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I Ahr?T?r? Tc?n Co?ciL ¥I\…

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Ahr?T?r? Tc?n Co?ciL ¥I\ ¡ \t<'«.1  4 v ,t ""à 1. LOCAL LIQUOR CONTROL. MEMBERS RESENT THE fEW ORDER. crlitizisril CF LSGHTWG REGULATIONS. Th: lr'!l:ly meeting (? the Abcrgavenny Town C<u? v.'as hel?- on Monday night. the Mavor (Alderman Z. Wheat ley) !ere N-re Councillors \"1/. J. Tong, I. A. C(, Williams, Capt. j. R. Jacob, W. Horsington, O. 8. Plowman, H Palmer. Akred t-rakain, J. R. Bock'with and W. J. Me ale. The Lsto Aaflerman oamss a(raker. The Mayor i of erred the loss the Council had f stained s'nce their last meeting by the death c •; one of their colleagues, in the person of Alder- r: -.n Jemes Straker. Ald:-ruian Straker, for a t .riod of 17 years, had been a continuous member of that Boar.i. During that period he > ad been a devoted member of the Council- He l.ad attended practically all the committee meetings and had filled the position of chairman c: several of their-, while on two occasions he had accepted the invitation of that Council to fE the Mayo, al chair. He had carried out his duties with the greatest respect for the town cad with the greatest ability. His hospitality <_ -:ceeded all that they expected, and the school- children of the borough and of the neighbour- j i .g parishes would ever remember his kindness I to them. He was partly responsible for-the j National Eisteddfod fx-thg held in Abergavenny .1.: 191J, which was a landmark in the history of e borough find had made the town known throughout the length and breadth of the land. Though, lie had been absent from tthe Council neetings for two years, he always took the keenest interest in the work of the Council, and v hen he (the Mayor) visited him, as he did once or twice every week, his first question would be as to how tae Council was going. He (the Mayor) felt he had lost not only a colleague but a personal friend, for the only members of the c nginal Count d left were Col. Williams and himself. He proposed that they tender to Mrs. Straker and family their deepest sympathy in the bereavement which had fallen on them, and that they place on record as a Council the loss they had sustained by the death of such a valuable colleague. Councillor long, in seconding, said he had known the late Alderman Straker as an auc- tioneer for 27 years and he had known him socially and in a greater degree of friendship for some years. He was the doyen of auctioneers, without the slightest doubt. He was generous to all and fair to a degree. When as a young man he started in the same line of business, he received a great deal of assistance from Alderman Straker. Socially he took the lead in many i-stances, and the hospitality of Plas Derwen was proverbial. He was straightforward in business and in private life, and he was a real good sportsman, especially when the sport was clean, and that was one of his predominating characteristics. He was a good all-round English gentleman, and he was certain that both that borough and the county of Monmouth were a great deal poorer by his loss. The vote was carried in silence. The Mayor proposed a vote of sympathy with tie relatives of I-te. C. L. Savegar, of the 3rd Lions., who was reported missing 12 months ago and was now reported dead. Councillor Meale seconded and it was carried. Councilloi Graham said there were several men who were supposed to have lost their lives about the same time. He could give the names of several, but there was a degree of doubt about cne or two, and that was why he had not men- tioned their names. Fund far Local Heroes. I Councillor Jacob asked whether the Mayor Lad taken any steps to inaugurate a fund with a view to commemorating any honours which were won by local men at the front. The Mayor said the committee had decided to defer this matter to the end of the war, so that they would know what funds were required. Councillor Jacob said that, according to his recollection, the decision was that they should inaugurate a fund now, which was to be applied c-t the end of the war. The Mayor said there was no reason why they should not inaugurate a fund now, but it would have been better if they really knew what they v. ere going to do with it and what amount they wanted. They would thc;l get a far better response. Councillor Telford said that personally he disagreed with the .Mayor. A person might have a few shillings now, which he might not have later on. If he wanted to put it in safe keeping it would be quite safe with the Mayor. The Mayor Thank you. (Laughter). Councillor Telford said that if they let the public know that s:'ch a fund was opened it could do no harm, and it might do good. The Mayor said they could put a paragraph in the paper asking for subscriptions. Councillor Jacob said he thought the matter should be taken rt ) seriously. There were people who would like to give now who might not be there after the war. Councillor Tong" I n the Dark." Councillor Tong said he should like to ask how the burgesses could possibly know what they were required to do under the new lighting regulations. All they knew was that the police officers had gone into certain shops with a paper, and there had been a