various harbour authorities? If there applied, was one wholly for the conwas, could the Chief Secretary tell him sideration of the local authorities. He where to get fuller details. His belief should be glad to see a return prepared was, that under the sanction of the of the northern unions, showing in how audit of the Local Government Board, there was the greatest extravagance on the part of these local authorities, and they could not trace that extravagance because the auditors did not furnish them with proper accounts.

many cases in the different unions in the north, the Guardians were in the possession of the services of certificated trained night nurses. In reviewing the chief defects of the present Local Government Board administration, he said MR. J. P. FARRELL (Cavan, W.) that the Irish Poor Law system was wished to set the House right as to the originally designed to carry out two imcircumstances attending the suspension portant works in Ireland-to afford of the Athlone Board of Guardians by relief to the poor, and relief to the sick the Local Government Board. He be- poor. But since that time many other lieved he was within the fact in stating functions had been conferred on the that the suspension of this body origi- Board. It was utterly impossible for nated in a dispute which was created in one small central system of government the Athlone Union by the Rev. Dr. to efficiently discharge its duties under Campbell. A lady had acted as nurse the cumbrous Public Health Act, under for a period of five years, and it was not the long tedious work connected with until there was a dispute got up by the the Labourers' Act, and the Franchise Rev. Dr. Campbell on a charge of Act. One of the most important Acts proselytising against the nuns that the to which the Board had to pay attention Local Government Board thought fit to was the Irish Public Health Act; but send down and hold an Inquiry on the the present system was inefficient and subject. This was in August 1895. absurd. The Labourers' Act was deThe Local Government Board took ob- signed to relieve a great deal of the jection to the lady acting as a night sufferings of the poor labourers, and to nurse in the institution, and they put them in better houses, as well as to ordered the substitution of a properly create a spirit of independence among trained and certificated nurse. In re- them. The Act, however, had been sponse to the advertisement Sister Mary scandalously neglected by the Local was appointed, but the Local Govern- Government Board, which had done its ment Board having had their bigoted feelings on the question aroused, objected to the appointment. The Board of Guardians were steadfast, and the result was that the Board of Guardians had been suspended for eight months by a mandatory order of the Local Government Board. The words "certificated trained nurse" did not occur in connection with the English Poor Law system. If the practice was a proper one in Athlone it was also proper in other Unions in Ireland. But what was now taking place? Within two months a nurse had been appointed at Granard, for instance, who was neither certificated nor trained. The same thing had occurred in the city of Derry, and in the Union of Longford. He maintained, therefore, that this question of trained night nurses, to which he personally had no objection so long as it was confined within the limits of justice and reason, and so long as the religious test was not Mr. Lough.

best in every instance, as far as he was aware, to aid in the obstruction of carrying out this Act. They neglected to push forward schemes adopted by the Guardians in a degree which was almost criminal; and whereas, at this time there should be 120,000 labourers' houses erected throughout Ireland, there were only 12,000 cottages erected after 13 years experience of the Act. The inefficiency of the Department in respect of the Franchise Act was also positively glaring. There were no service franchise forms, neither was there a proper revision of the voters' lists. A number of lists were at present in force where the name of a man appeared who had been dead 10 years. In fact, the duties of this Department should be separated. Either there should be another Board, or the local authorities should be given more direct control of their own affairs. The carrying out of the Labourers' Act should be simplified, and until this was

done progress could not be expected. A cases of great and urgent necessity. sum of £1,300,000 was collected Certainly the general policy of the Local annually in Ireland for the purposes to Government Board in Ireland, so far as which the various Acts administered by he could understand it, was not to susthe Local Government Board referred. pend the Boards of Guardians except in Of this sum £700,000 was expended in cases of urgent necessity, and the parthe actual relief of the poor, and the ticular case of the Athlone Board of balance-namely, £600,000-went in Guardians, he did not hesitate to say, fees and salaries to officials. That was came within that description. The hon. surely an excessive amount. He trusted Member for North Cork described the that the Chief Secretary would make an action of the Local Government Board effort to improve the present system of as an intolerable piece of petty official Poor Law administration in Ireland. tyranny. The language used by the hon. Member for West Cavan attributed to them a certain element of religious bigotry in the action they had taken.

