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The Grand Canal Company and the Bellman

Friday 7 September 2018 12:37

Mr Bruce:

The expenses, in his mind, were grossly exorbitant […] and he thought this an enormous charge, and he hoped this was quite sufficient observation on that head.

Chairman:

What do you allude to?

Mr Bruce:

To salaries paid to agents, inspectors, parcel clerks, bell-ringers and the like, and I don’t know what oyu want with all these people; you get a person to ring a bell twice a day, and this, with others, I think a regular system of patronage.

An exchange at the half-yearly meeting of the Grand Canal Company on 2 November 1844, reported in the Freeman’s Journal of 4 November 1844.

Posted by anne

Categories: Ashore, Canals, Extant waterways, Historical matters, Ireland, Waterways management

Tags: ,

2 Responses to “The Grand Canal Company and the Bellman”

  1. If ringing that bell kept some family out of a workhouse or off a coffin ship, then fair play to the GCC!

    By Neil Fleming on Friday 7 September 2018 at 14:45

  2. As the ringer was in Dublin, he would have travelled by steamer to Liverpool if he wanted to emigrate, and the steamers were seaworthy. bjg

    By bjg on Friday 7 September 2018 at 15:13

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