The High-Street South Improvements To Cost Less Than A Farthing Rate
Scavenging: Direct Or By Tender?
The North-Street Improvements
Election Of Overseers
Later Trains From Northampton Wanted

  Mr. F. Ballard presided at a meeting of the Council on Wednesday evening, when there were present Messrs. W. Bazeley (vice-chairman), John Claridge, J.P., C.C., F. Knight, J.P., G. Miller, C.C., C. E. Bayes, and A. J. Dobbs, G. S. Mason (clerk), W. B. Madin (surveyor), and H. Hunter (sanitary inspector).

Plans, &c., Committee

  The following minutes were received:-

  A meeting of the Plans, Highways and Lighting Committee was held at the Council Buildings on Wednesday, the 26^th February, 1908, when there were present:- Messrs. F. Ballard (in the chair), W. Bazeley, C. E. Bayes, J. S. Clipson, G. Miller, F. Knight, and A. J. Dobbs.

Plans

were presented by:-

  Mr. J. Northern for an engine shed of corrugated iron at the rear of his premises in John-street.  The Surveyor reported that the building had been partially erected before the present plan was submitted and not with the materials as described in the building notice.  It was resolved to take no exception to the building, provided it be constructed entirely in compliance with the plan and the building notice attached.

  Mr. C. E. Bayes for a warehouse and stable in Washbrook-road and passed.

Team Labour

  Day Work Carting. – The following tenders for day-work were received:-

  W. G. Willmott – One horse, cart, and man per day, 7/-; two horses, cart, and man per day, 11/-; one horse, cart, and man per hour at odd times, 10d.; one horse and cart (without driver) per hour, 6d.

  A. Packwood – One horse, cart, and man per day, 6/8; two horses, cart, and man per day, 10/6; one horse, cart, and man per hour at odd times, 10d.; one horse and cart (without driver) at per hour, 6d.

  It was resolved to recommend the Council to accept the tender of Mr. A. Packwood for three years, subject to the confirmation by the new Council of the contract for the third year.

  Collection of House Refuse, etc. – The following tenders for the collection of house refuse, etc., were also received:-

  W. W. Smith – Two horses, two carts, and one driver per hour, 10d.; one horse and cart per hour, 5.

  F. Whittemore – Two horses, two carts, and one driver per hour, 11d.; one horse and cart per hour 5½d.

  A. Packwood – Two horses, two carts, and one driver per hour ½; one horse and cart per hour, 6d.

  It was resolved to recommend the Council to accept the tender of Mr. W. W. Smith for three years, subject to a like confirmation for the third year by the new Council.

High-Street South Improvement

  Culvert and Boundary Wall – The following tenders were received for the construction of the culvert and the erection of the boundary wall:-

  It was resolved to recommend the Council to accept the tenders of Mr. Robert Marriott, the wall to be constructed of bricks.

  The Surveyor’s estimate for the culvert was £180 and for the wall £40/5/0.

  Fencing – It was resolved to recommend the Council to fence the land on the High-street South side with unclimbable iron fencing similar to that erected by the County Council for the protection of the brook near Mr. Asher Abbott’s property.

  Filling in – The Surveyor informed the Committee that a considerable quantity of material would be required for filling in the ground after the culvert had been constructed, and suggested that he might be authorised to take same from the Wymington Road by throwing part of the present footpath into the roadway.

  It was resolved to recommend the Council to authorise the Surveyor to adopt this course.

Irchester And Washbrook Roads

  The Surveyor presented his estimates for piping in the ditches and constructing new footpaths in these roads, amounting altogether to £350.

  It was resolved to refer the matter to a meeting of the whole Council in committee.

Victoria Hotel

  The Chairman formally reported that as a result of an interview between the Committee and Captain Briggs, representing Messrs. P. Phipps and Co., Limited, the owners of the property, it had been arranged for the new boundary wall about to be erected in North-street to be set back several feet from the present board fencing.

  The Surveyor also reported that Captain Briggs had agreed to a further improvement in the High-street being effected by the taking down of the present boundary wall and the erecting of a new fence in a line with the hotel right through to North-street, subject to the Council providing the labour for taking down the wall and making the necessary excavations.  The Surveyor estimated the cost at from 30s. 0d. to £2.

  It was unanimously resolved to authorise the Surveyor to provide the necessary labour for carrying out the proposals.

  The Committee considered that a very desirable improvement would be effected at a very small cost.

Portland Road

  The Clerk submitted a list of owners who had failed to pay their apportioned charges in connection with the Private Street Works executed in this road, and it was resolved to recommend the Council to authorise the Clerk to serve the usual notice upon them that if the amounts due were not paid within three months the Council would proceed to exercise their statutory powers of sale in connection with the properties concerned.

  Regarding the tender for the collection of house refuse, Mr. Bates asked if its acceptance for three years would prevent the Council from carrying out the scavenging by their own work-people at the end of the first or second year.

  The Chairman said that if the Council adopted the recommendation of the committee the matter could not be re-opened until the end of the three years.

