Council in Committee

At a meeting of the whole Council in Committee held at the Vestry Hall on Wednesday the 18th October, 1905, when there were present:- Messrs. J. S. Clipson (chairman), T. Swindall, J. Claridge, F. Ballard, A. Mantle, W. Bazeley, C. Bates, J. Hornsby, G. Denton, and Fred Knight.

Public Offices

The following tenders for the erection of the New Offices on the Newton-road were received:-

It was unanimously resolved, subject to the sanction of the Local Government Board being obtained to the loan of £2,500 applied for, that the tender of Mr. R. Marriott be accepted.

Before opening the tenders the Surveyor informed the Committee that his estimate for the work was £2,497.

It was resolved to recommend the Council that taking into consideration the large amount of additional work performed by the Surveyor in connection with the New Buildings, his salary for the ensuing quarter be increased by £60, reverting again after the 31st March to the amount at present paid.

Electric Lighting Order

With regard to the application of the Promoters for this Council to give their consent to the grant of the Order applied for, the matter was considered at considerable length and it was ultimately resolved to refrain from giving a formal consent for the present.

The report dealing with the Public Offices was adopted.

A long discussion arose regarding the

Electric Lighting Order.

Several Councillors argued that it would be wise to at once come to a decision regarding the consent of the Council or otherwise.

The Chairman said he did not see why the Council should not come to a decision at once. They might save the Company great expense.

The Clerk (Mr. G. S. Mason) said the usual course was for the promoters to apply for the Council’s sanction some time before the middle of January. This time the promoters asked the Council to let them know before the middle of November, which would give them the option of advertising or otherwise.

Mr Denton said that unless the Council were able to give some guarantee to the Board of Trade that they were prepared to do something themselves, their opposition at the Board of Trade would be worthless. He supposed it was too late for the town itself to apply this year?

The Clerk: We could not possibly do it this year.

Mr. Bazeley thought the majority of the Council were against giving consent to the promoters of the scheme, and he thought it would be the best to notify this fact to the company, giving them to understand that the Council themselves would probably apply for a Provisional Order another year.

Mr. Claridge: Can we as a Council go so far?

The Clerk: Not this year. Next year we can. We should have a town’s meeting, I think.

Mr. Claridge: It is no good the Council applying for a Provisional Order. We are not in a position to carry it out.

The Clerk estimated the cost of the application at about £120.

Mr. Ballard: If we got the powers we might be able to carry out the scheme before the expiration of the five years.

Mr. Denton thought the best thing would be for the Council to get the Order, and then make the best possible terms with Mr. Harvey or somebody else.

Mr. Ballard: We should be able to treat with the company better if we had the order than if we allowed them to get it and then treated with them.

Mr. Knight: If they got the Order we could not buy it from them for £120.

Mr. Ballard: No, it would be worth thousands to them.

Mr. Knight proposed that the Council refrain from giving their consent to the application of the promoters for the Provisional Order.

Mr. Swindall seconded.

Mr. Ballard thought it would be money well laid out if the Council applied for the Provisional Order.

Mr. Denton: If we are going to do that we should have to put ourselves into form. We should have to get the consent of the town first. Then we could go to the Board of Trade with a case.

Mr. Claridge said they had had an experience of putting the gasworks before the town twice.

Mr. Ballard did not think there would be two opinions in the town. He felt sure the town would prefer the Council to apply for a Provisional Order rather than allow a private company to do it.

Mr. Denton said they could accept the committee’s recommendations to refuse consent at present, and then they could ask the town for authority to apply for a Provisional Order next year.

Mr. Knight’s motion was carried unanimously.

Plans, &c., Committee

A meeting of the Plans, Water, Highways, and Lighting Committee was held at the Vestry Hall on Wednesday, the 25th October, 1905, when there were present:- Messrs. J. S. Clipson (chairman), T. Swindall, A. Mantle, G. Denton, W. Bazeley, and F. Knight.

Plans

were presented by:-

Mr. C. W. Horrell for the addition of a bedroom to his house No. 3, Fitzwilliam-street and passed.

Mr. G. Parsons for alterations and additions to Rushden Grange and passed.

