County Observer and Monmouthshire Central Advertiser Abergavenny and Raglan Herald Usk and Pontypool Messenger and Chepstow Argus

Births, Marriages, and Deaths. Births, Deaths, and Marriages are inserted free qf charge, but it is requested that such announcements be sent to the Office properly authenticated. -u_ MARRIAGES. At St. Saviour's, South Hampstead, April 13, by the Rev. J, C. Hose, B.A., brother-in-law to the bride, Frederick Cheese, M.R.C.S.E., of Newport, Mon., to Agnes Mary Barton. At St. Luke's Cheltenham, April 6, George, son of George Lawrence, Esq., Larkfield, Chepstow, to Emily, only daughter of thellev. T. Gaskin, of Pittville Lawn, Cheltenham. DEATHS. At Bristol, April 12, Mr M'Mahon, of Dock-street, Newport, aged 69 years. At bis residence, the Moat House, Welsh-street, Chep- stow, April 10, George Henry Bissick, aged 66 years. At Mounton-road, Chepstow, April 11, Mrs Ann Dee, aged 72 years. At Shirenewton, April 13, Ann, the wife of Mr Wm. Burrows, aged 51 years. At Wolvesnewton, April 12, Eliza Crockett, aged 62 years.

THE USK TURNPIKE TRUST. AGREEABLE to promise we resume our remarks on the above subject. The debts and obligations of Turnpike Trusts originated in this way. The improvement of our main roads becoming a necessity, arising, from the advance of civilization, those most deeply interested in such improvement—namely, the land-owners undertook the work, but as this could not be done without that primary necessity, money, this had to be oorrowed on the security of the tolls accruing from the several gates—this security only remaining good during the existence of the' several acts of Parliament creating the Trust, and no longer. The high rate of interest aliowed being regarded as ample to repay" the lenders in the event of the several obligations not being discharged during the existence of the acts and the lenders had the ad- ditional consideration of having their property im- proved in value, by increased facilities arising from improved high-ways, enabling the produce of the soil to be carried to market with greater facility, and at a lower cost. If the deed polls, or mortgages on the tolls became transferred to others, the assignees took or accepted the securities with the obligations and risks of the original incumbrances, and bought them, or should have done so, at commensurate with the contingencies of defective securities and the chance of mismanagement by those irresponsible bodies, Turnpike Trust Com- missioners. The mortgagees or holders of deed polls bad power and authority at all times to ex- amine the books of the Commissioners, and complain of any mismanagement; if, in this duty to themselves, they failed or neglected to protect their own interests, they have no right, moral or legal, to expect the public of the present day to make good losses, which need not have arisen. We, therefore, contend that all debts owing by Turnpike Trusts, whose Acts have expired, are really and truly no public obligations at all. This is the view Parliament takes of the matter. At the expiration of many Acts the Commissioners were allowed to go on, without incurring the expense of a renewal of their Acts, under the authority of the Turnpike Trust Con- tinuance Act of each sessions of Parliament; a schedule of the Trusts allowed to go on being annexed to the Continuance Act, and those Trusts whose management were not up to the mark were left out in the cold and as a necessity expired, and the bonds had a value equivalent to any other waste paper. We presume Her Majesty's Secretary of State considered the Usk Trust badly managed and gave an intimation to the Commissioners that their authority would expire, and they should not again be scheduled in the Turnpike Trust Continuance Act of this sessions. We may here remark that each body of Commissioners is bound to forward to the Secretary of State, every year, a balance sheet showing the cost of maintenance of roads, the obligations paid off, and the debts remaining. The last account from our trust was, doubtless, deemed highly unsatisfactory by Mr CROSS, her Majesty's Secretary of State. We have heard it reported that our Trust is per- mitted to go on for five years, the interest of the bondholders to be reduced to 1 per cent. to enable the Trustees to make greater progress in discharging their obligations than they have heretofore done. If the report be correct, there is no doubt the sum received from toils will be merely applied to the discharge of the mortgage obligations of the Trust, and any deficiency required for the repair of the roads will have to be made good by a call on the highway districts in which our Trust roads are situate. Now, if this arrangement arose from an individual representation to the Local Government Board, of London, or the Secretary of State, we may say it was done in very bad taste. On so important a question it was the least the Commissioners could have done, to have called a public meeting to discuss the question, and to have sought the advice of that juvenile body the Usk Local Government Board (its alleged ignorance notwithstanding), and the Ponty- pool and Usk Highway Board. But no such courtesy has been extended to the public or either of the before-named bodies. We presume the Com- missioners deemed it infra dig. to have adopted the course suggested. We think it not too late now to communicate with the higher authority on this subject, and we recom- mend our Local Goverament Board to take the question up. We are persuaded much good may be done by an early correspondence with the London Local