Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

11 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

THE MERTHYR SCHOOL BOARD.

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Dyfynnu
Rhannu

unvarying odium thrown on suicide, and this as a protec- tion to the lives of the well-to-do. We cannot expect such Stoicism among the poor as the endurance of the pangs ot starvation to their bitter end, though some nobly show it. The question comes, shall they murder someone to possess themselves of means, or murder themselves rather than commit such a crime ? I reply, 'Teach them the last would he a venial fault compared to the diabolical wickedness of the first.' However we may try to hide it from ourselves, the ualy fact remains that population is only limited by star- vation and the attempt to render our people permanently better off is as fruitless as the taste of the Danaides, and must remain so until the world becomes virtuous enough to adopt Malthusian teaching, or 'our lady-doctors perchance stumble on some irreproachable method of regulating mouths by means.' -it "Far from endorsing all the remarks in Euthanasia, i could wish some of them were absent, but the grants of gold are abundant enough to render th* ore worth sitting and the author, as the first to break the ground I "ehcve at the present time, deserves the heartfelt thanks ot < who, lika myself, have had their feelings harrowed by the Bight of lingering, agonising, hopeless rfweasc, ^tin, through days and nights, weeks and months, of such m y as cannot be conceived unless seen. mWion — With regard to the religious aspect of the believing as I do in a perfectly ]usu Go( ->e iow„r weisrht for the happy immunity enjoyed by tne lower animals in ignorance of their fatal doom, except the power man has when life becomes intolerable through the anguish of hunger or disease, to lay it down. And I oan conceive life's weary pilgrim turning for res^ to the everlasting arms' with as little misgivingjib the tired child when it throws itself to sleep on its mother s breast. —O THE MERTHYR SCHOOL BOARD. The nunal fortnightly meeting of this Board was held on Saturday. Present—Mr CUrk (chairman), Mrs Crawshay, the Revs F. S. Johnstone, John Griffith (rector), P. Millea, O. W. James, Cornelius Griffiths, and Messrs Chas. James and Thomas Williams. The minutes of the last meeting were read and con- firmed. A PERSONAL MATTER. Mrs Crawshay Mr Chairman, I would ask your courtesy and that of the rest of the Board to give me a few moments for a personal explanation. The Chairman Oh certainly. Mrs Crawshay During my absenee in town a short tijne since, an anonymous letter appeared in a prominent part of a local daily newspaper (meaning the Western Mail), accus- ing a member of this School Board of circulating a pamphlet, from which some quotation* were made, which being with- out their context, gave a very unfair impression of tno dritt of the said pamphlet.. An interruption here took place upon the point as to whether this matter referred to anything which had trans- pired at the Board, after which Mrs Crawshay continued: Neither the name of the member nor of the work was given. Its name is Euthanasia," by JSCr S. D. Williams, junr., and 1 am the member who has lent it. Its drift is to consider whether much useless suffering might not be spared if it were made legal for doctors, in cases of hopeless and agonising illness, at the earnest desire of the patient, to put within his reach such anaesthetics as would assuage pain, even though at the cost of shortening life. This is not the place for me to argue for or against the idea but I do claim the hberty- although I am a member of two School Boards (and I wish my colleagues on both Boards and the public to know that I claim the liberty) of lending a work which has been twice named with high commendation in such a journal as the Saturday Review, without first ascertaining what is thought of it by every person capable of writing &n anonymous letter to a provincial newspaper. Those who care to judge for themselves can now procure the book at the price of one shilling through any of the local booksellers and I beg to thank you sincerely, Mr Chairman and gentlemen, for your ikindness in allowing me to make these remarks. The Rev F. S. Johnstone said, if he recollected rightly, the letter in question aspersed the character of the whole Board for the alleged actions of three of its memhers. He should not for a moment, however, have suspected that it referred to Mrs Crawshay, but for the remarks which had just passed. When they considered that it was an anony- mous communication, and, above all things, that it appeared in the Western Mail, he thought little notice need be taken of it, for his experience was that persons read matters in a contrary way to that stated in the columns of the Western Mail* He had a distinct recollection that the commumca- tion did not bear the name of the writer. Mrs Crawshay And that being so, it appeared to me only honourable to take what onus there might be in the matter on my own shoulders. The subject here dropped, and the Board proceeded with the business set forth for transaction on the agenda paper. MISCELLANEOUS. The transaction of business occupied but a short time, and it was not at all interesting. A rider was attached to the Troedyrhiw school agreement. The clerk was instructed to write to the Poor-law Board with regard to Mr Jones's (auditor) bill for incidental expenses, enclosing copy of letter to be sent. Several bills were passed. Communications were read from the Education Department, the most impor- tant of which was, that the bye-laws had been sanctioned, and now only await the seal of the School Board to become law. With respect to sites for schools, three