The Sun.
London, England, 1834-08-20 00:00:00

" FIRST REPORT.

The committee appointed by the board of guardians,
on the 13th of March, 1834, to inquire and report_ as to
the existence of abuses in the pension and other books, beg
to state—

" That they first applied themselves to a strict exami-
nation of the pensioners, causing all whose residences they
could obtain to appear before them; taking account of the
aged and infirm, the number in family for which relief was
granted, the ages and names of children, and the correct
addresses of all ; they also, as far as possible, endeavoured
to ascertain the circumstances and situation of the several
persons, thereby regulating the amount of pension neces-
sary to be paid. After which there remained a great num-
ber of names without addresses, and for which no satisfac-
tory information can be obtained. These names appear
to have been on the books for years, and_naver summoned
to attend the annual call of the pensioners ; nor is it anti-
cipated that many of them ever will attend. This portion
of your committee's labours has been severe, and occupied
much of their time, but, they trust, will prove of great and
essential benefit to the parish ; and, before closing their
labours, they propose- to present a bookt commencing from
Lady-day last, containing only the names of persons they
have examined, or received certificates from the country
verifying the existence of the parties, and on all occasions
have refused to pay such pensions until such certificate
was received, signed by the minister and churchwarden of
the parish ; and your committee hope to accompany the
said book with such suggestions as appear to them may be
beneficial in the future general management.
" Your committee, after an attentive examination of the
pension books, and taking the best evidence they could
get from various persons intimately acquainted with the
same, are forced with deep regret to state their full con-
viction that great and extensive frauds have been com-
mitted and practised for years. That in the pension book
there are names never ordered by the board, and unques-
tionably fictitious ; and others kept there and represented
to have had the money paid them long after they had
ceased to live. That numerous instances occur where
40, 60, 80,100, and as high as 200 and 300 shillings
have been paid, without, any cause or reason assigned for
the same, when only Bs., 10s., or 205., or a very minor
sum, was due. The answer given to such cases is that
they are payments made in lieu of pensions ; but your
committee can get no information from any individual
whatever sufficiently satisfactory to explain the same, and
are under the painful necessity of concluding that very
many of such sums so paid are nothing less than direct
frauds. But even should any of them have been actually
paid to the parties represented, your committee are of
opinion that they are decidedly illegal, inasmuch as the
same have not received the authority of the board. That
fraud has likewise been practised by carrying forward
from one quarter to the other a greater number of weeks
than was due, as will be found in the case of Amelia
Thomas, in the year 1829, whose pension is represented
to be 2s. 6d. per week ; two weeks was due at the end of
the quarter, and appears to have been carried forward to
the succeeding one, and 10s. paid on the fourth week :
the two weeks brought forward has been scratched out,
and altered to 41, the 10s. into 107 s. 6d. ; and three weeks
after that will be seen 80s. more paid, making the sum of
187 s. 6d., where only 17s. 6d. was due, if due at all. Most
of these entries, it, appears, have been made by Hallpike, a
pauper in the house, under the direction of a Mr. John
Scott, many of them after the overseers had ceased paying
the pensioners ; and your committee feel bound to observe,
that the practice of fraud was greatly facilitated by the
overseers neglecting to cast up the amount paid, together
with the balance remaining, to see that it corresponded
with the amount they had received, and thereby close the
account instead of leaving the balance with Mr. Scott, and
the account to be made up by the same pauper, which on
many occasions has been neglected for a week or ten days
together.• Had this practice not been adopted of late
years, your committee are convinced many frauds, as re-
gards the pension book, would have been prevented.
" Your committee feel that it would be very impolitic
to enter into a detail of all the cases and evidence they
have received in the course of this investigation ; but, in
generalizing the same, state their belief, that the cases of
fraud are numerous, many of which they have as yet been
unable fully to examine, or ascertain the probable amount
the parish has lost. They regret to state as their opinion,
that robbery has been committed on most of the books
used by the overseers, or the board, beside the pension
book, viz., the money order book, the funeral book, the
board and relief book ; and, on examining the receipts for
apprentice fees, your committee are unable to find inden-
tures or entries in the register for many of them, which,
if genuine, ought to be found. These receipts, purporting
to be for monies paid to masters for boys and girls, for
which no indenture can be found, are all written by paupers
in the house, under the direction of Mr. Scott, who after-
wards represented to one of the overseers, that he had paid
the money, and thus obtained his signature to the same, on
the authority of which he then procured the money from
the master. Your committee cannot account for these fic-
titious receipts or memorandums escaping the detection of
some of the overseers, but from the great confidence gene-
rally reposed in him, not one of them containing the signa-
ture of the persons represented to have received the money.
The amount under this head appears in one ye•ar about
100/., in another near 70/.
" Your committee find, upon examination of several past
overseers and others, that the payment of the pensioners
is wholly and entirely the province and duty of the over-
seers ; and they consider that much facility is given to any
designing man to commit fraud, by the constant change of
those officers, who, varying every month, and in many in-
stances not having the assistance of past overseers to in-
struct them on first coming into office, have made them
the more easily imposed upon by Mr. Scott, not only in
the paying of pensions, but in many other parts of their
duty, by signing receipts, and sanctioning entries made in
the money order book upon his representation, and who,
from his constant attendance, has been most generally ap-
plied to by them for information. So constant has been
his attendance, that on the days of paying pensions he has
not been absent more than twice for the last eight or nine
years, and he has been known to have_ travelled all night
from the country, to be in time on the morning ; that it
has been his constant practice (with slight exceptions) to
assist the overseers in paying the money, while they called
the names and made the entries ; and your committee be-
lieve, .by evidence they have received, that on many such
occasions, money has been extracted by him from off the
table, for which he afterwards made entries himself, but
generally caused them to be made, as well as other entries
for which he obtained the money from the master, on whom
it appears he mostly made weekly demands on slips :of
paper, containing charges for pensions, apprentice fees,
funeral yallowances, money orders, exchanging silver, &c.
&c., the greater part of which your committee believe to
have been gross and shameful robbery on the parish.
" In the course of the before-mentioned examination of
overseers, your Committee learned with surprise that Mr.
Whipple (who expresses much zeal to -demonstrate the
superiority of his acts), during the period he was in
office as overseer, considered there was something wrong
in the pension book, and, in consequence, that he (Mr.
WhIPPle) and others formed a committee to detect the
same, who, AO meting some few times, left it nyzch as
they found it, with tit making any discovery whatever,
Your Committee regret this el:Tumstance very much, being'
convinced that had a little more perseverance. and a slight
degree of attention, been used, with Vize general practical
knowledge of the book which they pbssessect 4 overseers,
they must have discovered some of the numerous trt'..:'(is
in
it, and have long since put an end to that system whicii
continued up to the period of your Committee's appoint-
ment.
" Your Committee, after proceeding in the examination
of this painful subject as far as they thought needful, re-
quested Mr. Scott to attend on Thursday, April 10, to ex-
plain, if possible, the many wrongs that appeared to have
been inflicted by him, but regret that at such interview
not, in the slightest instance was any explanation offered
that bore a shade of satisfaction, but rather from its
supplicatory character. to stamp the conviction of guilt.
After which your Committee felt great difficulty as to
what course they should pursue, being empowered
Only as a Committee of Inquiry, and, however urgent
the occasion, unable• to call a meeting of the Board
that could be legal, they having adjourned from the Bth
instant to this day ; it' was therefOre deemed prudent to
take advice of counsel how far they would be justified, on

