Mexborough & Swinton Times, November 03
Round About Conisboro´
Tubercular Relief
The urban area of Conisborough loomed large in the discussion on tubercular recipients of out-door relief at the meeting of the Doncaster Board of Guardians on Saturday last. Apparently the number of such applicants for relief emanating from or area must be such as to arrest the attention of representatives from more favoured parishes.
The fact that the unfortunate applicants in certain cases received more in relief than they were formerly able to earn, seems to have given rise to the discussion. The explanation, however, was quite simple, for it follows that any sufferer from this scourge must find his earning capacity a gradual diminishing quality as the disease progresses.
County Councillor Roberts, to whom I offer my congratulations on the recent honour conferred upon him, maintained that the abnormal number of these sad cases was partly a legacy of the war for the number of men who joined up from this area was unusually large, and the vigour´s of campaigning had prepared the ground for the attack of this fell disease. The lack of houses and the excessive overcrowding in some houses, was another factor which Mr. Roberts mentioned as a predisposing cause.
One would like to know the number of tubercular cases in the urban area, and the number of cases, say per 1,000 of the population, and if the same figures could be given for the West Riding, and for the whole county we should be able to judge how much worse if we are worse, our area is than the rest of the county and country.
During the three months ended 30 September last 5 deaths in the urban district were due to tubercular disease, while during the same period there were 4 fresh cases notified.