Footpaths

The Surveyor was instructed to repair the footpath from Rectory-road through Beaconsfield-place and give it a top dressing of tar.

Public Lighting

Upon the recommendation of the Lighting Sub-committee it was decided to provide a lamp in the centre of Dell-place conditionally upon the Gas Company agreeing to lay their mains there and also to erect an additional lamp in the Newton-road midway between Oswald-street and Winchester-road.

A letter was received from Mr. Gibbs asking the Committee to re-consider their decision as to the removal of the lamp near his house in North-street. The Committee saw no reason to alter the decision already arrived at.

Newton Road

A letter was received from Mr. Wheeler offering to give up a strip of land between the Clerk’s house and the New Library Building for street improvements if the Council would agree to pay him for the same at the rate of 15s per square yard and also set back the present fence to the new line of frontage and pay all legal expenses, if any, in connection with the matter.

It was unanimously resolved to recommend the Council to accept Mr. Wheeler’s terms.

In reply to a question by Mr. Skinner, the Surveyor said the improvement in Newton-road near the Library would cost a little over £40.

Mr. Claridge said the committee thought the offer of Mr. Wheeler was a very reasonable one.

The report was adopted, and a further recommendation by the Committee that, in reply to a petition from the residents on the west side of Wellingborough-road, a gravel path be made on that side of the road was also approved.

Finance, &c., Committee

A meeting of the Finance, Estates, Cemetery, and Sanitary Committee was held at the Vestry Hall on Wednesday, the 1st Nov., 1905, when there were present:- Messrs. T. Swindall (chairman), J. S. Clipson, C. Bates, J. Claridge, F. Ballard, and J. Hornsby.

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 Account

By the Collector’s accounts produced it appeared that he had during the month collected the following sums:-

Collector’s Fittings Accounts

The Committee examined the Collector’s fittings account, from which it appeared that he had collected the following sums during the month:-

Treasurer’s Accounts

From the Treasurer’s accounts produced it appeared that the following sums had been paid to him during the month:-

And that the following balances were in hand:-

Tradesmen’s and Other Accounts

A number of accounts were examined and passed for payment.

Health and Sanitary Reports

The Medical Officer reported that 44 cases of infectious disease had been notified since the last meeting, 43 of scarlet fever and one of erysipelas; two deaths had occurred from scarlet fever.

The Inspector submitted particulars of the cases notified and stated that they had occurred in 35 different houses all of which he had visited and supplied with disinfectants. Fumigation had been carried out in 13 houses. He had called the attention of the Head Teachers of the various schools to the dangers arising from sending out scholars to look up absentees.

Sewage Farm

The Sub-committee reported that the sale on the 9th October of the farm produce realised £116 11s. which they considered very satisfactory.

Cemetery

The Chairman reported that the Sub-committee had arranged with Mr. Spavins to house the bedding-out plants for the ensuing winter, his terms being £4 per 100 dozen.

The Committee approved.

The report was adopted.

The New Member

Mr. Dobbs was appointed to the vacancy on the Plans Committee.

Water Board

Mr. Swindall was elected a member of the Water Board.

The Free Library

Mr. Claridge, on behalf of the Free Library Committee, introduced the question of the appointment of a caretaker for the Free Library, and moved that a man be advertised for at a salary of £50 per annum. The man appointed would have to look after the place, and might perhaps assist with the giving out of books, but it was believed that it would not be difficult to get voluntary assistance in the library, at any rate for a time.

In reply to a question, Mr. Claridge said it was thought that the library should be kept open from 9 a.m. to 9 or 9.30 p.m. The salary was not large, but it was thought that there would be many, such as pensioners, who would be willing to undertake the work. The duties would not be heavy.

The Chairman pointed out that there was only a limited amount of money to deal with.

Mr. Denton said that if they could not pay for a man to put in long hours they must limit the hours to what they could pay for.

Mr. Swindall seconded the motion.

Mr. Dobbs moved as an amendment that the salary be increased to 25/- a week, but the amendment was not seconded.

Mr. Claridge said the committee did not feel that they could pay more money, seeing what their other expenses were likely to be.

The motion was then put and carried, and the appointment was left in the hands of a committee, consisting of Messrs. Claridge, Ballard, Clipson, Dobbs, and Skinner.