13^th November, 1908

The Collection Of House Refuse
The Unemployed

  At a meeting of this Council on Wednesday night there were present: Messrs. W. Bazeley (chairman), G. H. Skinner (vice-chairman), F. Knight, J. Claridge, G. Miller, F. Ballard, J. S. Clipson, C. E. Bayes, T. Swindall, J. Paragreen, C. Bates, and A. J. Dobbs, with the Clerk (Mr. G. S. Mason), the Surveyor (Mr. W. B. Madin), and the Sanitary Inspector (Mr. W. Kingston).

Council In Committee

  A meeting of the whole Council in Committee was held at the Council Buildings on Wednesday, the 28^th October, 1908, when there were present:- Messrs. W. Bazeley (chairman), G. H. Skinner, C. Bates, C. E. Bayes, J. Claridge, J. S. Clipson, A. J. Dobbs, F. Knight, G. Miller, J. Paragreen, and Tom Swindall.

Rectory Road Improvement

  The Sub-Committee appointed to interview the owners of the property required for the proposed improvement of this road reported the receipt of a letter from the Co-operative Wholesale Society confirming their verbal offer of £180 and offering to pay their proportion of the cost of making the road, provided the other owners did likewise.  The Sub-committee also reported that they had again interviewed Mr. E. Claridge but he could not see his way either to reduce his price for the property required or contribute towards the making of the road.

  The Committee again considered the matter at length and ultimately it was resolved, subject to the Co-operative Wholesale Society giving the land required from them and the sanction of the Local Government Board being obtained to a loan covering the cost that this Committee recommend the Council to carry out the improvement.

  The Clerk was instructed to again write to the Co-operative Wholesale Society communicating this decision.

  The report was adopted.

  The minutes of another meeting of the Council in committee held immediately before the ordinary Council meeting showed that a letter was received from the Co-operative Wholesale Society expressing regret that they could not go beyond their letter.  After full consideration it was resolved that the Council offer to pay £100 and bear the cost of making the road, subject to a loan being granted.

  Mr. Claridge thought, seeing that complaints were made that the discussions of the Council did not come before the public, that some explanation was due.

  The Chairman agreed that the matter should be made quite clear to the public, but did not think it advisable while negotiations were in progress.  The next meeting, he thought, would be the proper time.

  Mr. Ballard:  But if you wait till then the matter will be done with.

  The Chairman: But the public cannot help the Council’s opinion.

  Mr. Ballard:  They do it at times, I think.

  Mr. Paragreen:  Whatever you do, you won’t suit all of them.

  The minutes were confirmed by 5 votes to 4.

Plans, Etc., Committee

  A meeting of the Plans, Highways, and Lighting Committee was held at the Council Buildings on Wednesday, the 28^th October, 1908, when there were present:-  Messrs. W. Bazeley (chairman), G. H. Skinner, J. Claridge, J. S. Clipson, A. J. Dobbs, F. Knight, and T. Swindall.

Plans

were presented by:-

  Messrs. Knight and Brightwell for a leather store at the rear of their factory in York-road, and no exception taken.

  Mr. H. Meadows, of No. 10, Ealing-terrace, for wooden building at the rear of his house, to be used as a bicycle shed, and no exception taken.

  Mr. George Brown for box shed at the side of his shop on Higham-road, and agreed to.

  Messrs. Jaques and Clark for an additional w.c. to their factory in Station-road, and passed.

  Mr. J. Northern for stable and sheds at the rear of Nos. 136, 138, and 140, Wellingborough-road, and no exception taken, subject to evidence as to party wall being produced to the Surveyor and the front wall of stable being of 9” brickwork.

  The report was adopted.

Finance Committee’s Report

  The following report of the Finance Committee was presented at the meeting on Wednesday:- 

  A meeting of the Finance and Estates Committee was held at the Council Buildings on Wednesday, the 4^th November, 1908, at 10 a.m., when there were present:  Messrs. W. Bazeley (chairman), G. H. Skinner, and John Claridge.

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

Collector’s Fittings Account

  The Committee also examined the Collector’s Fittings account and found that he had collected the following sums during the past two months:-

Cemetery Registrar’s Account

  The Cemetery Registrar’s account was also examined, from which it appeared that the following sum had been paid to him since the September meeting:-

Treasurer’s Accounts

  The Committee also examined the Treasurer’s accounts from which it appeared that the following sums had been paid to him on the following accounts since the last meeting:-

  And that the following balances were in hand on the undermentioned accounts:-

Tradesmen’s And Other Accounts

  A number of accounts amounting to £304/16/1 were examined and passed for payment.

Memorandum Of General District Rate

  The Collector presented the following memorandum of General District Rate made the 13^th May, 1908:-

  A list of the irrecoverable amounts was also submitted by the Collector and ordered to be written off.

  The report was adopted.

Health And Sanitary Committee

  A meeting of the Health and Sanitary Committee was held at the Council Buildings on Wednesday, the 4^th November, 1908, at 7 p.m. when there were present:-  Messrs. G. H. Skinner (Chairman), W. Bazeley, C. Bates, G. Miller, C. E. Bayes, and J. Paragreen.

