Published: Wednesday, 7th April, 2010 5:00pm

Pages from the Past

1860

26 take boat to America ... in error

In 1860, local newspapers carried a significant amount of regional, national and indeed, international, news and reports, in the absence of other media forms to disseminate such news.

It was tradition to carry items of interest from the columns of other regional newspapers, as this example published originally in the Cork Constitution and republished in the Westmeath Independent in early April 1860 indicates:

"On last Thursday, over 400 emigrants took their departure from this country for America by the mail steamers which left Queenstown (Cobh ) for New York and Portland.

While the steamers were in the harbour a considerable number of country people, friends of the emigrants, accompanied them on board to bid them farewell, intending to return either by boat or by one of the steam tenders, which they supposed could remain alongside.

To their dismay, however, the mails being placed on board, the steamer was instantly got underway, being bound under heavy penalties to be on the route by a given time, and before any means could be procured to send the parties ashore, the steamers were en route to America, having 26 of them on board.

Several of these unlucky individuals who now have a journey of some 5,000 miles before them to America and back had actually left their carts and some members of their families behind them in Queenstown, and the inconvenience and alarm to which they have been treated may easily be imagined.

1910

Pensions crisis as benefits being denied

Old age pensions came into being in 1909 but the operation of the act in Ireland became a huge political issue in 1910.

The Westmeath Independent reported the act was "a shameful fraud" and it was being administered in such a way as to deprive the "aged, the infirm and the poverty-stricken out of the pittance the law allows them".

As an indication of the inconsistent approach being taken on the issue, the Westmeath Independent pointed to criticism from "the Unionist Irish Times"

It explained local pension committees had been established to assess applications, but their recommendations were being flouted.

The paper said, in cases where proof of age was impossible to verify, the pensions committees had been directed to accept certificates issued by priests, but this was not not being accepted by the Government.

The paper said 20,000 legitimate cases had been rejected in the first year of operation of the pensions act.

"Not only that, indeed, we had the attempt to obtain refunds of the pensions paid to the poor creatures who were afterwards declared disqualified.

That money was obtained in good faith, it was bad enough for them to be disqualified and suffer disappointment, but it was a cruel and brutal piece of officialism to pursue them for the few shillings they had received.

The paper also poured scorn on the remarks by the Chief Secretary in the House of Commons that the Local Government Board, which acted as its decision-makers in the pensions case, in cases where ages could not be verified, judged a person's age by their appearance.

1960

Treat runaway fathers as "common criminals"

The Athlone branch of the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children investigated some 132 cases of possible cruelty and neglect in the area during 1959, the AGM heard in April 1960

Dr J.J. Keane, the branch's secretary, told the AGM of the Midland branch of the ISPCC that the cases involved 467 children aged from six months to 17 years.

He carried out 758 supervisory visits and another 757 general visits in relation to his work.

There was only one prosecution during the year although 95 males and 37 females were warned.

The general public reported 93 of the 132 cases, Gardai 14 and other officials 25.

They had also found in necessary to send details in seven cases to England in an effort to get defaulting fathers to provide for their families.

Addressing the meeting Fr McGiveny, Adm of St Mary's, said the question of unfaithful husbands who deserted their wives and children must be discussed with the Department of Justice.

The society should attempt to bring influence to bear to make such husbands amenable to the law as common criminals.

Chamber of Commerce council elected

Athlone Chamber of Commerce elected its council by postal ballot in 1960.

The elected council consisted of Very Rev Canon McCarthy, Very Rev. Fr McGinvey, Senator Brian Lenihain, Messrs P.J. Byrne, W.A. Case, P.J. Cooney, solicitor, J. Crehan, P. Claffey, J.P. Foy, S.E. Fox, P.J. Geraghty, J.J. Hayden, P.J. Hogan, T. Kilroy, P. Sheil and W.A. Tormey, solicitor.

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