DR. TANNER (Cork, Mid) moved the reduction of the item set down for the Medical Commission by the sum of £1,000. He did this as a protest against the suspension of the Athlone Board of Guardians and the dismissal of Sister Mary.

MR. GERALD BALFOUR: The lady has not been dismissed. ["Hear, hear!"]

MR. J. P. FARRELL was understood to say that it was not until a dispute was got up in regard to proselytising that anything was heard about the night nursing business.

MR. GERALD BALFOUR referred to the language used by the hon. MemDR. TANNER said, that the Board, ber for Mid Cork, who spoke of this at any rate, had been suspended in con- being a dirty little piece of bigotry, and sequence of the action taken in the case pointed out that on a previous occasion of this lady. He detested bigotry. the hon. Member for Louth had attriSisters of Mercy and of the Bon Secours buted the suspension of the Board of were the best nurses for the sick poor. Guardians to their narrow sectarian feelIt was a fact that some of the best ing. Nothing could be further than this nurses in London at the present time from their thoughts or their intention. were not certificated. They had lacked the necessary means to enable them to complete the full course of training. The value of a certificate could be overrated. In his opinion the action of the Local Government Board in this case amounted to an outrage.

MR. MURNAGHAN said, that in his opinion the action of the Local Government Board in this matter had been somewhat unwise; and he thought that they might very well make an exception to this stringent rule in this case.

On the return of the CHAIRMAN after the usual interval,

As a matter of fact, the nuns had never left the workhouse, and continued to live there.

MR. J. P. FARRELL asked if they continued in their original capacity.

MR. GERALD BALFOUR said, he thought so, and he believed the general management of the nursing was in the hands of one of the nuns at the present time.

MR. J. P. FARRELL asked if it was not the fact that the Local Government Board insisted on a trained night nurse being put there.

MR. GERALD BALFOUR said that was perfectly true. The Local Government Board insisted upon the appointMR. GERALD BALFOUR said, that ment of a trained nurse to do night work, in view of the reduction of the particular but that was not in any sense ousting item of this Vote which had been moved, the nuns from their functions, which, he should confine his remarks entirely to as a matter of fact, they performed up the action of the Local Government to the present time. There seemed to Board in suspending the Guardians of be an impression among hon. Members the Athlone Union. The hon. Member opposite that this question had arisen for North Cork observed, he thought only since the present Government with justice, that the Local Government entered upon its tenure of office, but the Board would not be justified in suspend- right hon. Gentleman opposite would ing the Boards of Guardians except in be more correctly acquainted with the

illegal, and they proposed to let her be trained at her own cost. This, it was objected, would involve delay, during which it would be necessary to appoint someone in her place. Then the Bishop of Ardagh threatened, if a trained nurse were insisted upon, to withdraw the nuns altogether; and, thereupon, the Guardians declared that Sister de Sales was fully qualified without any further

