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CARDIFF BOARD OF GUARDIANS.

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CARDIFF BOARD OF GUARDIANS. At the meeting of this Board, on Saturday, E. W. David, Esq., presided. In the Workhouse there had been 59 admissions, and 66 discharged, leaving 211 in the house, a decrease of 35 on the corresponding week of last year. In the School there had been six admitted and one pupil discharged during the week, leaving in the school 179. being an increase of 25 on last year. 139 of the pupils were re- ceiving industrial training. The School Committee reported in favour of erecting a cistern, agreeably to the suggestion of Mr. E. Evans last week; that a drain be made, connected with the central drain that ventilators be made in the store- room, agreeably to the suggestion of Mr. Daniel Jones; that twelve iron hurdles be procured, to fence in the hay-stack; that a sewing machine be procured; that Mrs. Williams be employed to perform the duties of the ma- tron, during her illness; and that an accumulation of old clothes, existing at the School, should be dis- posed of. The report was adopted. The Sanatory Committee reported in favour of distri- buting M'Dougall's notices at the Police Stations, the Sailors' Home, the Infirmary, the Havannah School- ship, &cs. They had discussed the new Health Act, and ascertained the nature and extent of the powers vested by it in the Board. They recommended that Sergeant Adams should be appointed as sanatory inspector for 'Penartb, and that the Guardian for that parish make arrangements for scavenging there. Mr. R. 0. JONES, in accordance with the views of the committee, moved that Sergeant Adams be appointed as Inspector, with a salary of X5 a year, for Penarth, Cogan, Llandough, Lerkwith, and that part of Llandaff which was in the hundred of Dinas Powis. He stated that before proposing this appointment he had written to Captain Napier, whose answer was that the Board were welcome to appoint Adams, and to make any use of the police that was required in this emergency. Alderman PRIDE seconded the resolution, which was agreed to. Mr. R. 0. JONES said he thought it also advisable to iappoint Sergeant Thornton inspector for all Llandaff, except the Board district of Canton, at the same salary as Adams. The sum was very small, and the appoint- ment could be terminated by three months' notice. There was much need of an inspector in Llandaff, espe- cially at Grangetown. The CHAIRMAN thought the present arrangement was working very well at Llandaff; but as Adams "was to receive an appointment, it would be as well to put Thornton on the same footing. Mr. E. EvANs advocated making Thornton inspector for Whitchurch, as well as for Llandaff, or allowing a trifle to the Whitchurch policman. Dr. PAINE said be was of opinion at first that the ser- geants should have been the inspectors, but Captain Napier would not then consent. The CHAIRMAN said that in Whitcburch the present system would work better than any alteration. They could not have a better inspector than Supt. Thomas, and if others were appointed, he would net feel the re- sponsibility as he did now. The Board voted to appoint Thornton inspector for Wbitcburch and for Llandaff, exclusive of Canton. Mr. R. 0. JONES moved that cholera medicines and disinfectants be left at the following places, for the use of residents of the various parishes :-Dinas Powis, at the post-office; Cadoxton, the school house Bonvil- stone, Mr. Eagloston's house; Penarth, the station; Wenvoe, the school house; St. Fagans, the Plymouth Arms; Peterstone, the school house; Pantyrch village, the police station; Pentyrch Works, the dispensary; Lisvane, Daniel Matthewa's house; Llanedarne, the public-bouse; Llanisben, the post-office; St. Mellons, the school; Whitchurch, the police station St. Lythans, the Duffryn school house; Penmark, the police station St. Nicholas, the police station Llandaff and Canton, the police stations; Pendoylan, the school house; Mer- thyr-Dovan, the police station Welsh St. Donatt's, Mr. Huntley's house; Llanilltern, the Star; Barry and Porthkerry, the school house; Caira and Ely, the In- dastrial School; Llantrithyd, the Rev. R. T. Tyler's; Llandougb, the schoolmaster's house; Michaelstone- super-Ely, the Plymouth Arms, St. Fagans; Michael- stone-le-Pit, Mr. Thomas's house; Roath, Sergt. Van- stone's and the Four Elms; Radyr, the Court; Rudry, Mr. Rogers's house; Rumney, the Pear Tree; St. George's, the school house; Grangetown, the police- man's house; St. Bride's, the rectory; Sully, the school house; Van, the guardian's house. The motion was adopted. The CHAIRMAN observed that the two Monmouthshire parishes in this Union, Rumney and St. Mellons, were without au inspector, and he moved that the Chief Constable of that county be asked to allow the police to t be appointed as inspectors by this Board. This was agreed to. The Clerk was directed to have a handbill issued, stat- „ ing where the medicines and disinfectants were to be had. r. Mr. R. 0. JONES said that part of Penarth bad be- come a town, and the people did not