AND STATE OF UNIONS, IN IRELAND.
569 The Commissioners observe that the collector has promised you to devote him-Castlebar Union.
self strenuously henceforward to the collection of the rates outstanding ; and they rely on your keeping him to his duty by requiring cause to be shown from time to time for the non-collection of every sum of considerable amount which shall appear to be unpaid.
In reference to your expression of an expectation that the number of persons to be relieved will now be reduced by the order limiting the able-bodied classes that may be relieved, the Commissioners feel it necessary to request that their order may not be considered as requiiing relief to be given to all persons of the classes referred to in it, but only as enabling the Vice-Guardians to relieve persons of such classes who, on inquiry, appear to be actually destitute.
Captain Farren to the Commissioners :—March 21, 1848.
The amount of rate collected during the past week, as shown by the Rate Abstract Receipt Books, was very trifling, viz.
.
.
.
£29 9 ll^-The total amount of rate now collected is ....
2,408 18 llf Leaving uncollected 7,508 14 0 The collector, who attended at the meeting of the Board yesterday, stated in explanation, that he was occupied during the assizes with the arrangement of his accounts, as barony cess collector, and that he found it impossible under such circumstances to give his attention to the poor-rate, but that the assizes being now over, he would devote himself to the latter duty.
The progress of the collection for some time past has been unsatisfactory, and the measures taken by the Vice-Guardians, with the view of assisting the collector in his duties, as well as to enforce the collection, have, in consequence of the collector's non-compliance with their instructions, been unsuccessful; thus, the directions the collector received from the Vice-Guardians to serve notices upon certain parties whose names were returned as defaulters in supplemental lists, furnished by the collector after having been repeatedly called for, have not been carried out; and he has not yet appointed deputies to assist him in the collection.
It will be seen by the minutes that the Vice-Guardians have again called his attention to these points, urging him to seek for persons properly qualified to assist him as deputies ; and with respect to the notices, informing him that unless they are served before the next Board-day, the 100th section of the Poor Law Act must be put in force against him.
With regard to the immediate lessors whose names were included in the list of defaulters handed over to the solicitor of the Union, with the sanction of the Commissioners, in January last, to be proceeded against in the superior Courts, I now enclose the return of their names, &c, containing the observations of the solicitor as to the stage in which the proceedings.in
each case now are.
In a few instances the parties have paid the rate since the original list was fur¬ nished in January: their names were stated in my report of the 14th instant.
In the others, the solicitor has taken the measures necessary for obtaining decrees in the approaching term.
On Saturday and Monday I attended meetings of the Board of Vice-Guardians.
The applications for relief were still very numerous, viz.
.
1359 Of which admitted to workhouse .....
39 Placed on out-door relief lists ....*.
822 Number rejected .
498 Persons discharged from vrorkhouseto out-door relief .
15 The sealed order suspending out-door relief to able-bodied single men above 18 years of age, and to able-bodied married men having only two children, reached the clerk on Sunday, and as the books of the relieving officers, with one exception, were ruled on Saturday, it was found impracticable to bring the order into full effect this week.
The relieving officers have been, however, instructed to issue no rations to the able-bodied single men above 18 years; and to warn the other class alluded to, viz.,
the able-bodied married men having only two children, that in future they must depend on their own resources.
I have visited the workhouse frequently during the week; considerable improve¬ ment in the industrial departments of the establishment has taken place; arrange-