Government Board and her Majesty's Secretary of State, by both the public and the institutions before referred to. We before pointed out that a considerable length of our roads, that is in no way identified with the interest of this district, is main- tained and repaired at the charges of the tolls taken at our gates. This is anything but right, and everything that is wrong. Among other reforms we suggest, would be, that of confining our Trust roads to within a radius of three miles of the town of Usk. Such an ar- rangement would diminish our Trust roads to nearly one-half of their present mileage length, and throw the other portions on the Raglan, Trellick and Caerleon highway districts. We are persuaded such a reform would meet with public approval. There is nothing sensible or fair in the tolls levied in our immediate locality being expended on districts that contribute little or nothing to the general disburs- ments made by our' Commissioners. Another im- portant saving arising from such a course would be, the abandonment of no less than five toll-bars, and a staff of collectors. Any other Commissioners would have seen the wisdom of this policy it was the policy pursued by the Abergavenny Commis- sioners with their roads, and the result of it is the satisfaction of their discharging in a few years about £12,000 of their Trust debts. The Abergavenny Commissioners also had the wisdom to bring in fresh blood when they commenced a reform policy, and that is the course our Commissioners ought to adopt. We have intelligent and competent men in our locality, who, if introduced to our Trust would, we have no doubt give many wrinkles to the old hands. We take the liberty of suggesting the follow- ing gentlemen as suitable Trustees David Law- rence, Esq., the Rev. S. Cattley Baker, Mr. Warren Evans, Mr. Price, of the Rhadyr, Mr. Hopton Williams, Mr. Watkins, of Llanvair, all., intelligent and able men, and of temperaments that would not brook any rude and offensive control. We may add to the list Mr. Powell, of the Pentra, the chairman of the high-way Board, his nominator and seconder as chairman of such board being two Justices of the Peace, the proposer being the chairman of the Turnpike Trust Commissioners. Mr Powell has sat under Mr Relph as waywarden many years, and last year the positions of the gentlemen were reversed, Mr Relph sat under him. The experience Mr Relph must have had of Mr Powell's ability and intelligence must have assured him of his capacity, not only to deal with questions of road management, but his ability and other necessary qualifications to preside over the deliberations of so important a body as the Highway Board, which include in its number nine or ten county justices. Surely such a gentleman is a fit and proper person to be made a commissioner of r our Turnpike Trust, the chairman of which body could not object to the appointment of an individual that was through his active interference placed at the head of the Highway Board. This is the third article which has appeared in in these columns on the subject of our Turnpike Trust, in whose life a crisis appears to have arisen consequently is the time for the subject to be dis- cussed by our Local Government Board, the Highway Board, and the outside public. It is not too late for the public, through these legally constituted bodies, to open a correspondence with the Secretary of State and the London Local Government Board, setting forth reasonable and rational views and checkmating what really appears to us a stealthy and secret manoeuvre to prolong the existence of an ir- responsible body that has for a long series of years coliected from the public large sums of money, a great portion of which must have been expended in its collection. Can anything exceed the folly of eight establishments to collect about £800 annually ? It is really time, high time, that so absurd a system 11 y of maintaining our main roads should be abandoned, more especially as the machinery of tha highway district is in existence, in working order, fully prepared, and competent to do the work. At present the management of our highways is under a sort of dead authority, the commissioners of the turnpike-roads and the waywardens; the roads of each authority running into, parallel with, and across each other in such a way that renders the duties of each surveyor doubly as laborious as they would be if under the management of one body. We have been expecting that some one of our Commissioners would have appeared in print for the purpose of endorsing our views, if considered correct, or setting us right, if be considers us wrong. Weare prepared to discuss the question in all its ramifications, and we challenge our Commissioners to prove that what we have suggested is wrong in principle or impractic- able in adoption. I This article has stretched out to the ordinary I length of our leading article: we intended in it to demonstrate, to the public generally, but more particularly to the farming interests, that the policy of all is to abandon Turnpike Trusts, and allow the roads heretofore under the management of that body to lapse to the Highway District Board, which is a representative system—sometimes unfairly contro- verted by the ex officio element, we admit—more in harmony with the spirit of the age, and better adapted to maintain and improve our highways with economy and efficiency than the effete system hereto- fore existing, but which is destined to a speedy dis- solution, from the force of events that Turnpike Trust Commissioners can neither guide nor obstruct.

