Return of the destitute persons relieved out of the Workhouse as by relief lists for the week ended Saturday 21 st February attached and laid before the Board of Guardians at this meeting.
Relief District Number cases relieved Number of cases
including applicant and family dependent on him or her.
1 2 3
2 7 10
3 11 14
Copy of minutes of proceedings of Board of Guardians 27 th February 1885
Present in Chair R Vesey Stoney Esq DL and subsequently Mr
Stephen Colleran
Other Guardians Messrs William McMeekan, Joseph Moran, Patrick Moran, John Walshe, Patrick Keane.
The following books were exhibited by the Clerk , he having first ascertained the
accuracy of the entries made therein by the Master of the Workhouse and
authenticated the same by his signature
By which it appeared the cost of provisions and necessaries received during the week was £11 15s 5d
Debit Provision account and Credit Invoice Account
The cost of provisions and necessaries consumed during the week was £12 10s 3d
Debit Maintenance account and Credit Provision Account
And the general average cost of an inmate for the week was 2s 5 ½d
Average cost in infirmary 2s 9d
Average cost in Fever hospital --------
The Master’s estimate of Provisions and necessaries required for the past and ensuing week were examined and orders were duly made for the several articles specified.
4 lbs biscuit
The abstract of the Outdoor relief lists was produced by the Clerk having been duly entered up by him for the last week ended Saturday the 14 th day of February 1885 whereby it appeared that in that week the total expenditure in outdoor relief was
£ s d
In money - - -
In kind 1 7 6
Total 1 7 6
Clothing Account
294 T Grady on a/c for shoes supplied. £20 0 0
295 Henry Keyes VS Salary and mileage to date £4 6s 8d
On the requisition of the Master the following items were ordered.
Order No 5 Shrouding at 2/8
Order No 7 Sweeping brushes at 6/-
Order No 13 Sundries at 16/6
The Master reports that there is a supply of coal required.
“Postponed”
And that a woman named Bridget Conway and her daughter have applied for clothes and boots in order to take their discharge and a man named Michael McNamara, for a suit of clothes that they may leave the house.
“Allowed”
Read Letter from Clerk of Westport Union, dated 26 th February 1885 transmitting a copy of the two resolutions adopted by the Board of Guardians of that Union at their meeting held on Thursday last the 26 th instant together with copies of the two letters therein referred to for the information and consideration of the Board.
“Minute”
Mr Egan’s letter of 21 st February to be replied to giving the figures he asked for and that he be informed that Mr Fenton’s letter of the 23 rd February was of a purely private nature and marked so and therefore the Board consider that they have no right to interfere in the matter.
The warrants authorizing the collection of the rates made on the 30 th January 1885 on the several electoral divisions of the Union having been submitted to the Guardians were duly signed by them.
Resolved: That the Guardians of the Newport Union having called a full Board for the express purpose of taking in to consideration certain statements lately put forward by the Westport Board of Guardians with reference to the proposed amalgamation of Newport union with that of Westport have to observe that the argument raised by the Westport Board referring to the difficulty in bringing ordinary paupers from their Union (seeking admission ) to the Workhouse at Westport is of no force and has been fully discussed and disposed of in the report above referred to and in addition the guardians are thoroughly satisfied that no greater difficulty would be experienced or expense entailed in transferring paupers from the Newport Union to the Westport Workhouse than is now felt by the Westport Guardians in dealing with the removal of paupers from their own remote Electoral Divisions of Bundorragh, Owenadornaun, Emlagh, Clare Island and portions of these divisions being thirty miles form the Westport Workhouse by land and sea and that there is no difficulty or extraordinary expense now experienced in these divisions ( as was fully shown by the evidence of Mr Egan at the inquiry) and further the distant portions of this Union afford greater facilities for communication with Westport in having good roads and a fleet of hookers from Achill than the divisions above referred to as harvestmen and others are conveyed by boat for a mere nominal sum from Achill Island to Westport and only one of the Newport Electoral divisions is thirty miles from Westport and as proof of the facility of carriage we have an ambulance which has never yet been called for. The Westport Guardians complain that they must inevitably suffer loss from such charge as the cost of blind deaf and dumb and paupers in asylums, Registration , Vaccination Fees and Union at large paupers. With reference to the paragraph we beg to state that in this Union we have no charges for deaf dumb blind or paupers in asylum. It is hardly worthwhile to