the evidence they had received, to commence criminal pro-
ceedings ; and in pursuance of such advice they, on Tues-
day morning, applied to the magistrate of Hatton-garden,
and obtained a warrant for his apprehension ; and on the
Thursday ventured to offer a reward of 1001. to discover
him, by posting-bills and advertisements in most of the
morning and evening papers. For the justiication of these
measures the committee throw themselves oil the considera-
tion of the board.
" Your committee further beg to observe, that should
the board deem it necessary that more than a summary
statement of the frauds should be laid before them, and
that as nearly as possible their extent should be ascer-
tained, it can only be accomplished by appointing an effi-
cient clerk to extract the whole under their direction. And
to prevent, in future, entries being made in the board book
such as have been made by order of Mr. Scott, they re-
commend that the book be kept entirelvin the custody of
the clerk, and that he furnish extracts of all orders therein
made to the master on' the following morning ; and upon
all occasions when pensions are put on, that the name and
address of the parties be entered, the examination taken,
together with the particulars of the family, so as to enable
the same to be easily ascertained, when needful.
" In conclusion, your committee most urgently recom-
mend, that the board adopt the most vigorous measures to
bring to condign punishment, as an example to others, and
as a just retribution due to the parish, the man who has
thus betrayed the confidence he so extensively possessed,
and who has been guilty of such base and infamous conduct.
( Signed) " JAMES PASCALL, Chairman.
" F. B. ADAMS EDWARD SCARGILL
WILLIAM LOVELI. THOMAS DISMORE
CHARLES BIGGS LEWIS SOLOMON
W. CLARE CHARLES MUSTON.
" April 22, 1834.',