run on green blinds in the drapers' shops. There were hundreds of people in Abergavenny who had simply heard that there was a lighting order in force, and they did not know anything about it. The Mayor said the Council had no control over this matter, and it was entirely in the hands of the police, who were acting on orders from the Home Office. Under the Order there were to he no outside lights, and internal lights were to be so shaded that they would not shine upon the footpath or pavement and could not be seen from above or from the parallel. Councillor JTong said that was what the ordinary burgess did not know. The Mavor said that the Order referred to Monmouthshire, Cardiff, Penarth and Barry, but it did not refer to any other part of Gla- morganshire or to Breconshire. Councillor Telford What have we done ? (Laughter).. Councillor Tor.g The peculiar thing is that at Brynmawr the lights are in full flare, and half a mile away as the crow flies they are thaded. I The Mayor I should like you to remind me I of that in committee, and I "ill tell you some- thing else. The New Liquor Control Order. I The Town Clerk read a letter from the Central Control Board on Liquor Traffic. It was stated that the Board had taken careful steps to ascertain local opinion on the questions in- volved. The Order might cause some incon- venience and sacrifice, but the Board trusted that it would not diminish the hearty local co- operation which was essential to t'ce administra- tion of the Order. Councillor Tong he would not go into the merits or demerits of the Order, except to point out that Othello's occupation would possibly be gone, but it was stated that the Board had con- sulted local opinion. Was the Town Clerk allowed to give the opinion of that Corporation at the inquiry held at Swansea ? The Town Clerk said that when he got to the inquiry he found that they had already taken the evidence of the Lord Lieutenant, the Chief Constable and the military authorities, and while he was there they took the evidence of chief constables and the military officers in the various districts. He was asked if he wished to give evidence, but he knew nothing about the question of excessive drinking amongst women and he did not do so. He, however, submitted the opinion of the Touti Council in writing. Councillor Tong Was there any opportunity of pointing out to these august people thai there are no munition works here ? The Town Clerk Yes, they are quite aware of that. They impressed upon the representa- tives that if any order was made it would be uniform, and they would not make any difference between one borough and another borough. Councillor Tong: Practically, this tribunal met to get information as to local opinion, and they made up their minds beforehand. It is only right that the puhhc should know the cir- cumstances. There are some men who may have the opportunity of having alcoholic drinks in their houses, but I think it is very hard on the working man. We suould take our stand on the ground that there is no necessity for this drastic action in a place like Abergavenny. It is different where there are munition factories. It seems to be a slur e town—unless it is on the Hereford-road, as my friend Councillor Graham suggests. (Laughter). Councillor Palmer said that at the risk of being branded as anxious to play to the gallery, he questioned whether the Order would serve any useful purpose at all. Unfortunately, they had I to take things lying dc-wn aud it was no use f ploughing the sands or beating the air. H;s blood boiled with, indignation to know that they had to take things lying down owing to the con- dition in which they were living. He endorsed what Councillor Tong said, and the thing was an absolute farce in the town of Abergavenny. Councillor jacol) When does it take efteot ? The Mayor: On the 8th of May. The Mayor said he thought they ought to pass a resolution with regard to paragraph 6 of the Order, which provided that spirits could only be supplied during the hours specified to persolls producing a certificate m writing dated and signed by a duly qualiifed medical practitioner that it was required for medicinal purposes. He should like to propose that they protest against that and ask that it be amended so that any -j i) could obtain spirits for medicinal PL:r-¡ poses provided they themselves signed a certifi- cate that they were required for that purpose, and anv person who filled HI) such a certificate fraudulently should be liable to prosecution. Councillor Meale seconded. He said he knew a case of a woman who took a child to the doctor. The doctor ordered her to get a drop of brandy and gave her a certificate. It cost her 2s. 6d. for a certificate to get 4d. worth of brandy. If men were allowed to make orders like that, it was time they put their foot down. Councillor Jacob: There is nothing against giving the brandy. The Mayor You cangive it. Councillor Tong That is treating. i Councillor Jacob Can't you give an iu- dividual a drop of brandy ? The Mayor No. Councillor Jacob I should take the risk. anyhow. The proposition was carried. I Finances of the fiorougfc- The Mayor proposed that a rate of is. iod. in the £ be levied for the ensuing half-year, and in doing so said he