OSK. FIRE.-On Sunday morning last, about half-past seven o'clcok, a fire was discovered among some trucks belonging to Mr Hiley and the Great Western Railway Company in the coalyard. Information was at once given to the police, and the fire engine was quickly got out. On arriving at the spot it was found that a truck of charcoal had been burnt (truck and all) to the ground, and that had spread to a truck of coal and another empty truck, which were still burning. With some difficulty the engine was got on the bank of a pond in the yard, the hose quickly applied, and within two hours the fire was put out. The fire is supposed to have been caused by the charcoal having been put into the bags while hot. ATTEMPTED SUlCIDE.-Last week, Morgan Davies, mason, a native of the town, who occasionally during many years has been in a desponding state, attempted self-destruction by cutting his throat with a razor. The cut penetrated through the windpipe but no arteries were severed. Since the occurrence he has been kept alive by injections, and there is every probability of his recovery. LOCAL BOARD MEETING. The Annual Meeting of the Board took place on Wed- nesday last. Mr. Dunn rose to propose a vote of thanks to Mr. Clark, for the very efficient manner in which he had conducted the business of the Board during the past year in the capacity of their chairman. The election of officers for the ensuing year was tnen proceeded with. Mr. James Jones in a complimeutary speech proposed, that Mr. J. H. Clark be re-elected chairman for the ensuing year, which was seconded by Mr. Parker, and unanimously carried. Mr. Clark thanked the members for the kind feeling they had expressed towards him; he had endeavoured to fulfil the duties of the office of chairman to the best of his ability, and, of course on account of acting in that important position, an extra amount of abuse had fallen to his share from certain quarters antagonistic to the Board but he did not mind that, it was what every public man who did his duty had to submit to. He was very happy to say that during the year most perfect unanimity had prevailed among the members, and he believed every member with the exception of one had taken his share of the responsibility, and had acted hon- estly, conscientiously, and with an earnest desire to benefit the ratepayers, who had placed confidence in them by electing them on the Board. He was in hopes Mr. Parker, Mr. Jones, or some other member would have presided over them this year, but as it appeared to be the unanimous wish that he should continue chairman another year, he consented to do so. On the motion of Mr. James Jones, seconded by Mr. C. Stockham, the Clerk, Surveyor, Inspector of Nuisances, and Collector were re-appointed. Messrs. Jones, Dunn, Stockham, Hart, and Clark were appointed on the Street and Improvement Committee. Messrs. Parker, Powell, Miller, and Clark were ap- pointed as Financial Committee. Messrs. Miller, Davis, Stephens, Smith and Hart, were appointed the Lighting Committee. The minutes of the last meeting having been read, the chairman reported the result of his interview with Mr. John Edmunds, as to the land required for Sewerage purposes, and it was resolued that he and the clerk be authoized to treat with Mr. Edmunds and his tenant, and to enter into an agreement to pay down a sum not exceeding zE5, for the damage to the land in making the tank, and of a sum not exceeding 10s. per annum to the tenant for any damage to be occasioned by the future repair or emptying of the tank or overflow pipe. The chairman read all application from Messrs. Bunning and Co., ironmongers, to keep 36 gallons of Petroleum in an iron tank in the passage at the back of the shop. The subject of issuing petroleum licences was then discussed. The estimates for a rate for the year was then dis- discussed, but it was ultimately decided to postpone the the fixing of the sum to be raised until the adjourned meeting on the first Wednesday in May. PONTYPOOL. THE FLOWER SHow.-A meeting of the committee of the Pontypool Horticultural Society was held at the Town Hall on Tuesday. Present: The Rev J. C. Llewellin (in the chair), Kev J. D. Lewis, Messrs W. Collins, M. Edwards, E. Fowler, sen., E. Fowler, jun., E. Deacon (hon. sec.), Ford, Joshua, and W. H. Greene. The schedule of prizes, drawn up by the sub-committee, for the next show, to be held on the 19th of August, was, after some few revisional alter- ations, agreed to. The prizes to be offered will amount to nearly £J 00; there seemed a general opinion in favour of giving the prizes in money, except in such cases as those of Messrs Fowler, who had already provided a silver cup, value X6 6s, for which a com- petition with fine foliaged plants will be invited. The prizes for stove and greenhouse plants were raised to £ 7, £5, and 1;3; and those for dinner table decorations (fruit and flowers combined), will be £2, XI, and 10s. The cottagers' prizes will for the most part remain of the same amount as last year, Mr Hanbury's kind consent for the use of the Park was announced; but the subject of the band was deferred. ST. JAMES'S CHURCH. An adjourned vestry meeting