The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-12 00:00:00

DESTITUTE POOR, ETC.,
IRELAND.
There has just been issued (pursuant to an order of
the House of Lords) the appendix (in the form of a
thick blue book of nearly seven hundred folio pages) to
the minutes of evidence taken before the select Com-
mittee of the House of Lords, appointed " to inquire into
the operation of the Ist and 2d Vic., cap. 56, and the
other laws relating to the relief of the destitute poor in
Ireland; and also to inquire into the operation of the
Medical Charities in Ireland which are supported wholly
or partially by grants from the county cess ; and to
report thereon to the House." This appendix con-
sists of reports from parochial authorities, tables, calcu-
lations, &c., illustrating the present condition of the
destitute poor of Ireland and the medical charities there.
The following are a few of the more interesting of the
extracts to be selected from the mass of materials con-
tained in this bulky volume. Subjoined is the circular
of the Poor-law Commissioners, at the request of the
select committee above-named, to the boards of guardians
in Ireland ; and some of the answers, resolutions, &c., of
a few of the said Boards received in answer thereto, are
added :
(Circular).
Poor-law Commission-office, Dublin,
Feb. 20, 1846.
Sir,—The Select Committee appointed by the House
of Lords to inquire into the operation of the laws for the
relief of the destitute poor, and into the operation of
the Medical Charities in Ireland, having by a resolution,
of which a copy is annexed hereto, called upon the Poor-
law Commissioners to communicate forthwith to the
several Beards of Guardians of unions in Ireland the
desire of the Committee to be informed of the different
points to which the said Boards shall consider it essential
to call their attention, and further to request the Boards
to state without delay whether they wish to tender evi-
dence to those particular points.
lam directed by the Poor-law Commissioners accord-
ingly to request that you will immediately lay before
the Board of Guardians of the Union the desire
of the committee expressed in their resolution; and at
the same time to request that wherever the Board of
Guardians may desire to adduce evidence before the
committee, they will furnish the Commissioners with the
names and descriptions of the proposed witnesses for
that purpose.
(Signed) ARTHUR MOORE, Chief Clerk.
To the Clerk to the Board of Guardians of the
---- Union.
(Copy of Resolution referred to.)
By the Lords' Committees appointed a Select Com-
mittee to inquire into the operation of the Ist and 2d
Vic., cap. 56, and the other laws relating to the relief
of the destitute poor in Ireland; and also to inquire into
the operation of the medical charities in Ireland which
are supported wholly or partially by grants from county
cess.

Resolved—That the Poor-law Commissioners be re-
quested to write forthwith to the boards of guardians,
stating the desire of the committee to be informed
of the different points on which the said boards shall
consider it essential to call their attention ; the boards
to be further requested to state, without delay, whether
they wish to tender evidence to those particular points.
(Signed) CL ANC ARTY, Chairman.
ARMAGH UNION.
(Extract from Guardians' Minutes, 3d of March, 1846.)
(Circular read.)
the following resolutions were passed:-
Ist. That in the opinion of this meeting a Vagrancy
Act of some kind is called for, in order to put a stop to
the practice of public begging, still extensively pre •
Talent in Ireland, notwithstanding the Poor Relief Act.
2d. That it appearing, from the books of this union,
that there are at present in the workhouse no fewer
than fifty-three illegitimate children, being about
one-sixth of the whole number of children in the
house, and it being clearly apparent that the work-
house is thus becoming a place of refuge for these
unfortunate children, and their degraded and un-
fortunate mothers, it is most desirable that a remedy
should be found which would have the effect of checking
the evil ; and this meeting is of opinion that power might
be given to the guardians to proceed against the reputed
father for maintenance of the child in cases where, in
addition to the oath of the mother, she could adduce
other and corroborative evidence of her claim.
3d. That in the opinion of this meeting it would be
desirable that some uniform system should be devised
with reference to the county medical institutions, parti-
cularly fever hospitals, some of which are established
under the Poor Relief Act, and supported out of the
rates, whilst others are under the Grand Jury Act, and
supported partly by county presentments, which operate
unequally, and to the disadvantage of those districts
which support their institutions out of the rates.
4th. That a general tenement valuation of Ireland for
the purposes of local taxation is much required, the
present poor-law valuation being most defective and un-
satisfactory.
sth. That this meeting recommends to the Poor Law
Commissioners to suggest to the committee of the House
of Lords now sitting on the Poor Laws of Ireland, that
William Paton, Esq., our vice chairman, be summoned
to give evidence in support of the foregoing resolutions.
BALLINASLOE UNION.—MAecu 4.
lst. That we consider the whole tenor of the Poor
Laws of an unnecessarily arbitrary character, giving un-
necessary and unconstitutional power to the Commis-
sioners, which invariably leads to abuse in the exercise
of it; but our sole object being to put those laws into an
improved state without retrospect, we do not wish to
adduce any proof beyond what must grow out of careful
perusal of those laws.
