The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-05 00:00:00

THE ANDOVER UNION.

Mr. E WALL rose to rove for a Committee of
inquiry into the working of the pour-laws
in the Andover Union. He was certain that it
was the feeling of that House that the poor.•
laws should be administered fairly, impartially, and
kindly, and that the unfortunate inmates of such
asylums should be treated with kindness and in-
dulgence.—(Hear, hear.) He felt certain that there was
ua hope for, the poor, nor did they expect a redress of
grievances from any quarter, save from that House.
The Hon. Member then proceeded to read some extracts
from tho minutes of the proceedings before the Poor-
law Commissioners at Andover, but, in consequence of
the perpetual hum of conversation carried on in ali
parts of the House, it was impossible to catch even the
purport of the extracts. .He was afterwards under-
stood to say, that the Commissioners during
their inquiries evinced the greatest anxiety to de-
prive the public of the benefit of their proceedings.
He would not touch further upon the subject, but it ap-
peared to him that the Poor-law Commissioners took
great pains to keep the public from knowing the result of
their iuquiries, and if they were desirous of administering
the law in a way which would be becoming to them,
surely it was their duty to make themselves perfectly
familiar with the characters of their officers and depen-
dents. The late, master of the Andover Union, who
had been discharged, had received an excellent cha-
racter from Mr. Parker, a Poor-law Commissioner.
He hOped that the Right lion. Baronet would, in all
future investigations respecting the poor-law, see that
they were presided over by impartial persons, and by
judges in no way mixed up with the administration of the
law. He could not but feel surprise that the papers connec-
ted with the Andover case had not been-presented earlier.
The bones, which were seized with so much avidity by
the paupers. had lain in a state of decomposition in
the workhouse yard for two er three months. There
was no such instance of ill-treatment of the poor as that
which occurred at-this union. When a new bone was
thrown into the yard, there was a scramble for it ; one
man; in one instance, had been fortunate enough to get
two hones, and he had to scamper off with it, after the
manner of a dog.—(Hear, hear.) The poor people, it
appeared ,from the evidence, wore a long while before
they could eat the filthy marrow out of the bones.
All:tlie witnesses at the inquiry stated that there was an
awful deficiency of bread. Mr. Mundy stated that the
paupers were accustomed to eat potatoes which were
dug out of the ground after the first crop. These
boys were employed to carry weights, from 161bs.
to 201b5., and . feeling that the labour to which they
were subjected was more than their strength could bear,
they had applied to the master for an increase
to their allowance of food. Now, this was iu direct
contradiction to the rules of the Commissioners, and thus
were the paupers placed in such positions, that
either their health must suffer, or the • rules
of the Commissioners be violated. This master
had been brought under his notice during the kit three
or four years ; for about the beginning of that finis, a
new church was begun to be built on the site of an 'old
one. During the progress of laying the founda-
tion-stone, a great number 'of bones had been, re-
moved.- Part of those had been sold to the usual
collector of bones in Andover, of whom they
had been purchased by many of the farmers in the
neighbourhood, but a large portion was carried to the
workhouse, where the paupers were employed to crush
then.: It was easy to perceive the difference been these .
human bones and the bones of horses. 'Nothing More-
.revolting could haie been imposed upon the inmates..
Thee witnesses collected for the board's inquiry were
collected by the master of the workhouse. No 'public
notice was given of the inquiry, and he (Mr:
Etwall) was in a condition to prove that . many
of the persons examined were constrained wit •
nesses on the occasion. If Such matters as these
were allowed to pass over, there was •no knowing where
the system would end; and therefore he felt it necessary
to move for a Select Committee to inquire into the work-
ing of the system of poor-laws.—(bear, hear.) ale
would not go into the details of the second case, because
the object of his motion was not to disgrace officers of
the union, but merely to call the attention of the
House to the subjtct. The gentleman who caused
these inquiries to be' brenght forward had been for
scene . years the medical attendant in the union.
He was elected in March, 1842, and received a
'higher salary than was usually given. For two years
Mr. Westlake had suspected that the aged and sick
pacyers t id not receive the full allowance allotted to them,
and his April, 1844, he suggested to the board of guardians
Coat these allowances should be entered in a book.
ft !night be asked. why did not Mr. Westlake inform
the oerrid of guardians of what he cusp eted, but there
was every ahowanee to be made for his not doing so, as
alleged as his reason than he had a strong and coil-
vincina case to lay before them it would be impossible to
persuade the Board of the correctness of his suspicions.