Fullerton Hospital Annual Meeting – Plain Speaking by Mr W.H.Chambers

February 1906

Mexborough and Swinton Times February 3, 1906

The Fullerton Hospital, Denaby
Annual Meeting of subscribers
The Duties of Royalty Owners
Plain Speaking by Mr W.H.Chambers

The annual meeting of subscribers to the Fullerton Hospital Denaby Main was held on Monday night at the Rossington Street School, Denaby, Mr J Soar presided over a large gathering, amongst those present being Mr W.H.Chambers, Mr H.S. Witty, Dr Huey, Dr F.G.Twigg, Dr Foster Mr J Rose, Mr P. Bury, Mr T.Mosby, Mr R Dunn, Mr W Wright and Mr Jesse Hill (secretary)

The minutes of the previous annual meeting, of a special meeting of subscribers and of numerous Committee meetings, were read by the secretary.

It was recorded in the minutes of the Committee meeting that a cheque for £10, being a donation to the Building Fund, been received from Col Bewick Copley, Sprotborough Hall, and the secretary had been instructed to inform Col Copley that the Committee did not consider this amount a sufficient subscription.

The minutes of the Committee also reported that the Denaby and Cadeby collieries Ltd are forwarded receipted accounts for the cost of firing and lighting at the hospital to the president.

The President, commenting on the minutes, said he thought Mr Chambers ought to be thankfully general influence in persuading the Company to give the hospital gas lighting and call. (Hear, hear) They did not get much given them; they had themselves give pretty nearly everything the hospital received. He saw that just recently the Mexborough Hospital had £500 given to them, but they had no friends of that kind.

Looking through the list of donations to the Hospital he could not see that even the doctors are given them anything yet, video before long they would do so. (Hear, hear.)

He was sorry to say that they were about £1000 in debt on the Building account and he felt the would agree with him that they could not ask the Company to do anything more. (Hear, hear.)

He thought the outsiders who were milking money out of the district ought to do more than they had done – for example, there was one bad one given only £10. That was nothing; you ought to have given them at least hundred pounds, see what he was receiving from the Company. (Hear, hear and applause.)

The minutes were then confirmed and the Secretary then read the balance sheet.

The following officers were then appointed: Secretary, Mr J Hill, treasurer Mr H.S Witty, auditors, Messrs Dan Graham and R Dunn (all re-elected)

Committee: Mr J Rose, (Cadeby Top Men), Messrs T.W.Mosby, W crocs all, are Bridges and J Spring so (Cadeby Underground Men) E. Throughton (Denaby Top Men) Mark Kaye, Joseph Hassall, W Wright and Jean Mills (Denaby Underground Men)

When the nominations for the Committee had been received, a subscriber asked if one of the candidates was in favour of dividing the workmen’s subscriptions equally between Denaby and Mexborough. If he was in favour of that he would support him, because it was only fair they should contribute to Mexborough Hospital seeing that most of their cases went there. (Oh! Oh!)

Mr Chairman, We have nothing to do with that. We have our own Hospital now to support.

A Subscriber: Well, I think it ought to be taken into account. We are getting benefits from the Mexborough Hospital.

Mr Bashforth said if the subscribers studied their own interest they would not elect all officials on the Committee. (Hear, hear). They ought to have more working men.

Mr G Mills thought it very wrong of Mr Bashforth to draw a distinction between workmen and officials. They all worked for the Company and they all paid their penny a week.

A Voice: Send one penny to Mexborough and keep the other penny at Denaby.

Mr Bashforth complained that all the committee of management and trustees were officials.

Mr Chambers said he himself was the only official out of the five trustees.

The argument then ended and the Committee were elected as already recorded.

Mr W.H.Chambers said he wished to speak to them with regard to the particular interest in the ad in the Hospital. He was every bit as anxious that it should go forward and get out of its difficulties as they were. As a trustee, either, you are bound to point out that owing to the financial position of the Hospital, the Committee were not able to do quite as they would like. The attention of the committee are been drawn to the desirability of contributing more to the Sheffield Infirmary, and they would be very willing to do so if they add the means available. The sum mentioned in the accounts was not, however, the only contribution sent to Sheffield from Denaby.

The company contributed £25 a year, and they are now a considerable number of out recommends, but there had been such a run on in recommends he had nonlife.

Another matter which had been mentioned was a suggestion that they should divide their contributions between Denaby and Mexborough stop (hear, hear.) That was absolutely impossible, unless they would unanimously agreed to contribute 2p per week instead of a penny.

Proceeding, he said, you will have noticed by the statement of accounts that the Hospital is still £1000 in debt, with all the contributions and all the subscriptions. Now that the hospital is open we shall of course have the maintenance charges to meet, and that will eat up a great part of your contributions, so that unless there is very strict economy, we shall never get out of debt.

The Committee are very disappointed, not by the way you are so generously met the expenses, but by the way in which subscriptions are not coming from the Royalty owners. Some have given more than we expected, and others have given a great deal less than we had every legitimate expectation we should get.

We are told a man has a right to spend his money where and how he pleases, but I say that is wrong; he has no business using his money, nor any more than he uses his ability, except in a just and proper way. It is not just, to my mind, for any man to take all he can get out of the concern and totally forget the needs of those who earn his income.

When a Royalty owners receiving thousands of pounds a year without moving a finger to assist in securing that increment, he ought at least to do something for those who take the risk of being injured, crushed and maimed doing their work, which earned him a splendid income (applause).

I may say that in connection with our Hospital our principal Royalty owner has not taken that view of his responsibility – very far from it. I don’t wonder it is making thinking may consider whether, see how they are treated by them, they should support these gentleman will live in the is idle careless, thoughtless kind of way, shirking their responsibilities and without any idea of their obligations, when they put forward a political policy or any other policy for their own benefit.

I do not wonder that thinking working men should refuse to support such gentleman until they themselves recognise what is right and just towards their fellow men, and I agree with you it is time they were made to do it. (Applause).

They are deriving an income from something it never cost them a sixpence to acquire, and they owe every penny of that income to you and me and others who work to earn it. (Hear, hear). I say it fearlessly, and I don’t care who is me say, that the time must come when if Royalty owners and others who receive large incomes they do nothing to earn, will not voluntary recognise their obligations to those who earn that income for them they must be compelled to do what is just and right. (Applause)

Continuing Mr Chambers alluded to the subscribers who had given liberally to the Hospital. Referring to the Denaby Companies donation of £250, E said they must bear in mind that practically all of the capital of the company was owned by one man, and that this subscription meant that the money had practically all come out of Mr Pope’s pocket. (Hear, hear). That gentleman took a very great interest in the Hospital and had been delighted when they did him the honour to ask him to the institution.

They were also deeply indebted to Mr F Montagu and Mr Caleb Kilner for their generous gifts. Concluding he said they could not help wishing they are such good friends of the Mexborough Hospital add, they were not jealous of that institution, they would not be jealous of Mexborough if someone would clear off their debt altogether. (Hear, hear).

The Chairman moved a vote of thanks to Mr Chambers for his instrumentality in inducing the Colliery Company to assist the institution. Mr Basforth seconded, and this was carried unanimously.

Dr J.J.Hewitt, speaking about the taste of the Chairman, said in a mining district like there’s a hospital in their midst was absolutely necessary. There are Hospital was not all in their midst but he was up today. They had an efficient nursing staff, and the Committee were endeavouring to work the institution on business lines. He noticed that the medical men who lived among them had given nothing towards the building of this party should be pleased to give a contribution of £5.

Dr F Graham Twigg and Dr Foster also spoke.