members of the Board were appointed to see Mr Thomas Williams, Mr R. E. Davies, and Mr Richard Thomas as to the terms on which they would grant sites for schools at Penydarrcn, Twynyrodyn, and Caedraw. The gentlemen appointed were the Keva J. Griffith (rector), C. Griffiths, and Mr C. H. James. A PRESENT FROM MR BARNARD SMITH. The Chairman called attention to the chart on the table, which ho had received from Mr Barnard Smith (a celebrated author.) His arithmetical works had a considerable sale, and the author had written to him (the Chairman), asking him in his official capacity, to solicit the Board's acceptance of this chart, and other works, which he now did. The gift was warmly appreciated by the Board, who pro- ceeded to an inspection of the chart in question. This was all the business of importance. MERTHYR BOARD OF GUARDIANS. The usual weekly meeting of this board was held on Satu-day, Mr Clark in the chair. There was a good attendance of guardians, and amongst those present were- the Rev John Griffith (rector) and Dr Price Messrs J. C. Fowler, Rees Davies (barrister-at-law), William Gould, B. Kirkhouse, Henry Thomas, T. Hosgood, Arthur Jones, George Martin, Thomas Williams, John Williams, Rees Lewis, David Watkins, and Dr James. The master's report was read, from which it appeared that there were 297 in the house, as compared with d,57 the corresponding week of last year, and of the persons ordered ihto the house last week-18 in number—only three came in. Correspondence was read from the Poor-law Department, jtnd the monthly statements were placed on the table. DR GARB AND THE NUJMB. -REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE. The following report of the committee appointed to inquire int.. the charges made by the nurse against the sfcrgeon of the Infirmary was read by Mr J. C. Fowler, chairman the committee :— ro THE QDAW)IAJ^| OF THE MERTHYR UNION. flfontlemea, -In conformity with your wish, we have in- TMtigated the differences between too head nurse and Dr GaJje. The formei, when she appeared before us, preferred VfUMons charges against the doctor, with respect to which we examined tho nurse herself, Dr Gabe, the master, Mr Ward (who acted for some time as the surgeon's deputy), and a pauper named William James. Two members of the committee also went to the Intirmary for the purpose of seeing a bed-ridden pauper named Quinlan, who was referred to by the witnesses. The result of our inquiry is Firstly! We find that some of the complaints preferred by the nurse against Dr Gabe are not supported by the ■evidence, and have, probably, been made under the in. fluence of irritation and ruffled temper. Under this head we place the charges connected with the cases of Quintan, William James, and the supplies of drugs, &c., in the dis- pensary. We caused an inventory of those articles to be taken, and we found that there was an ample supply for the ordinary service of the intirmary. Secondly. In some other cases the statements of the doctor and nurse were in conflict, and other evidence was not forthcoming. These charges related chiefly to his alleged neglect.of two women, and a man named M'Vie, who divd in the infirmary, as to whom tho nurse did not, and probably could not, offer any evidence beyond her own statement, which was denied by the doctor. We are unable to offer any opinion as to these and several other charges of neglect. Thirdly. In another case, that of a pauper named John Lloyd, who died in the infirmary, we find that he was seen and attended by Dr Gabe on a Saturday night; that he died on Sunday night, and was not seen by Dr Gabe on that day. The nurse affirmed that she sent for him by a note on the Sunday morning, and the doctor asserted that he did not receive it, and explained that he did not visit the pauper that day because he thought him beyond the reach of further treatment. We do not question the iruth of this statement, but we think that in every cade of ex- treme sickness, no matter how apparently hopeless it may be, the doctor ought to see the patient daily till the close of life, though such visits may be of no avail. Fourthly. With reference to a complaint as to the man- ner of keeping the workhouse medical relief book, we con- sider that there has beeu some laxity and irregularity in Dr Gabe's practice, but it seems to have occurred when he was unwell, or had not yet fully recovered from recent ill ness. We have informed him that in our opinion the book ought to be kept more carefully, and he assured us that in future he will do so. Fifthly. We deem it right to mention that Mr Lewis, a member of this committee, visited the pauper Quinlan after ■our first meeting, with reference to one of the complaints preferred by the nurse, and he then found Quinlan's foot and part of his leg in a state of extreme filth, and ap- parently unwashed since his admission. We think that the head-nurse neglected her duty with respect to thiw patient in not insisting upon perfect cleanliness. Sixthly, In consequence of the numerous complaints preferred against the doctor at our first meeting, we thought it desirable to ascertain the experience of tho Sister ■of Charity, who was iast in charge of the intirmary under Dr Gabe, with regard to his attention to the patients. We a^e glad to report that she considered him to be a skilful, kind, and attentive doctor, and her testimony is not qualified in any way. Sister Frances also, who was pre- viously acting as head-nurse, states that he was always attentive to the patients, though she thought that his manner was abrupt. Seventhly. Dr Gabe preferred no specific charges against the nurse, and we therefore made no inquiry in any quarter- with regard to her. The condition of the patient Quintan was discovered by Mr Lewis, and was not brought under our noticc by Dr Gabe. Eighthly. From an altercation which occurred in our presence between the doctor and the nurse, it was evident that the latter has a very irritable temper. It is probable that some abruptness in the manner or language of the doctor may have provoked that temper, and induced her to make more charges than she could sustain. Under these circumstances, we consider that it will be impossible for them to work together advantageously in an Infirmary separated from tho Workhouse, and almost entirely left to their joint management, unless the nurse can undertake to control her temper, and the doctor will treat her with as much consideration as ho seems to have shown to her predecessor.