Pioneer

AN UNSHAKEABLE FEAR. NURSES DECLINE TO TALK FREELY UNTIL WHOLE INFIRMARY STAFF IS CALLED. SWEEPING RECOMMEDATIONS BY THE INQUIRY COMMITTEE. Wednesday evening saw the conclusion of the inquiry set up by the Merthyr Guardians to in- vestigate conditions existing at the Merthyr Poor-Law Infirniary. Instituted as a result of 'the Pioneer revelations as to the insufficiency 'of food rations given the nurses at the infirmary, the committee of inquiry have come to the con- clusion that there were grounds for complaint, and the commission recommended to the board -Of guardians the establishment of an open diet zas a remedial measure. Other recommendations are: That testimonials to nurses leaving the infirmary should be issued by the house management committee under the seal of the beard, and that no official should be Allowed to give a private reference. That nurses, on application, should be pro- vided with supper on return from a day or half- day leave, and that the official supper-time, for the convenience of nurses going off duty, should be altered from 8.30 to 8 p.m. That nurses desirous of going out at the con- clusion of their hours of duty daily should be permitted to do so. That the workhouse master should send a list -of food issued to the superintendent-nurse at the infirmary, and that the superintendent-nurse 'Should keep a food distribution book. That regulations should be drawn up m re- spect to receiving visitors entertained by the workhouse master and matron, the superinten- dent-nurse and the matrons of the cottage Ihomes, with the institution of a visitors' book 10r the keeping of a record. That the term of entertaining friends and re- latives by such officers should be limited to 21 lays a year (provided, presumably, that the ex- pense is borne by the officers concerned). Last week's session of the inquiry provided little but inferential evidence. The four nurses balled before the committee were indignant at being so singled out, and though the committee gave repeated assurances of protec- tion of their personal interests for any evidence they might tender—the ugly word victimisation constantly cropped up—the nurses mainta,ined a. stubborn reticence on questions of vital import. The first w itness, Miss James, a charge-nurse, immediately objected to giving evidence. 1 Resent being singled out," she said. I don't think it is fair for any nurse to be so marked tlllnk It is fiii- foi- any nui-se to be so mir l ,?e,( l Mr. S. H. Stephens assured her that she was hot singled out. She and her three colleagues had been requested to attend as in a s-tatement that mu ses had complained to her about the food the mess-room maid had mentioned, on heing asked to bo specific, the names of the tour girls summoned now. They would not suffer for their evidence. If the nurses let the com- toittee know what was going on inside the insti- tution they would rcimtly all the grievances. Mr. "Bert Brobyn: The superintendent nurse stated that no nurse had complained of the shortage of food and the. mess-room ma.id said -every nurse had complained. We want to know lvll() is telling the truth. Witness: I haven't complained to Miss Tem- plenian. Mr. Stephens: Is there any reason why you didn't make a complaint direct to the superin- tendent. Were you afraid of her? Js her treat- ment too harsh or wha.t is the reason ? This is a serious position for any institution to be in—for staff to be ahort ,of food. What is the rea- son none of you would make a statement? Witness: We didn't want to make a bother. Did voll make complaints to one another?— Yes. Amongst ourselves. 1 have complained tD the mess-room maid too. Mr. Brobyn: When you go out on eight o dock to ten o'clock passes, you miss your supper unless you wait until S.30, and that means you don't get out until nine -That is so. o?(- I oc l i tlier(,? i, When you get back at 10 o'clock there is Nothing for vo'u to have ?-Xo. Can 'on get any if you wanted -?—If one went to the kitchen. The cook would not refuse if she had any. A member interposed that nurses had gone to Wd supperless because there had been occasions when everything had been cleared up. Mr. Stephens also pointed out that it had' been Stated that when ten were expected to supper Hnd only six were present there was nothing, 1('ft for the ot her four w hen they came in, even If the cook desired to give them food. Was that ? » Witness: I prefer not to reply. Mr. Prowle: Has there been cause for complaint over a very long period ?