know where to throw their dust and ashes. He moved that the guar- dian be empowered to arrange for the daily rounds of a scavenger's cart, at seven shillings a week, for which price the gnardian (Mr. Davies) had informed the Sana- tory Committee that be had an offer to do the work. The CHAIRMAN asked if this expense would not fall on the Union at large. Ought not the vestry of. the parish to do the work ? Mr. R. O. JaNES replied that this Board could do it and charge the particular locality. The reference in the new Act to the vestry, applied only in cases where the parish vestry had been constituted by Act of Parlia- ment the sewer authority. The Clerk was directed to look at the Act and give the Board his opinion upon the point. Mr. E. EVANS did not think that the person offering could do the work at the price—a man, horse, and cart, could not work for 14d. a day. Mr. R. 0. JONES replied, that sum was fixed by the man himself, and be would have the benefit of the manure that he collected. The Penartb Guardian was empowered to conclude the bargain, and to inquire what further charge would be made if Cogan-row also was scavenged daily. Mr. J. S. CORBET: proposed that the house lately used as a police station at penarth be hired for six months, at X20 a year, as a receptacle for cholera patients, should any such be landed from ships. The CHAIRMAN supported the proposal, observing that Penarth was now a port; and cholera patients might be landed there any day, and there was now no place in which to put them. The motion was agreed to, and Messrs. Corbet, R. E. Spencer, J. S. Batchelor, and Davies. were appointed a committee to hire and fit up, and manage the house as a cholera hospital, in case it should be needed. Mr. R. 0. JONES moved that the Inspectors, Supts. Sadler and Thomas, be requested to visit each of the parishes, and before going, to notify the guardian and the clergyman of the parish of the time at which they would attend, as they could learn much more of the state of a place from going round it with a resident, than going alone. To show that, though much had been done, the country parishes were not yet free from nuisances, Mr. Jones referred to a very offensive nuisance in the toad near Wenvoe, along which he had travelled this morning. The motion of Mr. Jones was carried. In accordance with the new' Act, a general authority, to prosecute in all cases ef nuisances which the parties would not remove on being notified, was given to the Inspectors. COMPLAINT AGAINST A MEDICAL OFFICER. j Winby, of tho iron works at Canton-square, attended to prefer a complaint against Mr. Henry Edwards, the parochial surgeon of the Llandaff district. The Clerk read a letter from Mr. Winby to the Vice- Chairman of the Board, and a reply from Mr. Edwards. Mr. Winby a letter was to the effect that Mrs. Furse, the wife of a labourer, with six children, to whom he and his brother had given a few days' work from charity, had been laid up for several months with a bad leg, and had been under Dr. Edwards treatment for some time, but that he had been for days without seeing her: that she had then called in Dr Pearse who told her husband that she would lose her life if she was riot better attended to; that Messrs. Winby then desired Mr. Owen and Mr. Mouseley, who attended their workmen, to see her • that on being asked to see the woman again, Mr. Edwards hac replied that he would see Mr. Winby and his brother d-d first;" and that subsequently, being again asked by Mr. Winby to see her, Mr. Edwards said he would not do so, even if the Board directed him to do so. To this letter, Mr. Edwards a letter replied that Mr. Winby's letter scarcely deserved an answer, so insignifi. cant were the facts, and so patent the animus of the writer; that Dr. Pearse had given up the surgeoncy to Messrs. Winby's works, and the post was offered to Mr. Edwards, which he refused, the requirement being that a medical man should attend each family, man, woman, and children, for 2!d. per week; that when he first received an order to attend Mrs. Furse, he did so, though the husband was employed at Messrs. Winby s works, but that after Messrs. Winby had called in other advice, he declined to attend the case further, as it would have been unprofessional for him to do so; and that the reason why they objected to his not coming was merely that the food supplied to the woman by the parish was stopped when he (Mr. Edwards) no longer attended the case; that Dr. Pearse was now absent, but before leaving he bad written a letter which contradicted thw statement that he had ever oonsidaced the woman's life in danger that the language which Mr. Edwards had used to Mr. Winby was caused by his annoyance at being followed to his avocations at the Refuge, and dis- turbed by repeated demands to attend a case in which Messrs. Winby had themselves interfered with his (Mr. Edwards') treatment by calling in other advice without apprising him of their intention to do so that instead of having said that be would not attend again if the Board ordered him, what he had said was that he would not attend again unless the