Folios 114-115. Letter from Walter May Barton, Clerk to the Guardians of the Mitford...

Folios 114-115. Letter from Walter May Barton, Clerk to the Guardians of the Mitford and Launditch Poor Law Union, to the Local Government Board. He writes concerning pauper lunatics and bring to the attention of the board that as a year consists of 52 weeks and 1 day and a leap year of 52 weeks and 2 days, the repayment from the parliamentary grant in respect of 52 weeks only, leaves the ratepayers to bear the entire cost of the lunatics for a short period of the year. He wishes to be informed whether in the future this matter can be rectified by any alteration in the method of making the claim for the grant, or in the method of paying the claim of the asylum authorities or in any other way.
Annotated: 'Acknowledge, and say that the Board cannot depart from the rule which they have invariably acted upon, to allow for 53 weeks in cases in which 51 weeks were claimed for the year immediately preceding', 28 February 1885.
Annotated: 'Mr Owen. If the practise in question depended only upon an arbitrary rule of the Board I think that adherence to it might be deemed unreasonable but I understand that it is considered that the terms upon which the money is voted by Parliament leaves this Board no option in this matter. If this is so, I should like to say so', 28 February 1885.
Annotated: 'Mr Fees. 1.What is the precise purpose for which the claim was made in this case. 2. Is not the purpose to carry on a broken part of a week from the one year to the next year? 3. Was the view that no repayment could be made for part only of a week [referred] in a circular letter?' March 2 1885.
Annotated: 'Mr Owen. 1.From the 23 September 1882 to 28 September 1884. 2. The practise of carrying on broken parts of a week from one year to the next is carried on in nearly all if not quite all, the unions in Norfolk, is almost wholly confined to that county. 3. I annex two circular letters in which the Guardians are distinctly informed that fractions of a week cannot be repaid for [not included]', 3 March 1885.
Annotated: 'Please annexe the recent case. Where a similar question was raised - Loddon and Clavering', 3 March 1885.
Annotated: ' I think that the Board should state that as pointed out in the Board's circular letters of 7 September 1874 and 26 April 1875 no payments can be made from the part in respect of fractions of weeks, and that the Board cannot make any payments from the grant for the year ended the 29 September last for any period prior to the commencement of that year', 4 March 1885.
Annotated: 'I learn from W [illegible] that this is not the practice and I have no desire to make the rule more stringent than it is now.
Say that the Board are unable to support any increase by which the guardians could render themselves entitled to claim payment from the grant in respect of a year for more than 52 weeks, except when in the preceding year payment was made for 51 weeks only', 18 March 1885.
[See also paper number 12139/1885].

Paper Number: 21643/1885.

Poor Law Union Number: 302.

Counties: Norfolk.