thought it would be well to make a statement showing why they^ should continue the rate of is. iod. in the f. The estimated expenditure on general district fund for the current year was [10,023 os. 5d., and the estimated income £ 3,374 145., leaving a balance of £ 6.648 6s. Sd. which had to be provided for by "rate. A rate of is. iod. in the each half- year would produce £ 5,992, and this left a deficit of £ 652 for the year. It was probable that the estimated deficit of £652 would be met by the reduction in the cost of public lighting and a contribution from the waterworks under- taking. The public lighting was now a charge on the rates. The war bonus and allowances amounted to £ 390 per year, equal to a rate of 3d. in the f, and provision had had to be made for the increased income tax payments on the various undertakings and properties, together with a higher rate of interest on borrowed monies. Owing to the cost of coal, no con- tribution could be expected from the gas under- taking to reduce the debit balance on revenue account, which stood at £ 1,369 in March, 1915. The total mortgage debt had been reduced during the past year as follows :—District fund, from36,166 6s. 2d. to 1341174 6s. 2d. water- works, from £ 21,766 to £ 21,238 gas, from £ 13,940 13s. iod. to I3,690 13s. iod. a total reduction of from £ 71,673 to £ 69,103. With regard to the borough rate it was satisfactory to note a saving of £ 113, or nearly a penny rate. It was hoped that the county rate would be smaller and so enable a reduction to be made in the poor rate. Free Gas Installations. I On the Gas Committee s report, councillor Telford said he noticed the other day that the fitter, to whom they paid high wages, was engaged in painting the public lamps, and after- wards all the lamps were put out. A large number of lamps had been damaged, and he thought they all ought to be taken into the yard until such time as they were wanted again. He had had complaints that bakers in the town could not get coke, although they could not use anything else but coke in their ovens. Councillor Horsington also referred to the question of coke, and said bakers should be given preferential treatment over outsiders who were allowed to have contracts. Councillor Plamer urged that the Council should give free instalations of gas to houses, as it would result in a large increase in the number of consumers. The time had arrived when some step forward in this direction should be taken, in order to make the gas works a paying concern. Councillor Horsington supported the sugges- tion, and said there were many landlords who would not put in gas to their houses. Councillor Delafield, in reply, said the lamps were being brought into stock as labour was I available. With regard to coke, the committee had arranged a rota of customers, and each one must wait their turn. Free installations had been tried, and they were a failure. Councillor Palmer said he was not satisfied with the reply, and urged the committee to again consider the question of free installations. He had been asked about the matter by dozens of ratepayers, and he hoped the committee would be amenable to reason. Councillor Beckwith, who described himself as one of the unfortunates of the Gas Com- mittee, said that if anyone wanted gas put in thev had only to let the committee know, and they would be delighted to see that it was put in. Councillor Graham Protests. 1 Councillor Graham, according to notice, moved That in future all deputations appear- ing before the Council be requested to forward the names of the persons forming the deputation and that no other persons be allowed to be present or to have a shorthand writer." There was a case which occurred quite recently, in which he made his protest by leaving the room. It ought never to be necessary for a member of a public body to propose such a drastic motion hut in that neighbourhood it seemed that they had to take drastic action to prevent the cheek of some people in doing things which they had no right to do and who took upon themselves prerogatives because of the position they happened to hold. Councillor Horsington Did Councillor Graham do right in clearing out ? Should he not have protested there and then and stood up like a man and done the best he could ? The Mavor He is of age ask him. (Laughter). Councillor Telford seconded the motion and said he himself felt inclined to leave the room. The Mayor suggested that the words be added and that no report of the proceedings iK- taken other than that supplied by the Town Clerk." Councillor Graham said the Mayor acquiesced in the shorthand writer being present, and the only alternative lie had was to go for the Mavor or make his protest by leaving the room. The Mayor said he was asked the question, and he replied that personally he had no objec- tion to anyone being present. Nothing more was said and the matter passed. Councillor Tong moved an amendment that I the words after "forming the deputation" be omitted. If they knew who composed the deputation they could say whether they would receive them or not. Councillor Horsington seconded. Councillor Graham acquiesced in the amend- ment, which was carried. A.

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