Board ordered him. The case, he considered, was not one for parochial relief at all, the husband having been only two days out of work. Mr. Winby now verbally repeated at greater length the statements in his letter, averring them all to be correct. He said the husband of the woman was not one of his regular hands, and therefore not entitled to be attended by the works doctor; but that when the man complained to him of Mr. Edwards' non-attendance, they gave him money to fee Dr. Pearse, and the man reported to him (Mr. Winby) that Dr. Pearse bad said the woman would lose her life if not better attended. Mr. Owen and his assistant Mr. Mousely, who attended the workmen, were in the yard at the time, and he asked them to see if the woman's condition was really so dangerous. They saw her and said she needed a liberal diet, and be (Mr. Winby) supplied her with wine, porter, &c., at his own expense. Then Mr. C. Winby asked Mr. Edwards to visit the woman again, and on his refusing, Mr. J. Winby called on him at the Refuge, and repeated the request, and he replied as stated in the letter. On Saturday last the letter of complaint was sent to the Board, who gave an order that Mr. Edwards must attend. He did not go until Sunday evening, with Dr. Pearse. On Tues- day he went again, and had been attending the case since. The husband was paid 2s. Gel. a day, but only worked a few days. The job was given to him only because be said his wife and children were starving. The CHAIRMAN remarked that there was no difficulty in any man earning 2s. 6d. a day steadily if he chose to work. Mr. R. 0. JONES said the point for the medical man to explain was, why he ceased to attend the woman. The employers, on hearing the man's complaint of the doctor's non-attendance, seemed to have acted as charit- able people should, took some means to get the woman seen to, remonstrated with the parish doctor, and finally complained to the Board. The averment was that the parish doctor had ceased to attend before the other was called in by the employer. Mr. Edwards, in reply, stated that he bad never omitted ta attend the woman, for twenty-four hours at a time, until he learned that without consulting him the Messrs. Winby had called in another person on which, as a matter of professional rule, he declined going on with the case, teiling Mr. Winby when he spoke to him, that he would not take up the case again without special instructions from the Board. Last week Mr. Alexander told the relieving officer to issue a fresh order, and on receiving that, Saturday evening, he called on the woman on Sunday afternoon, having first on Sunday morning gone to Mr. Alexander about it. I Mr. ALEXANDER said, it was not his order, but the order of the Board. Mr. Edwards said, since receiving that order he had attended the case constantly. The CHAIRMAN observed that Mr. Edwards was wrong in ceasing to attend a pauper case because be found another medical man had been called in. He should have submitted the facts to the Board, and obtained their permission before discontinuing attendance. The Rev. J. W. EVANS asked if there was not a strong feeling among medical men against being interfered with by other practitioners, which would justify Mr. Edwards in ceasing to attend. Dr. PAINE replied that the medical etiquette in such a case, corresponded with the order of the Poor Law Board, by which Mr. Edwards' duty was to have attended the woman up to the next meeting of the Board, and then to have laid the facts before them. No medical officer, without the permission of the Board, had a right to withdraw from the case, although the patient might be taking other medicine or receiving other visits, than his. A medical officer's duty was, like that of a reliev- ing officer, to carry out the orders of the Board but if he found his management of a case interfered with, he should complain to the Board. He (Dr. Paine) was just as anxious that the medical officers should do their duty, as that the relieving officers should do theirs. In this case therefore he should take the same course he had done in a recent complaint against a relieving officer, and move that the Poor Law Board be requested to inquire into the matters complained of. Mr. Owen, one of the parties referred to in Mr. Winby's letter, rose to speak, but Mr. R. O.JoNES hoped that the Board would not listen to addresses from outs-ide parties. They should either adopt the suggestion of Dr. Paine, or investigate the case by a committee of their own, or, if they considered the matter sufficiently clear, decide it at once. The CHAIRMAN did not see that any more facts could be elicited, as both sides had been heard. The question was whether they should remit the case to the Poor Law Board. He thought that as Mr. Edwards resumed at- tendance, the complaint did not need to be preferred before the Poor Law Board. He read a letter from Dr. Pearse, which Mr. Edwards bad just handed to him, in which the Dr. said I know nothing of the doctor who attends Mr. Winby's forge, but I told Furse to apply to his employers for the professional man with whom they had a contract. I