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<p n="3562"> Treasury Committee investigated the Affairs of the Hospitals;<lb></lb>
and, for similar Reasons, they have generally in other<lb></lb>
respects confined a great Part of their Attention to the<lb></lb>
Transactions since that Period.</p>
<p n="3563">MUCH of the Time of the Committee hath been spent in<lb></lb>
extracting the several Items stated in the Appendix from the<lb></lb>
Court Books and Cash Books of the different Officers for<lb></lb>
many Years; partly, because no regular and compleat Col-<lb></lb>
lection of the Rules and Orders was to be found, no such<lb></lb>
Book having been lately kept; and partly because the Pub-<lb></lb>
lic Accompts of the Hospitals are extremely obscure and de-<lb></lb>
fective.</p>
<p n="3564">HAVING already trespassed upon the Patience of the Court,<lb></lb>
it would be too much to recite and comment upon the va-<lb></lb>
rious Subjects, as well considerable as minute, which have<lb></lb>
come under the the Notice of the Committee, and co-operated<lb></lb>
more of less with weightier Reasons in determining their<lb></lb>
Opinions. They have therefore contented themselves with<lb></lb>
stating (they hope with sufficient Fullness) in the Appendix<lb></lb>
the most important Particulars relative to the Accompts, the<lb></lb>
Revenues, and Expenditure; and their Sentiments respecting</p>
<p n="3565">(18)</p>
<p n="3566">Reforms and Improvements in the Management will be<lb></lb>
found classed under the several Heads to which they respec-<lb></lb>
tively refer.</p>
<p n="3567">IT is sufficient here to observe, that, by one of those<lb></lb>
Statements, it appears that £5957. 11s. hath been expended<lb></lb>
on the Apprentices, and £7493. 16s. 4d. in maintaining the<lb></lb>
Vagrants (the only two supposed Objects of the Charity of<lb></lb>
Bridewell); whereas it has cost within the same Period<lb></lb>
£19,254. Os.4d. in Salaries, Etc. of the Officers employed in<lb></lb>
the Management; besides £6341.6s.1½d. for their Taxes,<lb></lb>
Views of Estates, Etc. and £3234. 9s. 1d. in Feasts; toge-<lb></lb>
ther £28,329.15s.6½d; and, what seems equally extraor-<lb></lb>
dinary, the further enormous Sum of £17,332.19s.7d. for<lb></lb>
Repairs at the Hospital of Bridewell alone.</p>
<p n="3568">FACTS, which clearly demonstrate that there must be some<lb></lb>
effential Defect in that System of Management, wherein<lb></lb>
there is such a Disproportion of Expence; and for which a<lb></lb>
radical Cure should be provided.</p>
<p n="3569">YOUR Committee therefore proceed to offer a few shore<lb></lb>
Observations on each respective Head of Reference.</p>
<p n="3570">REVENUE</p>
<p n="3571">(19)</p>
<p n="3572">REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE;</p>
<p n="3573">RELYING chiefly upon the Abstracts No. I to VI. in the<lb></lb>
Appendix for the Explanation of Particulars, your<lb></lb>
Committee observe generally;</p>
<p n="3574">THAT No. I, contains a Summary of the present Re-<lb></lb>
venues of both Hospitals: distinguishing the Part due to the<lb></lb>
Incurables, and the Periods when the said Revenues are re-<lb></lb>
ceivable.</p>
<p n="3575">No. II, shews the Average Annual Income of Bridewell,<lb></lb>
taken for the last 16 Years (deducting £361.7s.1½d. for Quit<lb></lb>
Rents, Etc.) to be £3954.0s.6¾d.; which your Committee<lb></lb>
believe may increased.</p>
<p n="3576">No. III, states the Average Annual Expenditure at that<lb></lb>
Hospital, taken for the same Period (deducting also the Quit<lb></lb>
Rents above-mentioned) to be £3725.17s.8¾d.; and, after<lb></lb>
what your Committee have already hinted as to the Extrava-<lb></lb>
gance of some of the Articles of Expence, and their Dispro-</p>
<p n="3577">(20)</p>
<p n="3578">portion to others, it is not too much to say, that the Dif-<lb></lb>
bursements are capable of great Reductions, and that the<lb></lb>
Savings may be more usefully and properly applied.</p>
<p n="3579">No. IV, shews the nett Average Annual Income of Bethlem<lb></lb>
for the same Period, deducting as before, to have been<lb></lb>
£6608.15s.9d.; and Part of the Estates of that Hospital ha-<lb></lb>
ving been recently let at advanced Rents, which only com-<lb></lb>
menced at Lady-day last, the Committee would have been<lb></lb>
justified in adding the same to that Average Income; but, as<lb></lb>
they strongly recommend a Reduction of the Admission and<lb></lb>
some other Fees in Favour of the poor Patients who are not sent<lb></lb>
by Parishes, which they trust will be adopted, a Diminution<lb></lb>
of that Branch of the Income will be thereby occasioned,<lb></lb>
which may be equal to the increased Rents alluded to. There<lb></lb>
is, however, Reason to expect that this Revenue also may<lb></lb>
be improved in other respects.</p>
<p n="3580">No. V, states the nett Average Annual Expenditure of Beth-<lb></lb>
lem, taken for the like Period of 16 Years, to be £6532.7s.3d.;<lb></lb>
which perhaps in not capable of any material Reduction, nor<lb></lb>
do your Committee think it liable to an Increate, except from<lb></lb>
the Article of Repairs, or a new Building; either of which<lb></lb>
may render a strong Appeal to the Feelings and the Charity<lb></lb>
of</p>
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