Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

10 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

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St. Asaph Board of Guardians.

ISt. Asaph (Flint) Rural District…

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-...... Llanrwst Workhouse…

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

Llanrwst Workhouse Matron's Salary. SERVICE REPLY TO THE VICAR OF DOLWYDDELEN. At a recent meeting of the Llanrwst Board of Guardians an application was made by the matron of the workhouse for an increase of salary. There was a sharp difference of opinion among the members, and this week we quote following article, which appeared in the Poor among the members, and this week we quote the and Officers' Salaries: An Old Fiction. — An old fiction,'frequently killed but regularly resurrected again to do service, that about three- fourths of the poor rate are swallowed un in the payment of officers' salaries, has caused a sharp difference of opinion in the Boardroom of the Llanrwst Guardians. At a recent meeting of the Board an application for an increase of salary from the matron was under discussions During the discussion the Rev. J. Ll. Richards, a Guardian, is credited with having given sup- port to the view that three-fourths of the poor rate go in the shape of remuneration to the officials. As his statement had been reported in some of the big dailies of the country, as well as in the local Press, the Rev. Henry Jones, n. other member of the Llanrwst Board, at the Board's last meeting, stated that he had gone into the matter and found that the salaries of the officers of the Union amounted to ;6649 per annum, towards which the Guardians received I-A-14, leaving ^205 to be paid out of the rates, which was only equal to d. in the pound out ot the rate of II Yzd. On this statement the Rev. J. LI. Richards said: It is very unfair to produce these figures when I made no- allusion to this Union." Thereupon the Chairman ob- served No Guardian should make any as- sertion unless he is prepared to prove it." The Rev. J. Ll. Richards then said "I refuse to accept your ruling that my statement was un- fair or incorrect. It is very unfair for you to say such a thing from the chair." The Chair- man then let it be known that he would have fair play while he was m the chair, and the incident terminated. It is difficult to conceive rnpon what ground the Rev. J. Ll. Richards had to. cOirlpain of unfairness m this matter. His statement of figures, which Mr. Jones proved to be incorrect when locally applied, was made on the consideration of an application, of a local officer, and the legitimate deduction from that statement could only be that gd. of every is. obtained from rates by the Llanrwst Board of Guardians went in the payment of the salaries of their officers. For the Rev. J. Ll. Richards now to say that his statement dealt with the whole of England and Wales does not help him at all, because it is a statement that is as in- correct nationally as it is locally. There is no desire to be severe with the rev. gentleman, as no doubt he had read the statement or had heard it somewhere, and accepted it believing it to be ttue. The statement, however, is so palpably absurd on the face of it that it is surprising that in taking it up the rev. gentleman did not act upon (the apostolic injunction to. prove all things." During the year 1905-6 in England and Wales ^58,200,000 were raised by local author- ities in the way of rates. Of that sum £ '27,100,000 was raised as poor rate," but of this little more than one-third (^9,500,000) was required for Poor-Law expenditure. It is true that the amounts the Guardians receive from rates do not meet the whole of their expenditure —roughly speaking it meets about two-thirds of the expenditure, the other third being met by Government grants and subventions, and by re- paid relief, £ c. When the expenditure of the Boards of Guardians for the whole country is taken, lit is found that about 2j4d. in every shilling of the total expenditure goes for officers. Of this 2%d. the institutional officers take about i->.td., the remaining three-farthings represent- ing Clerk's department and outdoor relief staff, including district medical officers. These figures not only destroy the statement, made by the Rev. J. Ll. Richards, but when dissected there is very little left as salaries of strictly ad- ministrative officers. In other words, the bulk of Union officers' salaries r-epiesent actual relief to the chargeable poor, as a large proportion of institutional salaries are for services of medical officers and nurses, or what, in private life, is just the family doctor's bill. Again, institu- tional salaries include for (I) cooks, bakers, sean 1 stresses, tailors; and (2) carpenters, plumbers, and property repairers. These salar- ies in every family have got to be met under the kead of food, clothing, and house rent re- spectively. If we take the charge for outdoor officers, here again a very goodly proportion goes for medical services—i.e., the family doc- tor's bill. The Rev. Henry Jones, following this line of analysis, could have provided a still more effective reply to his reverend colleague than he was content to make.

Justice to Animals.

...--.... Mr. Owen M. Edwards.

.--a-.ca A Welsh Housing Association.

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ISt. Asaph (Flint) Rural District…