Rents of Labourer’s Cottages

The Clerk reported that there were some arrears on the rents of labourer’s cottages, generally from one to five weeks, but there are about 12 weeks due on one woman in Iverus, whose uhsband had died. He wished to know would there be proceedings taken against her.
Mr.Naughton said that the woman in question was very poor and had a large family.
Mr. Hewson thought the rule they had made could not be broken. The money had been given them to provide house for the labourers and he thought it their duty to see that the rent was collected. It was agreed to adhere to their usual rule of proceeding against any tenant who owed more than four weeks rent.

Unsatisfactory State of the Rate Collection

The Clerk drew the attention of the Board to the state of the rate collection, which he described as being in a most unsatisfactory condition. As the time would expire in a very short time, there were very many reasons why the rates should be collected. In the first place they were in debt and they could not pay all their bills today. This was the first time they could not meet their liabilities. The Treasurer he believed, would honour their cheques to the extent of four or five hundred pounds., but there were some £500 more
which could not be paid for the present. The collectors had been requested to have a sum collected, but apparently they had disregarded the order of the board.

Mr. Maunsell: How much is outstanding?
The Clerk: There are £4,000 outstanding.
Mr. Hewson: I think the collectors are running about the country in a way I never saw them before.
The Clerk : I think they ought to do much more than they have done.
Mr. Switzer: There are plenty fellows now swaggering around and paying nothing at all, and I don’t see why those fellows should be swaggering around while we pay the rates.
The Clerk : The collectors ought to be requested to collect the rates.
A Guardian said that the people would be better able to pay in a month’s time.
Mr. hewson said he would be in favour of not issuing cheques to these people to whome they owed money, and who were not pressing for payment. Everybody had to wait for money now, and h did no t see why the people there , any of them who could afford to wait, should not wait for a fortnight or a month instead of pressing the ratepayers as they were doing. He would rather do that than increase their indebtedness to the bank.
Mr. Maunsell: I think pressure ought to be put on the collectors.
Mr. Switzer: Of course we are supposed to represent the people in a certain sense, as elected Guardians from the people themselves. Now, there are some of those you know who won’t pay any rates. They are schemers, don’t you see – they will do nothing, and when we represent them I don’t see why we should not compel them to be equal to every other honest man.
The Chairman : How is it they are not compelled to pay rates?
Mr. Switzer: That is what I want to come to. They won’t pay anything. I am full sure that many of them are able to pay, and hey swagger around and won’t pay.
Mr. Hewson said that the persons referred to, though they might have plenty of money in their pockets, might not at the same time possess any goods capable of being seized in satisfaction for the rates.
Mr. Switzer; But idlers and schemers won’t pay anything.
Mr. Maunsell: Are you going to bring any pressure to bear on the collectors?
The Clerk said he had made an order urgently requesting them to collect the outstanding rates.

Taken from “The Munster News and Limerick and Clare Advocate”,
April 2, 1887