— Yes. FEAR GETS UPPERMOST. h I Mr. Pi •owle there is always a difficulty while ,You are making inquiries." There is always a fear. And J am afraid yon are suffering from We have had evidence of it, and I am afraid we, shall have more of it. There may be a. griev- ance. Do you thank things arc as they should will be quite willing to speak if all the nurses will be here. ill*. Harry Evans: You need not be afraid, nurse. You have nothing to fear by speaking out. A member: It was owing to the mess-room maid being pressed for names that she men- tioned a few, including you. In reply to Mr. Brobyn the witness said that, though she realised it now, it had not occurred to her that it was her duty to her juniors to Wing the complaints to the notice of the super- intendent. Assuming you were going to leave this institu- tion, would not you have to get a reference fi,bill Miss Templeman Yes. May 1 ask yon if that position -has any bear- ing upon your reticence to-day ?—It ha.s a little. Mrs. V. A. Wills: I am sorry to hear that. Mr. Brobyn: I was afraid of that. We are face to face with this fact, unfortunately. I am "VELry glad the witness has made that admission. Mr. Prowle: I can't suggest more emphati- cally, after the inference we have drawn now, that we are on tihe wrong track. It is not food so much as something else. It is not the appe- tite so much as the soul. Witness had not un- derstood that 3/- of the 5/- a week war-bonus Riven the nurses was meant to supplement their diet. The workhouse master might have ex- plained so when paying the money, but she had no recollection of it. Mr. Prow Ie: There has been a lot of discon- tent among the nursing staff about the method of purchasing and the distribution on the 2/6 for extras. You got no voice, do you, in the stuff that is bought P—No. fe A SPLIT SARDINE. You can't say what you want. You have to take what you get.. Ifigs Templeman is the head and selects what is wanted. Is there any reason to believe you don't get the quantity divided among you?—No answer. This inquiry is not held to do you anything hut good. You won't suffer for the truth. The beard are behind you. Things have got to be put right, and the out-come of our research will be to remedy matters. Mr. John Adkins: Were you sure if the whole staff would stick to you would you have made- a complaint, when necessary, to the super- intendent?—I would if they were a.ll loyal. Mr. Stephens: Is it true that when you had sardines, a quarter or a half of a sardine would I)W your share. Witness replied that she had not. had that ex- perience. When out on late pass nurses did not expect supper. Mr. Harry Evans: We are told the food is put for all. Mr. Prowle: There is always some of the "all" missing. Therefore the food and the girls bal- ance. (Laughter.) Mr. Stephens: Supposing you are all in, do you get enough to go round. \Y it-ness We do lately. I FOOD PARCELS FOR SOLDIERS. I )1 r. rrowie: L was going to put some ques- tions about certain parcels and visitors, hut I don't know whether it is worth it. As I told you before, I Iwlieve we have gone as far as we can. We must have extended powers from the board. At present, we are limited to food complaints and it is not so much a question of food. Mr. Brobyn: Have parcels of food been sent from the infirmary to soldiers? Witness: I don't know. ] have given no as- sistance. I' t kll()NN' li Mr. Prowle: Do you know of any nurse who has?—I would not like to name anyone. Mr. Prowle: I happen to know bwause it is common comment that some nurses have been assisting. Mr. Brobyn: Do you know of any visitors staying at the Infirmary?—There have been a few. Have they been staying loiig.Diffei-ent j>eriod £ Do you know of any visitor having stayed there for a week without a break?—No answer. THE SUPERINTENDENT'S VISITORS. Mr. Prowle: Has there been an idea prevalent among the nurses that their food has been -scarce because of the visitors being so numer- ous?—There has been some suspicion. Mr. Brobyn Have you or any other nurse ever taken any food in to make a supper or mea l Y es. For v a ri ety ?—Ye s. Not because there was not suffieient ?