  Mr. Dobbs: That being so, I shall move an amendment that we accept the tender for one year only.  It is almost certain that the question will be raised at the end of the year and a proposal made that the Council employ the scavengers direct.

  Mr. Bates seconded.

  Messrs. Knight, Claridge, Miller, Swindall, Bayes, and Clipson voted against the amendment, and Messrs. Paragreen, Dobbs, Bates, and Bazeley voted for it.

  Mr. Swindall: I think it will be quite possible to raise the question at the end of the two years.

  The Chairman: If we adopt the committee’s recommendation, provisionally accepting the tender for three years, we can hardly raise the question again at the end of two years.

  Mr. Bazeley: I think it is a wrong recommendation to make to the Council.  The money is in the bank and we are paying principal and interest, and not using it for the purpose for which it was obtained.  I know the Council are going on with this system of scavenging by tender because they think it is more economical than doing it ourselves---

  Mr. Knight: Should not this matter have been raised on the amendment?

  The Chairman: The amendment has been lost, and now I must put the recommendation of the committee to the meeting.

  The recommendation was adopted by six votes to four.

  Regarding the acceptance of the tender of Mr. Marriott for the High-street South improvement, Mr. Bates asked if a clause would be inserted that trade union rate of wages should be paid.

  The Chairman: Yes, that is in the tender.

  Mr. Swindall: Is the filling in included in Mr. Marriott’s tender?

  The Surveyor: No.

  Mr. Knight suggested that either the whole Council or the committee should visit the Wymington-road and decide the place from which the material needed for filling in should be taken.

  The Chairman: A very wise suggestion.

  This was adopted.

  Mr. Claridge, referring to the North-street improvements by the owners of the Victoria Hotel, said that a very great improvement would be effected for the town at a very low cost to the ratepayers.  The Council were very much indebted to Messrs. Phipps and Co. for the generous way in which they had met the committee.

  Mr. G. Miller: I think they met the committee in a very handsome manner, and I move that a vote of thanks be sent to them.

  Mr. Claridge seconded, and it was carried, the Chairman stating that Messrs. Phipps had met them in a very handsome way and that Captain Briggs seemed willing to go as far as possible for the benefit of the town.

  In reply to Mr. Paragreen, the Chairman said that the improvement, when it was finished, would be a very great one.

  The rest of the report was adopted.

Finance Committee

  Minutes were received as follows:-

  A meeting of the Finance Committee was held at the Council Buildings on Wednesday, the 4^th March, 1908, at 11 a.m., when there were present:- Messrs. F. Ballard (chairman), W. Bazeley, and Geo. Miller.

Surveyor’s Cash Account

    The Committee examined the Surveyor’s cash account with the wages books, the expenditure shown therein being as follows:-

Collector’s District Rate Account

  The Committee also examined the Collector’s District Rate Account, from which it appeared that since the last meeting he had collected the following sum:-

Collector’s Fittings Accounts

  By the Collector’s fittings account produced it appeared that since the last meeting he had collected the following sums:-

Treasurer’s Accounts

  The Committee also examined the Treasurer’s accounts, from which it appeared that he had received the following sums since the last meeting:-

And that the balances on the under-mentioned accounts were as follows:-

Tradesmen’s And Other Accounts

  A number of accounts were examined and passed for payment.    The report was adopted.

Estates, Cemetery And Sanitary Committee

  The following minutes were received and adopted:-

  A meeting of the Estates, Cemetery, and Sanitary Committee was held at the Council Buildings on Wednesday, the 4^th March, 1908 at 7 p.m., when there were present:- Messrs. W. Bazeley (chairman), F. Ballard, C. Bates, J. Claridge, J. Paragreen, and Tom Swindall.

Health And Sanitary Reports

  The Medical Officer reported that three cases of infectious disease had been notified since the last meeting, one of scarlet fever and two of erysipelas.

  The Sanitary Inspector informed the Committee that the case of scarlet fever referred to by the Medical Officer was in Spencer-road.

  The Inspector reported that the Council orders served on Mr. James Sargent and Mr. James Sugars were now being complied with.

  He had disinfected during the month one house in which a consumptive patient had died.

  The Inspector submitted his usual monthly statement of work done, complaints investigated and notices served.

Trade Refuse

  With regard to the removal of the trade refuse the Inspector was authorised to inform tradesmen and others that the Council would undertake the work at the following charges:

  1/6 per load and 3d. per sack or bag of 4 bushels.

House Inspection

  The Committee instructed the Inspector to make a house-to-house inspection of such properties in the town as he might think desirable to inspect.

Milk Supply

  One purveyor of milk had been registered during the month.

Factory And Workshop Act

  Lists of outworkers had been received from 31 firms notifying 488 outworkers, 293 males and 195 females.

Public Health Acts Amendment Act 1907

  The Committee had under consideration the adoption of several parts of this Act and it was resolved to recommend the Council to apply to the Local Government Board for an Order declaring parts 2, 3, and 4, relating respectively to Streets and Buildings, Sanitary Provisions, and Infectious Diseases to be in force in the Urban District of Rushden.