facts of the case. The question arose indignation; and on the 3rd of May of during the tenure of office of his prede- last year, the Chief Secretary approved cessor, and it was only due to the fact of an intimation being conveyed to the that the right hon. Member for the Guardians that they must appoint a Montrose Burghs left office when he did trained night nurse, and, if they did not, that this action was not taken by him. the management would be placed in the He would give the Committee a short hands of paid officers. Advertisements account of these transactions. For were issued, and several trained nurses some years past there had been a applied; but the Guardians appointed serious deficiency in connection with a nun-Sister de Sales-who had had the arrangements for night nurs- no training outside the Athlone working in the Athlone Workhouse, and house. They proposed to send her to several cases had, in consequence, Dublin for training, and to defray the come prominently before the public. cost. It was pointed out that this was On the 15th of November another child died under a similar set of circumstances. On both occasions the coroner's jury called attention to the necessity for the appointment of a night nurse for the infirmary. The nursing of the hospital by day was then and still remained in the hands of the Sisters of Mercy. He agreed in what had been said as to the excellent qualities of the nuns as nurses. As a matter of fact, they had not been training. On the 19th of June 1895, permitted to undertake and had never while the late Government was still in done the night nursing, and it was in Office, an ultimatum was sent to the the hands of paupers-persons who, as Guardians declaring that the appointa rule, had little knowledge of nursing, ment would not be sanctioned unless and were incapable of discharging duties she went to Dublin to be trained, and of that kind in a proper manner. When unless a trained nurse were appointed in the coroner's verdict on the first child her absence. An inspector attended a was made known, the Local Government meeting of the Guardians to induce them Board directed a medical inspector to to change their last decision; and, as report. As far back as 1892, he ascer- they would not do so, the Board was tained that the nuns did not perform reluctantly dissolved by himself, as it the duties of night nursing, that they would have been by his predecessor had retired early and left the work to he remained Chief Secretary. It was pauper attendants. The inspector had explained to the inspector by the Supeno hesitation in supporting the recom-rioress that it was not contemplated mendation of the medical officer that the that Sister de Sales should undertake appointment of a trained nurse was night duty, but that the Sisters were to necessary. A considerable correspond obtain the services of a lay night nurse, ence ensued. It was renewed on the although Sister de Sales was to be ostendeath of another child in 1894; and sibly appointed; and on that underthis death was followed by another case taking a payment of £50 a year was to which created considerable scandal. A be sanctioned. Thus, there was in conDublin hospital received a woman who templation what was not straightforward. had been in the workhouse infirmary five He did not suggest that the sisters months, and she was suffering from a wanted to do anything otherwise than dislocation of the hip which must have what was straightforward; but he could occurred two months before she left not acquit the Chairman, who could not Athlone, and yet the nurses had not have been ignorant of the nature of the discovered her injury, so that the atten- transaction. He reluctantly concluded tion of the doctor was not called to her that he could not do otherwise than act case; and, as the result of the delay in as the late Chief Secretary would have discovering the dislocation, she would done. The Local Government Board probably be lame for life. This case had absolutely no alternative but to following the others provoked much take the course they did.

Mr. Gerald Balfour.

DR. TANNER said he was surprised | strong step in a matter of this sort to that the Chief Secretary should have suspend an elected Board of Guardians, found fault with the nurses, because the against whose financial administration of case at Athlone turned out to be one of the affairs of the union there was no

led to such disastrous results, was due to the action of the officials of the union. But, inasmuch as the matter was practically closed by the re-election of the Board of Guardians, he would appeal to the Member for Mid-Cork to withdraw his Motion for the reduction of the Vote. DR. TANNER consented to the withdrawal of his Amendment.

dislocation of hip joint. Were nurses complaint whatever. With regard to to diagnose such cases? Because the the employment of trained nurses, he case was transferred from the workhouse might instance the action of the medical infirmary to the hospital in Dublin, and officer of the Longford Union, who was the doctor was failing in his duty, an in favour of a complete system of trained attempt was made to throw the blame of nursing in that infirmary. He was cona faulty diagnosis on the nurses. If such fronted with the difficulty which cropped remissness were brought before the board up in Athlone of having trained night of governors of any public hospital, the nurses. There was a conflict with the doctor would suffer for it. But for the Local Government Board, but the Board Chief Secretary for Ireland to throw dis- had not insisted on the attendance of credit on the nursing staff because the trained night nurses in the infirmary. Lord Lieutenant was wanting in his He believed that a great deal of the duty, was ridiculous. To a certain misunderstanding which arose, and which extent he accepted what the right hon. gentleman had said. He depended on the information he received, and he might be led astray. Most Chief Secretaries were at times. There was a practical point. Every medical man at workhouse infirmaries had to sign the docket over the bed of every patient intrusted to their care, writing on the docket what the patient was suffering from. This was not the duty of the nurse, but of the doctor. About the duties of a night nurse. He was doctor in a public hospital for 11 years, and he knew something about those duties. There were generally some hopeless cases in every hospital, and, if there were several patients in extremis, how could one nurse attend to them all? There should be a head nurse-a nunand a couple of sub-nurses under her. In that way the wants of the sick would be better ministered to than they could otherwise be. In England, as well as in Ireland, he hoped that pauper nurses would be done away with in workhouse infirmaries, and suitable nurses would be substituted for them, who would have the best interests of the sufferers at heart.