-And that too. Mr. Brobyn: I think bafore the nurse leaves she ought, to have the assurance of this com- mittee that if she is interfered with or molested for giving evidence here she lia-s the full protec- tion of the committee and "the board. The Chairman (Mr. Sam Thomas): I don't think that is necessary. I" BULLY RACCINC ALLEGED. Mr. Prowle: Some of them have been bully- ragged already. Here Mr. Francis stated that there was a con- tradiction in respect to evidence respecting food available for nurses coming in at night. Miss Templenian declared that if there was any food spare it was laid aside for the late comers. The mess-room maid said that there wfts none left. Tlw cook made a definite statement at the pre- vious "meeting tha.t she could not supply tlietii. Mr. Prowle: I don't think you will find a single institution where they get food after being off duty at night. Some is smuggled here in the infirmary to the bed-rooms by those nurses in to supper for those who are out. They then make a cup of tea to help it down. If you want to create a new feature by giving them supppr at 10 o'clock well and good. It is evident this nurse did not tell you all she knew. POSSIBLE VICTIMISATION MENTIONED Nurse Isobel Da vies also objected to being "singled out" for evidence, and regarded the selection as giving a chance for victimisation." She had not complained more than any of her colleagues of the food, and on one occa.sion she had carried the cause of complaint to Miss Tem- plenum. It was liquid jelly served up for tea, and the superintendent nurse had promptly sub- stituted jam and biscuits for it. (Laughter.) She knew of girls who had cried because they hadn't enough to eat, but lately the diet had im- proved to a point above complaint. She admitted that she staff were treated as well as possible during the national food shortage, and some of the commodities on their table were unprocur- able by the general public. Mr. Brobyn: Did you have sufficient food- There were times when I could have done with more. Then you have not had sufifcl(-,nt.P-Not always. The custom in laying supper, she said, was to put out only sufficient for those present. Girls on off-duty pass were not provided for if out. Mr. Meth Davies questioned witness as to her grounds for fear of victimisation. Well," she said, if somebody did harm to me I should feel vindictive towards tli em." Mr. Prowle: If what way could you be vic- timised ?—Goodness only knows. There must be something passing through your mind ?—Supposing I wanted a reference. Has there been* a,nybody penalised' on our staff?—I don't think that is a fair question. In reply to Mr. Stephens, Nurse Isabel said she always had a whole sardine. Mr. Stephens I am sure you were not ill after that. 4 Witness: No. It was not exactly a whale, was it ? Nurse May Jones, after joining in the other nurses' objection said that the improvement in rations dated from six weeks ago. Mr. Stephens That is since the complaint. Mr. Prowle, observing the difficulty experi- enced in obtaining information from the wit- nesses, remarked: It seems a dread for them to come here. Witness: Some who grumbled more than us are not here. D. J. Williams (workhouse master) inter- posed for the benefit of the press with a state- ment to show that bread was rationed in the quantities stipulated by the Local Government Board. At this stage Mr. Stephens opined that the inquiry was so much time wasted, and made the very sensible suggestion that every nurse in the institution should he brought forward and ques- tioned. Nurse Owen was the fourth with a. con- sciencious objection to being honoured in the witnesses' chair. However, by persistent ques- tioning she solicited the information that com- plaints were general and admitted that three months ago she grumbled about margarine. Discussion as to the utility of going on with the investigation then ensued. Mr. Pi owle said that there was ample evi- dence as to why the girls had not complained to the official in authority. If we had a proper inquiry we would get at the truth. But here we are limiting it to the food. I have formed my own. opinions as to why these complaints have been so rife. I NURSES' SUGAR FOR PATIENTS! I Superintendent-nurse Templeman was next examined. She admitted keeping no book- record "of anything that went into the in- firmary i came in for criticism by Mr. Brobyn—but she had a hook for noting down extra things. Until recently she confessed also to have not weighed all food-stuffs received —but she had weighed some. She was questioned by Mr. Brobyn with refer- ence to the nurses' sugar ration and stated that sometimes she had given "a little" of the nursing staff's to patients, hut not enough "to make the nurses short. Then came a piquant incident. Have you unduly interfered with the maid because she gave evidence here? ,asked Mr. Brobyn. "Have you accused her of looking at your book? Io tlii, -Nliss Templenian entered a denial. She had remonstrated with the maid for suspected prying into the contents of her diary. There was nothing in the book relative to the enquiry. This the maid corroborated, and the ma.tter occurred, she added, before the commission was begun. M iss Templenian And- I don't think I have spoken to any nurse since the inquiry. Mr. Harry