—We have the honour to be, gentlemen, your faithful servants, J JOHN COKE 1 OWLEK, Chairman for the Committee. The Chains Well, that is a valuable report. The committee appear to have discharged the duty efficiently, and certainly adopt a very reasonable tone in dealing with the matter. The question for us is, whether we decide to take that report into consideration immediately and dispose of it to-day, or allow it to stand over for a week. The matter brought before you is by no means of light conse- quence. There is no precedent that I know of to guide you in this matter, therefore it will be quite- competent to decide upon a course at once. Discussion arose upon the question, and it. was ultimately resolved, in consequence of the ab^enc. of Mr James Lewis, to defer the question for a fortnight. This was all the business transacted of pub ic importance. MERTHYR COUNTY COURT. (Before His Honour Jxuhje Falconer.) LEONARD V. THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY. We publish this week the judgment as given by His Honour Judge Falconer in this ca^e. Mr Simons was for the plaintiff, and Messrs Smith and Levis for the defendants. His Honour Judge Falconer said This case was heard in part in December and was adjourned in consequence of the necessity, on the p >rt of the plaintiff, to prove t.he condition of certain goods at the time of their consignment from Gloucester. This evidence was given in February, and the illness of one person and absence of another, caused the case to be delayed until this court. The plaintiff is a large wholesale dealer in vegetables. In August one J. C. Stevens, of Gloucester,sold to hirn plums, peas, cucumbers, carrots, and vegetables. Mr Stevens and George Tike proved the packing to have been in good order and, aft'^r the packing, the early delivery, to the railway company. The goods were sent from Gloucester on August 0 and should have arrived at Merthyr 011 Thursday the 10th at 5 o'clock. but they did not arrive until Friday the 11th, after the afternoon wholesale business of that day had ceased. A large portion of the vegetables and fruit were found to be in a bad and fermented condition. The course of the trains from Gloucester to Merthyr is from Gloucester to Neath and thence from Neath to Merthyr. After the arrival of thegoods.andatthe earliest moment, Mr J. Gunson,oneof the railway officials, was sent for, and the fermented condition of the goods was shown to him. The delay in the forward- ing ot the goods arose from two of the axles of the waggons breaking and throwing some twenty waggons off the line, shortly after the goods train had left Gloucester at 7.50. The down line was in consequence torn up. One of the waggons, the axle of which failed, was next the engine and the other was two waggons off. The waggon with the vegetables was one of those which went off the rail. The company's agent in a letter sent to the plaintiff, represented thedetaytohstve been caused by an accident, and to have been unavoidable, and that as the case was an exceptional one, it was hoped that no claim would have been made. Messrs Gutison, Acker, and V allestan were called on the part of the company, but Acker is a. "tapper" and Vallestar was the goods guard. There was no Gloucester evidence to show that the accident prevented the goods being forwarded earlier than they were on the 10th-after the accident, and thus to have avoided the delay in the delivery until the 11th. T mean by the word "earlier," otherwise than hy;¡ usual goods train departing from Gloucester at a usual fixed hour. The rate of carriage charged and paid was the higher rate, at company's risk. The special condition as respected perishable goods," stated, among other matters, that "the company will not be responsible for any claim uron any such articles on the ground of loss of market, provided the same be delivered within a reasonable time after they come into possession of the company." As respects mere time, the conclusion I draw as a fact is, th'1.t they did not arrive in a reasonable time, and that whatever delay is connected with the accident, it is not shown that it caused a necessary delay extending to late in the afternoon on the llth. I had some doubt about the consignment note which was signed by the consignor, ar.d the goods were nominally consigned to the vendor at Merthyr but there can be no doubt that the goods were signed for (and the s-ords printed in the alternative admit this inference) as agent for the consignee, and that they were never intended to be consigned to the vendor at Merthyr—the name of tho vendor as con- signee being an obvious mistake. This, however, applies to only a portion of the goods. The goods were delivered on terms to the company which throw the risk on them. As respects the amount sued for, the plaintiff adopted the most advisible course for his own protection by inviting an inspection of the goods as early as practicable after their arrival at Merthyr, Judgment, therefore, will be for plaintiff.

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