Health And Sanitary Reports

  The Medical Officer reported that five cases of infectious disease had been notified since the last meeting, viz., two of scarlet fever and three of diphtheria, the latter of which all occurred in the same house.

  The Sanitary Inspector reported that one statutory and 40 informal notices had been served during the past month for the removal or abatement of nuisances, 21 of which had been complied with, the remainder being still under consideration.    The drains of eleven houses had been tested and any defects brought to the notice of the respective owners.  The notice served on Mr. George White in respect of his premises in Manton-road had been complied with.

  A notice had been received from H.M. Inspector of Factories calling attention to the lack of sufficient sanitary accommodation in Messrs. Jaques and Clark’s factory.  This had been brought to the notice of Messrs. Jaques and Clark and the requirements were being complied with.

  The Inspector reported that Messrs. John Smith, Ralph Evans, and Ernest Hollis were keeping pigs within a distance of eighty feet from a dwelling-house and in contravention of Nuisance Bye-law No. 13.

  It was resolved to recommend the Council to instruct the Inspector to write to the parties concerned, informing them that the Bye-law must be complied with.

  All the dairies and cowsheds in the district had been visited during the month and in several cases the Inspector had found it necessary to draw attention to contravention of the Regulations.

  The drainage of the premises at the rear of Nos. 4 and 6, Alfred-street was still in a bad state, but it was understood that the owner was making arrangements for the necessary work to be done.

  The Inspector also reported a nuisance caused by the effluent overflowing from the cesspit at Mr. George Chettle’s knacker’s yard on the Newton-road into the water course communicating with a pond used by cattle for drinking purposes.

  It was resolved that the Clerk be instructed to write to Mr. Chettle calling his attention to this and informing him that the overflow pipe from the cesspit must be removed and the cesspit cleaned out more frequently.

  The Inspector submitted his usual monthly statement of work done, complaints received and investigated, etc.

Scavenging – House Refuse

  The Committee’s attention was drawn to the nuisance arising through the house refuse receptacles being placed in the streets to await collection, and it was resolved to recommend the Council in future to give instructions for the refuse to be collected from the receptacles at the rear of the houses.

Pig Keeping

  The Clerk reported that the Inspector visited the premises of Mr. Smith, in Griffith-street, on Thursday and Saturday in last week, and found pigs still being kept there; and therefore in accordance with the instructions of the Council given at their last meeting, a summons had been issued, and as this was the first case under the new Bye-laws he thought it desirable that the Council should be legally represented before the Magistrates.

  The Committee agreed and authorised the Clerk to retain Mr. C. R. Claridge.

  Mr. Ballard asked what extra cost to the town would result from the proposed alteration in the collecting of house refuse.

  Mr. Bazeley:  It can only be estimated, but probably £50 or £60 a year.

  Mr. Knight asked whose fault it was that there was a nuisance and what the nuisance consisted in.  He did not know why they should humour people to be dilatory.

  Mr. Miller strongly supported the recommendation on sanitary grounds.  At present receptacles were often in the streets the greater part of the day and refuse was often strewn about the roads by the wind.  Besides that, children often played round the receptacles, which were in other ways a great nuisance.

  Mr. Claridge did not think it was right to spend any more money than was necessary and if there was a set time for collecting the refuse he did not think there should be any difficulty.

  Mr. Bates and Mr. Dobbs supported the committee’s recommendation.

  Mr. Clipson:  What is the custom in other towns?

  The Sanitary Inspector:  The men fetch out the receptacles.

  The report was adopted, nem. con.

The Unemployed

  Mr. Bates asked if he would be in order in moving that an application be made to the Local Government Board for a grant for the unemployed of the town.

  The Chairman:  There is no distress committee and I think that we should not get a grant without one.

  Mr. Dobbs:  Are we in a position to form a distress committee?  I think there must be 30,000 inhabitants.

  The Clerk:  I do not think we can appoint a committee.

  The Chairman:  If there was a committee, I do not think we should get any of that £300,000.

  Mr. Dobbs:  I don’t think so, either.

  Mr. Bates:  I think it is time the Council took some action in the matter, considering the number of unemployed there are in the town.

  The Chairman said all the Council could do was to find work and if they could not do that they could do nothing.

  Mr. Claridge did not think the Council could do much, but it was open to the Chairman to call a meeting to consider the question.  He was afraid that the present distress might increase with the arrival of the severe weather.

  The Chairman said a “right to work” committee had been formed in the town and a meeting was held on the previous night at the Co-operative Hall, but no definite scheme was arrived at.  He pointed out at that meeting that if the Council undertook any work which meant extra cost to the rates they would have the Ratepayers’ Association up in arms against them.

  Mr. Ballard did not see what work could be found for the unemployed.  They had the same difficulty on the last occasion, when there was a large amount of distress.

  Mr. Bates moved that a town’s meeting be called at the Public Hall to consider the question of appointing a distress committee.

  Mr. Dobbs seconded the motion, which was agreed to.