Evans: I have the impression they are all .afraid to speak. There was no reason why they should exhibit any fqpr, assured the witness. They might say whatever they wished to. ft, made no difference to her. The only, shortage she was aware of in the dietary was of meat and bread. Though officially she perhaps ought not to know, it was a fact that nurses in to supper carried food up- stairs in readiness for the arrival of those with a night off. I,, VISITORS? NEVER ACAIN!" -Now the examination veered around to the entertainment of visitors, :md to the parcels for (,?nt(-,j-tal,iiinent of  She had had visitors at her own expense, but she would have preferred to have pa.id twice as much than have this bother." She was ex- ceedingly sorry and she didn't suppose they would ever come again. She wouldn't like fhem to know that there was such a fuss. Mr. Prowle The question of the fear of the. staff: wo have questioned the nurses and in- variably there is a fear you have certain power and influence upon their future position, and we want that impression eliminated. W itness (said .she always did her best for the jairls under her charge. Mr. Brobyn: It is to the benefit of the staff, the institution and the IkjhixI that fliis suspicion of victimisation and fear should be wiped out. Mis. Hughes: There is an impression in this committee that some of the food for the nurses has gone into the soldiers' parcels. Witness: That is not so. It was an "unkind insinuation." H01. liareels wpresent to her two brothers who were with the> colours. Neither had she taken the nurses* rations for her visitors.. Just'before the adjournment Mr. Harry Evans T iist'i,)efoi-e E va.ns expressed dissatisfaction .éU\ the trend of the evidence. None of witnesses had spoken suffi- ciently freely. PROVISIONING THE INFIRMARY. The opening stage of tfte inquiry the previous week met an explanation by the workhouse mas- ter of the method of provisioning the houser" and the infirmary. He stated that supplies where taken to the stores on arrival and they were weighed before being sent to the infirmary. Upon this fact he laid emphasis. All supplies to the infirmary were in accordance with the Local Government Board regulations. No one was more surprised than lie at the revelations published in the "Pioneer," and he courted in- vestigation into the provisioning system of the institution. Miss Templeman was questioned as to the pro- cedure following the delivery of supplies at the infirmary. Mr. Francis asked if she was sure that the supplies due were sent up by the master. Her reply was that the provisions were correct. She, 'however, admitted that the supplies were not weighed on delivery, and this confession caused Mr. Francis to remark upon what lie character- ised as the loose way in which the supplies were dealt with and distributed. The chairman was asked to make a note of this point.. The cook declared she had heard no complaint of lack of food. During the war, however, there had been s hortages in such commodities as but- ter, sugar and eggs, but where this was the case substitutes were provided. WHAT A MAID SAID. Miss Pj-<)iile, tjie -iiial(l, said tbat all the nurses complained to her and pressed to name some she mentioned Charge-nurse James, Nurses Owen, Isabel Davies and May Jones. She was asked by Mr. Francis if visitors had been staylug at the imfirmary and if it were true that Miss Templeman 'had entertained many soldiers from time to time. The maid replied this wasto, and that one soldier stayed eight days and that the other had been there a week- end. Questioned further, respecting where food pro- vided the soldiers came from, she stated that these visitors* were fed from the ..pantry where all the food of the institution was kept. This, she added,' was generally the case, but on one occasion in her recollection some food was pro- vided for them by Miss Templeman. Witness admitted tfikt she knew that parcels were made up at the Infirmary to send to soldiers. These parcels were made up from the infirmary stock. Mr. Frartcas: If ten nurses went out, six of them taking tea or supper before they went, what became of the four teas or suppers left? Was this placed away so that those who went without could have some when they returned ? Witness replied that there was no such thing as putting aside any food as there was none left to place. SfttTbould not supply, therefore any to to p l ace. nurses upon their return. Mr. Francis: That would mean that the nurses who did not happen to find food elsewhere did not have any until next morning ? Miss Prowle: Yes, I oould not give them any as there was nothing to give.