Contagious Diseases Acts : speech by Mr. Littleton of Devonport (one of the subjected districts), at the meeting in Edinburgh in favour of their total repeal, on 1st February 1875 / [Mr. Littleton].

  • Littleton, Mr.
Date:
[between 1870 and 1879?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Contagious Diseases Acts : speech by Mr. Littleton of Devonport (one of the subjected districts), at the meeting in Edinburgh in favour of their total repeal, on 1st February 1875 / [Mr. Littleton]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    CONTAGIOUS DISEASES ACTS. SPEECH by Mr LITTLETON, of Bevonport {one of the Subjected Bistricts), at the Meeting in Edinburgh in favour of their Total Repeal, on 1st February 1875. Mr Littleton, from Devonport—You have waited so patiently, and listened so attentively to the various speakers, that I will not occupy your time above a few minutes. There are facts in connection with the operation of these Acts in the district in which I reside, which I have carefully investigated during the last five years, and would like to state to you. The Eoyal Albert Hospital is situate in the district, and that hospital is referred to by the supporters of the Act as being the model hospital in which these Acts are carried out to perfection. If we take the very best examples they put before us, and examine them carefully, we can come to a conclusion as to the facts, which any one can easily ascertain for themselves, and not do any wrong or injustice to those who support these immoral laws. I may teU you, in the first instance, that the Eoyal Albert Hospital was founded ostensibly as a civil hospital, but at the time it was not known that the gentleman who was the founder had made a secret arrangement with the Grovernment to connect with it a large establishment as a lock hospital. The building is situated on Grovernment ground, and after the civil portion of it was built an enormous erection was made at the Government expense, out of the public taxation, and, including the land, really comprised two-thirds of that building, for which the country has paid, I believe, a sum exceeding £100,000. In addition to that, the chairman of the hospital told the Eoyal Commission that in these lock wards there are one hundred and sixty-two beds, which cost £143 per bed. In the Report of the Eoyal Albert Hospital which I hold in my hand, for the year 1870, it appears that, in addition to this enormous expenditiu'e out of the public taxation, that hospital received, as income arising from these persons immured in the lock wards, the sum of £4,412, making a profit out of it of £2000. I saw in a local newspaper last week, that there has been jealousy exist- ing between the,hospital at Portsmouth and the hospital at Devonport, because the latter obtained more remuneration from the Government than did the former. Taking the thing into consideration, the Accountant-General has agreed to increase the sum given to Portsmouth by £153 a-year, to make up their total income to £4,400 odd a-year. So you see for that sort of traffic, after the Acts have been in existence for so many years, they