Cemetery

  The Surveyor was authorised to purchase a dozen cast iron notice plates requesting persons not to walk on the grass.

High-Street South Improvement

  The seal of the Council was affixed to a mortgage with the Liverpool Victoria Legal Friendly Society of the sum of £450 for the High-street South improvement, the sums of £197 and £60 to be repaid in equal annual instalments in 50 years and the remainder in equal annual instalments in 10 years.  This, it was stated, would be £11/19/0 for 50 years and £14/4/0 for 20 years.

  Mr. Claridge:  That sum will enable us to make all the proposed improvements there?

  The Surveyor: Yes.

  The Clerk: Besides the £450 there is the money to come from the County Council.

  The Chairman: But so far as the Urban Council is concerned, a farthing rate will cover the whole.

Overseers

  Messrs. John Claridge, J. T. Colson, John Spencer, and G. H. Skinner were re-elected overseers on the proposition of Mr. Clipson.

Train Service

  Mr. F. Knight moved the following resolution:-  That this Council respectfully calls the attention of the M.R. Co. to the great inconvenience caused by there being no connecting train at Wellingborough for passengers to Rushden and Higham Ferrers travelling from Northampton by the 7.40 p.m., and suggests that the 7.48 p.m. from Wellingborough be detained ten minutes to remedy this, as at present the wait at Wellingborough for the 9.40 p.m. amounts to an hour and 43 minutes, Saturdays excepted.”

  This resolution – said Mr. Knight – is not contentious, and I hope every member will support it.  It will be a great boon to the inhabitants of Rushden and Higham Ferrers and the villages beyond.  It is within the knowledge of the members of the Council that the train service between Northampton and Rushden is anything but what it should be.  (Hear, hear.)  There is a train leaves Northampton at six o’clock, and if the people do not catch that they do not get to Rushden until nearly ten o’clock.  The next train after the 6.0 p.m. leaves Northampton at 7.40, reaching Wellingborough at 7.57, and then there is no train on to Rushden and Higham Ferrers until 9.40 p.m. – a wait of nearly an hour and three quarters at Wellingborough.  A train leaves Wellingborough for Rushden at 7.48 p.m., and if that could be delayed ten minutes it would enable the passengers from Northampton to Rushden and Higham Ferrers to catch it, and they would arrive at Rushden soon after 8 o’clock.  We are not asking anything of the M.R. Co. which would cost them more money.  We are not asking them to re-arrange their main line service, and I think that if this matter is put before the Company they will meet us.  They have met us before when we have asked for anything they could do.  There are not many branches where you get as many trains both ways as on the Rushden and Higham line.  Perhaps the answer to that might be, “There are not many branches where there is more traffic.”  In making this alteration there will be a little inconvenience perhaps to a few travellers who leave London by the 5.42p; it means they would have to wait ten minutes longer at Wellingborough.  But there are very few of those who go to London by the early train who use that train at all, because there is a train leaving London at 5.3 which gets to Rushden an hour-and-a-half earlier.  And then there is a train from the North to which the same remark applies, but I do not think we should take into account the few passengers from London and the North who would have to wait ten minutes extra at Wellingborough, because, by the alteration, we should be doing the best for the greatest number, and I think the inhabitants of Rushden and Higham will appreciate this resolution very much.  I suggest that we should pass the resolution unanimously and that the Clerk should forward it to the M.R. Co.

  Mr. Claridge seconded, and said it was only a very reasonable request.  He hoped there would be no hesitancy on the part of the M.R. Co. in granting it.  He had been very much surprised that the Company had not before this seen their way to make this train wait for a few minutes.  He and many others had often been put to great inconvenience through this long wait at Wellingborough.  The alteration would be a very great convenience to people visiting Northampton either for business or pleasure.

  Mr. Swindall supported, and said that Mr. Knight might have gone a step further, asking the Company to run a later train from Northampton, which would be a great boon to Wellingborough as well as Rushden and Higham people.  It was very early to leave Northampton at 7.40.  He should like to ask the M.R. Co. to run a train about 9 o’clock.

  Mr. Miller supported Mr. Knight’s proposition.

  Mr. Dobbs: I suppose it is too much to ask the Company to run a Sunday train as well.  I think it would be a very good thing if they would run a train to Wellingborough and back – if only one in the morning and one at night.

  The Chairman: I think it is almost too much to ask that at present.  I believe the officials are against it.  I think we must go one step at a time.

  Mr. Knight: The late train would be a very great convenience, considering that Northampton is the county town and that the interests of the towns are so much alike. The M.R. Co. have running powers over the L. and N.W.R. and perhaps that is the reason why we do not get a late Midland train, as the L. and N.W.R. Co. run one which serves Wellingborough.

  Mr. Clipson said that during his chairmanship of the Council a deputation from the Council waited upon the railway officials, who seemed to be against a late train.

  The proposition was carried unanimously.

Small Holdings

  Mr. Bazeley asked if the County Councillors could give any idea what progress the County Council had made under the Small Holdings Act.

  Mr. Claridge said he was sorry he could not report on the matter, as he was not on the committee.