MR. J. P. FARRELL disclaimed any desire to import bigotry into the matter. He was within his rights in drawing attention to the fact that the commencement of the whole quarrel in Athlone was a dispute which originated in the Inquiry instituted into the conduct of Dr. Cochrane. With regard to the action of the former Chief Secretary, he was not aware of the official intricacies of the case; but he still said it was a very

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

MR. DILLON said he desired to call attention to the administration of the Labourers' Act in Ireland. It was stated that the Government intended to introduce a Bill to simplify and cheapen the, procedure under the Act. Such a Bill might be introduced forthwith. It might be passed after 12 o'clock, as it would be non-contentious. No one desired to obstruct a Bill having for its object an improvement of the work ing of the Labourers' Acts in Ireland. But, apart from the passing of a Bill, something might be done to meet the present situation by administrative Acts. In order to show the delay which the present procedure involved, the hon. Member mentioned the case of the Kilmallock Union in County Limerick, where, three years ago, the wretched condition of the dwellings of the labourers in the village of Hospital was brought under his notice, and where the Board of Guardians who, to their credit, had already done much to put these Acts in force, prepared a scheme for the erection of labourers' dwellings. But although he had himself, at the instance of the labourers in the locality, put a

diately.

MR. ARTHUR O'CONNOR (Donegal, E.), whilst agreeing that many boards of guardians had done their best to put the Labourers' Acts into operation, observed that they had not, however, met with the same reception in Ulster. In the case of Strabane, for example, the functions of the Board of Guardians had to be superseded and the working of the Labourers Acts in that district intrusted to the Local Government Board. What had been the result? Inspector after inspector of the Local Government Board had been down in Strabane, had viewed the cottages, had had reported

question in that House with a view of believed could be passed almost immeexpediting the procedure, within the last fortnight he had received a letter stating that the labourers were still in their miserable hovels and imploring him to bring this matter before the Government. There must be something extremely wrong in the system under which, with the Local Government Board and the Board of Guardians anxious to have this state of things remedied, the labourers were still compelled to live in these hovels The hon. Member read an extract from a local paper, in which it was stated it often took six or seven years before the schemes for labourers' cottages were carried to completion, and pointing out the impossibility of one arbitrator adversely, had described the habitations performing the duties under these Acts. of men as almost unfit for the habitation The suggestion that more than one arbi- of animals, and yet not one single buildtrator should be appointed was one which ing had been erected by the Local deserved the consideration of the Chief Government Board. He hoped the Secretary. He did not say that the Chief Secretary would be able to give Local Government Board had shown an some explanation of this matter. He illiberal spirit in the administration of would also be glad if the right hon. these Acts-indeed, the very contrary Gentleman could give some information was the case--but he desired to press upon as to the Stranorlar Union. the right hon. Gentleman the extreme *SERJEANT HEMPHILL said he did desirability of expediting these schemes. not think there was any question in He did not know that there had been any which Ireland was more deeply interested Act or Acts, with all their faults, which than that of the labourers' cottages. were enormous, passed by the House of Anyone who had travelled through Commons with regard to Ireland, which Ireland must have seen the squalid and had done more, and which had struck wretched condition in which the labourers one more, than the Labourers' Acts. lived, some time ago, at all events. The The greatest observers were united in late Government were very anxious to pressing this one point in their writings grapple with this question, and he rather that the worst reproach of all the many thought a Bill was actually in preparathings which existed in Ireland was the tion with a view, if possible, to better scandalous condition of the labouring this labourer cottages code. Undoubtedly poor. He did not know anything more there were great difficulties in dealing striking than to see side by side the with this matter arising from the Acts miserable hovels in which the labourer of Parliament themselves. Under the was compelled to live, and which were existing law there were 14 stages to be not fit for pigsties, and opposite to that gone through before the labourer had the comfortable, respectable and really any chance of having his cottage even attractive house which had been built commenced. The consequence was that for him under the Labourers' Acts. He the expense and delay were so great as to would conclude by urging upon the right defeat the intentions of the Legislature. hon. Gentleman that he should look per- These two defects, he had no doubt, sonally into this matter and urge upon could be met by legislation. These 14 the Local Government Board that they stages could be well reduced, and one should apply their energies to remove all step towards that would be to leave the obstacles, if necessary, by the appoint- Local Government Board finally to ment of fresh inspectors or by modifica- decide whether a cottage should be tion of the Acts; and further, that he would as soon as he could introduce the non-contentious Measure to which reference had been made, and which he Mr. Dillon.

built or not. As the law stood at present, after the Local Government Board had approved of the scheme, any one who had a locus standi might present