2d. We also consider those laws too restrictive as
regards the guardians of the poor. We think that the
officers who are paid by the ratepayers, more especially,
the clerk to tt e guardians, should be under the exclu-
sive control of the guardians, who are guardians of the
property of those who are taxed for the support of
the destitute poor as well as of those to be so supported;
and we feel that more discretionary power given
to the guardians generally would have beneficial
effects ; as, for instance, where a small farmer or
labourer is able to support a considerable portion of a
large family, but not the whole, the guardians are not
allowed to give him assistance, by relieving him from
the support of a part till they shall be able to assist him
by their labour; he must himself come into the work-
house, and giving up his land is thus established with his
whole family paupers for life, and inmates of the work-
house; so, if a man seeking work at a distance, being
unable to find it at home, the guardians must admit his
family under the plea of desertion by him, though it is
not the truth ; but if it be averred that he is absent
in search of means for their future support, the guar-
dians have no discretion, they must reject their suit;
there is no remedy but pauperising the whole in per-
petuity.
3d. We are of opinion that there should be but one
rate struck in each year ; that it should be struck in the
month of September, and be collected in the month of
November, and from that on. Nothing is more irksome
to the ratepayer than uncertainty as to the time of col-
lection.
4th. We are of opinion that the law, in requiring of
the clergy that they should pay more rate than any
other ratepayer, acts unjustly, and are unanimous in
our opinion that this injustice should be removed.
sth. We consider that taxation ought to be made upon
one uniform valuation throughout all Ireland ; that the
Government valuation affords the means of doing this,
and that it should be adopted ; and the laws relating to
applotment of grand jury cess should be extended
to the taxation for the relief of the poor, whether
under the Poor-law or Medical Charities, but re-
taining for these the pres, nt system of division of tax-
ation between the occupiers and owners of the land.
This would prevent the necessity for employing valua-
tors ; and while it gave uniformity in the basis of all
taxation upon land, would enable the ratepayer to satisfy
himself that he was taxed in fair proportion upon that
basis. In this case the applotment for grand jury cess
should declare the value of each holding, whether of
land or house, or both, and cess or rate should be a
poundage upon that value, and there should be one
valuation applotment for all purposes.
6th. We consider that no sufficient care can be taken
in the workhouses of children under seven years of age,
and that therefore none should be admissible to them
under that age, unless accompanied by their mothers,
and to remain only while their mothers remain; but
that provision might be made for such as are motherless
by the grand juries, as is done as to foundlings, till
they shall arrive at that age ; and to such as had been
so provided for to that age admission to the workhouse
should be matter of course, if sought for by those
having care of them when they shall have attained
that age.
7th. We consider that, notwithstanding the erection of
workhouses for the relief of the destitute throughout the
country, the farmer's charity is as much taxed, the health
of his family as much exposed to danger, and his property
made liable to pilfer by strolling beggars, as it ever wax,
while our towns are full of them. For this we see no,
remedy but a Vagrant Act ; and this we would recom-
mend to be passed.
Bth. That in respect to medical charities, we are of
opinion that the present law is unjust in principle, inas-
much as it only gives relief where private subscription is
made, thus making the rule, that the more impoverished
the district the less it sha'l be assisted, while it taxes
these poorer districts for medical assistance to those more
favourably circumstanced, though no benefit arises to
them from that taxation. We consider it unjust, too,
that it should be lett optional with land or householders
to contribute to this branch of relief to rho poor, and not
so as regards those coming under the Poor laws. The
system, too, is one without uniformity, control, or in-
spection, open to abuse, and greatly abused. We are,
therefore, of opinion that an entire new system should
be created ; that a Medical Board of first-rate profes-
sional men should be formed by the Crown ; that they
should have superintendence over every public medical
charity in Ireland, workhouses, and lunatic asylums in-
cluded; that for this purpose they should have inspectors
of high abilities under them, who should inspect at fre-
quent but uncertain times; that Ireland should be divided
into dispensary districts of about seven miles radius from
the dispensary, but varying as circumstances might re•
require ; that to each dispensary two rooms. holding
not exceeding four beds in each, should be attached as a
hospitale for non-infectious cases ; that the medical at
t dents to these establishments should pass a strict
examination as to qualifications before this Medical
Board. But titzguardians refrain from further detail,
which would
Rear-Admiral th them into great length, requesting that
of our body, whoe Hon. William Le Peer Trench, one
,has given this subject much conside-
ration, and who has seen the bad effects arising out of
the present system, andthe great benefit derived from
even partial intprovetnents thereon, may
before their Lordships• Committee thereon
their
DUBLIN UNIONbe examined
em Guardians' Minutes of Feb. 25, 1846.
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