made no reference to you (Mr. Ed- wards) as I did not think the case came under your care as parish doctor. I did not consider that the case in- volved her life at all." Mr. R. 0. JONES said that Mr. Edwards' explanation had not satisfied him of the propriety of ceasing atten- dance, nor of the delay in attending on the seoond order from Saturday to Sunday evening. These circumstances pointed to a certain amount of negligence on the part of Mr. Edwards, which the Board had a right to bo dis- satisfied with. Mr. Edwards said, he bad seen the woman on the Friday evening, and the case, as Dr. Pearse stated, did not involve danger at all. He did not receive the order until Saturday night too late to attend, and next day he went to see Mr. Alexander about it, and then round to visit his more urgent cases, until the afternoon, three or four o'clock, when he went in company with Dr. Pearse, to see the woman. In reply to Mr. E. EVANS, Mr. Owen stated that he did not give the woman any medieine when he visited her nor did he believe that his assistant gave her any. The Rev. V. SAULEZ stated that he visited the woman on Sunday week, and found her making great com- plaints She sent for him to administer the Sacrament. This day week she told him that Mr. Mousely had been in with Mr Winby, and found her very bad, and he had dropped a small powder on her tongue, which gave her great relief Mr. Edwards had visited the case this week, on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.: She had a swelling on her leg which broke on Tuesday, and Mr. Edwards bad attended her, very carefully dressing the leg with linseed, but yesterday morning she was without linseed, and Mr. Edwards gave her an ordier for some on Mr. Williams, the relieving officer, who refused to supply it. Mr. Williams, being inquired of, promptly contradicted this, saying that he had never been applied to for any- thing of the kind. The Rev. J. W. EVANS remarked that any subsequent attention on the' part of Mr. Edwards would not atone for his previous neglect. He seconded Dr. Paine's motion. On a show of hands, the CHAIRMAN declared Dr. Paine's motion lost. A division was called for, on Jwhich five voted for the motion, and nine against. Mr. E. EVANS said he had voted against Dr. IJaine s motion, but not because he was against inquiry into this case, which he regarded as a serious complaint. He moved that a select committee of the Board be ap- pointed to take evidence in the matter. This Board had already two or three requests before the Poor Law Board for inquiry, and they would become a byt-word in London if they kept sending cases there. Ther.e were men in this Board quite fit to conduct an inquiry pro- perly. Dr. PAINE said he only wanted a fair and full investi- gation, and though he should have preferred it to be conducted by a Poor Law Commissioner who could take evidence on oath, yet if the Beard preferred a committee of its own body, he had no objection, and would second the motion. The Rev. H. J. THOMAS said it must be admitted that Mr. Edwards had not in this matter conducted himself in the way that he ought, but had behaved very repre- hensibly toward the poor woman, and the excuses he made were of a rather meagre character, and the Board generally did not feel satisfied with his explanations. But as there was no additional evidence that could be given, he thought the Board were in a position to dispose ef the matter at once. The CHAIRMAN agreed with the last speaker, that an investigation could disclose no more than the Board were now in possession of, and therefore the matter could be now determined. If the Board thought it was such a serious matter that Mr. Edwards should resign, they could now call upon him to do so, or if they thought it a matter in which they would be satisfied with ad- monisbing him, they could take that course now. The Clerk thought the facts did not appear to vary much on either side. Mr. R. o. JONES remarked that the Board Ijiad not heard the statement of the hasband, or of the woman. The Rev. H. J. THOMAS moved, as an amendment, that the Board admonish Mr. Edwards for the neglect- he had been guilty of. The Key. V. SAVLEZ seconded the amendment.: On the votes being taken there were an equal number for the amendment and against it. The casting vote by the CHAIRMAN was given in favour of the amendment; on which the CHAIRMAN admonished Mr. Edwards accordingly, telling him that he felt strongly not only that he (Mr. Edwards) bad been very negligent, but that nothing could justify the expression he had employed to Mr. Winby. Mr. ALEXANDER moved that copies of the proceedings be forwarded to the Poor Law Board. The Clerk stated that a copy of the minutes and reso- lutions of the Board was always sent to the Inspector for the Poor Law Board. Dr. PAINE asked if it was true that relief bad been paid in Mr. Smith's district in the name of a pauper who had been dead for a long period. The CHAIRMAN said be believed it was true, and the matter should be inquired into. The Board then adjourned.

jCARDIFF TOWN COUNCIL.

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