state the well known fact that Vaccination expenses are chargeable on the Dispensary Districts and will not or cannot effect the Westport union in any way. Registration fees in this Union amount only on an average to about £20 per year. The Westport Guardians state that the financial condition of their Union would be impaired by the cost of Union at large paupers from Newport Union while the contrary would be the fact as the Union at large paupers in this Union do not represent 1/3 of the number of Westport Union therefore Westport would benefit under this head taking the relative valuations of the two Unions as they exist at present as the basis of calculating. The statement that there are three explosive officers in this Union at a cost of £50 or £60 per annum is incorrect there being only one at £10 a year. There are many other equally inaccurate statements published such as the want of accommodation in the Westport workhouse for the Newport paupers. A house built and fitted up for 2000 cannot according to the statement of the Westport Guardians now afford accommodation for an average of 220. With reference the extraordinarily high salaries which the Westport Board contemplates will have to be paid to the relieving officers of Achill and Ballycroy Districts we state the Relieving Officers for these districts are only required to attend the board once a fortnight and frequently attend only once a month on account of having no cases to bring before the Board. The number of indoor paupers at present and for the past twelve months from the island of Achill being only fourteen and in outdoor relief six. For these duties the Relieving officers are paid a sum of £25 per annum each (both being farmers) including duties under the Sanitary Acts.
The Achill Relieving Officer states that he would at any time prefer attending at the Westport Board than that at Newport on account of it being cheaper owing to the facility of going to Westport by hooker and that he could frequently return home from Westport the same day, the cost of lodgings in any case being the same in both places. The Westport Guardians also refer in their statement to the compensation which they believe will have to be paid to the officers who will lose their situations by amalgamation. We wish it to be clearly understood that we do not intend to pay compensation to any of the officers with the exception of the Matron who has eighteen years of service. The Guardians ask the local Government Board to remember the fact (which the Westport Guardians seem to forget) that Newport Union is part and parcel of the original Westport Union and that the Guardians were induced to agree to a separation on the understanding that they merely had to pay for the maintenance of their own poor and they never would have agreed to be severed if they had been aware of the additional expenses they would have to bear and it is the more unjust of the Westport guardians to oppose the reunion where it ahs been clearly shown by Mr Robinson that they not only cannot lose but will gain by it which statement the Westport Guardians have been unable to disprove moreover we can hand over to Westport over £400 worth of furniture, bedding, clothing , stationery , books etc. very much more than will compensate them for the very small outlay they will require for the housing of 91 paupers being the number in the Newport workhouse at present. The conveyance by public car from Achill to Newport for one person is 4s 6d whereas the carrying hookers charge
only 6d per head from Achill to Westport.
Minutes of the Proceedings of the Board of Guardians Friday February 27 th 1885.
In the Chair R Vesey Stoney Esq. D.L. and subsequently Mr J Colleran.
Other Guardians Messrs William McMeekan, Joseph Moran, Patrick Moran, John Walshe, Patrick Keane.
Read letter from Dr J H Croly , Medical Officer of Health Achill Dispensary District dated 26 th February 1885 stating that he requires a fresh supply of vaccine lymph for the use of his district and complaining that he made two applications to the secretary of the Vaccine Department Local Government Board for same but received no reply.
“Minute”
The Guardians request the Local Government Board will be good enough to call the Secretary’s attention to Dr Croly’s applications for vaccine lymph as the doctor states a supply at once is indispensable.
Reports Sanitary Officers
Achill Dr Croly Health and sanitary state of district satisfactory
Ballycroy Dr Smith Health and sanitary state of district satisfactory
Newport Dr Davis Health and sanitary state of district satisfactory
Read letter from Mr P Lavelle, Relieving officer , Achill dated 26 th February 1885 forwarding a claim for £32 10 0d for additional services as Sanitary sub officer and services of notices etc.
“Minute”
Mr Lavelle to be referred to his letter of 10 th April 1883 indemnifying the Guardians against such claims.
Next meeting of Guardians to be held on Friday 6 th March 1885
A C Fenton
Clerk of the Union.
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