 o'clock) the tenth link from the cylinder of the
massive chain attached to the sheers snapped asunder, and
the sheers being thus released, suddenly canted round with
the ponderous gear attached, sweeping with tremendous
force over the deck on which the men were standing. A
scene of the utmost confusion and havoc resulted. The men
were knocked about in all directions ; the heavy chain and
gear falling upon their heads and bodies. As soon as pos-
sible assistance was at hand, and the authorities and medical
officers of the dockyard went on board the vessel, the deck
of which presented a shocking spectacle. Two men named
William Johnson, aged 43, leading hand at the factory de-
partment, and Patrick Kelly, aged 25, a factory labourer,
were found lying dead, five men dangerously wounded, and
others more or less injured. The most severe cases were
those of George Nash, fractured skull, who it was evident
could not long survive ; Patrick MiGennity, fractured
skull; Edward Reed, broken leg and other injuries; Cor-
nelius Regan, compound fracture of thigh, and Edward
Adams, injury.
The deceased men and the worst cases of the wounded
were immediately after the accident removed to the Royal
Marine Hospital, and every attention was rendered to the
sufferers by Drs. Thompson, Kelly, and Minnoch ; but on
inquiry at the establishment last evening it was ascertained
that George Nash expired about two hours after his admis-
sion, and M`Gennity and Reed are in a very precarious con-
dition.
The sheers wore erected about three years since, and the
link of the chain which snapped is about two inches in dia-
meter, weighing several pounds, and of wrought iron.

Many mistakes have occurred in the observations
made on the appointment of Mr. Beard to the office
of Court Newsman, from which Mr. Doane retires. This
Office has nothing to do, as stated, with the clerkship of
presentations, which concerns ecclosiastical appointments,
and is in the gift of the Lord Chancellor.. The Court
Newsman's duty is to distribute daily to the morning
papers a document supplied from Court, and called
the " Court Circular"—not in any way o onnected with
a newspaper so called. The office of Court Circular,
or Court Newsman, commenced under the reign
of George 111. The King, being much annoyed at
the inaccuracies in the papers as to the royal movements,
took the advice of the chief metropolitan magistrate, and
appointed a Court Newsman ; and Mr. Doane, the grand-
father of the late official, was installed in the office, which
has gradually developed itself in importance. The record-
-
ing of the official doings of Ministers' reception of deputa
tions, sending off despatches, and announcements of ap-
pointments, fall to this officer. The Lord Chamberlain like-
wise makes a heavy demand on the Court Newsman's services,
as he is seated in the ante-room on drawing-room and levee
days, and has to prepare and forward to the daily press
a list of the company present, as also to do the like duty on
the occasion of Royal balls and evening receptions, iastal
of
-
lations of Knights of the Garter, &c. At some periods
the year the business to be doe very heavy, and the
lithographed sheet which the Court Newsman has to get
struck off by press at his own private residence cannot fre-
qoontly.be forwarded to the daily papers before two or three
o'cipek in the morning. At other times of the year the
duties arc, comparatively speakinb't
duty throughout the year is necessary, limit,althoug h
ry,and the responsibi-
lities are always great,---court Journal.
daily