36 List of County Lunatic Asylums, &c. List of County and Borough Asylums, Hospitals, and Provincial Licensed Houses, receiving Pauper Lunatics. Appointment and Duties of Union Officers. Under the General Consolidated Order of the Poor Law Commissioners, issued on the 24th July, 1847, the following officers are to be appointed by the boards of guardians whenever it may be requisite, or whenever a vacancy may occur, namely:— 1. Clerk to the guardians. 2. Treasurer of the union. 7. Chaplain of the workhouse. 8. Schoolmaster and schoolmistress. 10. Porter. 11. Relieving officer. 12. Superintendent of out-door labour. 13. Collector of poor rate. (This last appointment is made under the authority of a special order.) The appointment of such assistants as the guardians, with the consent of the poor law board, may deem necessary for the efficient performance of the duties of any of these officers, (excepting the last) is also authorized by the same order. The appointments are to be made by a majority of the guardians present at the meeting of the board and voting on the question, but if the votes should be equal, the presiding chairman may then give his casting vote in favour of either candidate. Notice of the intended appointment must be given either at one of the two ordinary meetings of the board next preceding the meeting at which the appointment is made, or by advertisement in some public paper, at least seven days before the appointment is made. 1.-CLERK TO THE GUARDIANS. No person is eligible for this office unless he shall have reached the full age of twenty-one years, and it is necessary that he should possess a general knowledge of the laws relating to the relief and management of the poor, and a thorough practical knowledge of accounts. He must also give a bond to the guardians, conditioned for the due and faithful performance of the duties of the office, with two sufficient sureties. The duties of this office, as laid down by article 202 of the general consolidated order, are as follow: No. 1. To attend all meetings of the board of guardians, and to keep punctually minutes of the proceedings at every meeting, to enter the said minutes in a book, and to submit the same so entered to the presiding chairman at the succeeding meeting, for his signature. No. 2. To keep, check, and examine all accounts, books of accounts, minutes, books, and other documents, as required of him by the regulations of the commissioners, or relating to the business of the guardians, and from time to time to produce all such books and documents, together with the necessary vouchers, and the bonds of any officers, with any certificates relating thereto, which may be in his custody, to the auditor of the union, at the place of audit and at the time and in such manner as may be required by the regulations of the commissioners. No. 3. To peruse and conduct the correspondence of the guardians according to their directions, and to preserve the same, as well as all orders of the commissioners, and letters received, together with copies of all letters sent, and all letters, books, papers, and documents belonging to the union, or intrusted to him by the guardians, and to make all necessary copies thereof. No. 4. To prepare all written contracts and agreements to be entered into by any parties with the guardians, and to see that the same are duly executed, and to prepare all bonds or other securities to be given by any of the officers of the union, and to see that the same are duly executed by such officers and their sureties. No. 5. To receive all requisitions of guardians for extraordinary meetings, and to summon such meetings accordingly; and to make, sign, and send all notices required to be given to the guardians, by this or any other order of the commissioners. No. 6. To countersign all orders legally made by the guardians on overseers, for the payment of money, and all orders legally drawn by the guardians upon the treasurer. No. 7. To ascertain, before every ordinary meeting of the board, the balance due to or from the union, in account with the treasurer, and to enter the same in the minute book. No. 8. At the first meeting of the guardians in each quarter, to lay before the guardians, or some committee appointed by them, the non-settled poor account, and the non-resident poor account, posted in his ledger to the end of the preceding quarter, and to take the directions of the guardians respecting the remittance of cheques or post-office orders to the guardians any other union or parish, or the transmission of accounts due from other unions or parishes, and requests for payment. No. 9. Within fourteen days from the close of each quarter, to transmit by post, all accounts of relief administered in the course of the preceding quarter to non-settled poor, to the guardians of the unions and parishes on account of which such relief was given; and to state in every account so transmitted the names and classes of the several paupers to whom the relief in question has been administered. of No. 10. To communicate to the several officers and persons engaged in the administration of relief within the union, all orders and directions of the commissioners, or of the guardians; and, so far as may be, to give the instructions requisite for the prompt and correct execution of all such orders and directions, and to report to the guardians any neglect or failure therein which may come to his knowledge. No. 11. To conduct all applications by, or on behalf of, the guardians, to any justice or justices at their special, petty, or general sessions, and if he be an attorney or solicitor, to perform and execute all legal business connected with the union, or in which the guardians shall be engaged, except prosecutions at the assizes, actions at law, suits in equity, or parliamentary business, without charge for anything beyond disbursements. No. 12. To prepare and transmit all reports, answers, or returns, as to any question or matter connected with, or relating to, the administration of the laws for the relief of the poor in the union, or to any other business of the union, which are required by the regulations of the commissioners, or which the commissioners, or any assistant commissioner, may lawfully require from him. No. 13. To conduct duly and impartially, and in strict conformity with the regulations in force at the time, the annual, or any other, election of guardians. No. 14. To observe and execute all lawful orders and directions of the guardians applicable to his office. Upon these several duties, it is to be observed that the clerk cannot delegate his duty of attending the meetings of the board of guardians to any other person-though the guardians may, if they deem it fit so to do, accept the services of a substitute during his absence. The clerk is the proper person to have the legal custody of the books and accounts of the union, and if he be served with a subpoena duces tecum, he must attend and produce all books, documents, and papers in his possession, which may be required of him. But he will not be justified in allowing strangers to inspect the books of the union, or to make extracts from them, unless he be expressly authorized so to do by the board of guardians. It is no part of this officer's duty, or indeed of the duty of any other officer of the union, to attend, when called upon by the officers of any parish, in the union, before the magistrates in petty sessions as a witness, in cases of removal of paupers, or in any other matter which has reference solely to the business of the particular parish, and not to his duties as an officer of the union. But if an officer be subpoenaed he must attend. It is no part of his duty as clerk to attend before the justices and give evidence in cases where orders of removal are applied for. As regards the official correspondence of the guardians, it is to be observed that the clerk is not required to wait for the special directions of the board of guardians to answer letters involving transactions of mere routine business. But if the answer to any letter depend upon any decision the guardians may have come to on the matter to which it relates, the special directions of the |