was held at the Town Hall on Tuesday. The Rev J. C. Llewellin, vicar, pre- sided, and there were also present Rev J. D. Lewis and Rev J. Rees (curates), Mr Hair (parish warden for St. Cadoc's), Messrs Roderick and Bunning (wardens of St James's), and the following parishioners, Messrs E. B. Edwards, Jonah Richards, J.P., C. J. Parkes, J.P., Hughes, M'fntosh, W. Collins, A. Bevan, Agg, J. F. Williams, Waite, Fox, Greene, and Russell. The chairman said the purpose of this meeting was to consider what should be done with regard to St. James's Church. The wardens had in their hands money, arising out of collections towards a building fund, amounting, in round numbers, to £350, and now the question was, what was to be done with that mo- ney ? He must in the first place say that the wardens were in arrears on some points, and of that he could speak from his personal knowledge. With regard to the church, he feared it was scarcely possible to ad- here still to the object at first proposed, that of building a new church, as the expense would not be permitted by the income; and therefore it would be necessary to consider what they could do with the existing struc- ture. He was sorry to say that the plans were mis- laid. He could not say that they were lost, for it was said that a thing could never be lost when one knew where it was, and these plans were somewhere in the town of Pontypool. He had sought for them in vain at his own house, had inquired whether he had left them at Mr Edwards's office, and was under the im- pression that Mr Roderick had them, as he had lent them to Messrs Bunning and Roderick, but Mr Roderick had told him he had them not; and so he did not know where they were. Mr Parkes hoped that when the loss was mentioned in the papers, whoever had the plans would return them to the vicar. Some one had seen Mr Bunning with some papers, but the Rev Mr Rees said that those were not the lost plans. The chairman had seen Mr Hanbury, and that gen- tleman had promised to give the 230 square yards of land which had been asked for the enlargement of the church on the south side. They had X350 in hand, J and were therefore in a position to do something. ( They might lengthen the present church, and take off > the present roof and substitute a pointed roof. Some time ago it was thought most desirable to build a new y church; but be did not think that could possibly be r done, for, first, there would be a legal difficulty, and v then there would be the money difficulty, which he feared was insurmountable. He had spoken to Mr Hair on the subject, and Mr Hair agreed with him that if they could enlarge the existing church, that was is much as they could aspire to. 0 Mr Parkes agreed that they would not be able to obtain sufficient funds for the building of a new church. The chairman said that to build a new church would cost £6000, as it had been computed that each sitting would cost £10. He proposed to take down the pre- sent chancel, lengthen the building by almost as much as its present length, put a new chancel at the end and put an organ chamber on the west side. He sup- posed the cost of that would be about £1800, including the tower and a new roof. Mr Bunning said that, hearing of the loss of the plans, he had spoken to Mr Deacon, who had made the sketch which he now produced, showing what was proposed. He did not, however, know whether they could obtain so much land as would be required for so much lengthening as was shown in this sketch. The chairman asked what was the length of the pre- sent building. The Rev J. Rees replied: Sixty-three feet, and the chancel about 24, making 87 altogether. Mr Bunning said that Mr Deacon's sketch showed an extension of about 40 feet. The Rev J. Itees said the proposal was to extend the present building about 20 feet. The chairman said that Mr Deacon's drawing showed a greater extension in length than was in- tended. He thought that it would be better to lengthen than to take down one side of the church and add on that way, or otherwise they would have the church as broad as it was long; and they would have this ad- vantage, that if necessary they could enlarge again. Mr Bunning suggested that if they did the roof only they could proceed at once, as X350 would be enough for that. The chairman asked what was the opinion of the meetiug. Mr Roderick asked Mr Williams, who was a parochial man, to give his opinion. Mr Williams said the proposed lengthening would make the church very long in comparison with its width. The chairman said that they need not now discuss the proper proportion of parts, that would have to be discussed by professional men hereafter. Mr Bunning questioned if they could do more at the present moment than put a new roof on the building. Mr Hair said that if they pulled down the chancel they would pull down the best part of the building, but they might re-roof the present nave. The chairman said the chancel was not the best part, but the worst part of the building; it was cracking and decaying. Mr Hair: The builder is present. Mr Williams said that the building ha.d certainly settled, but had not sustained any injury. The cracks might be stopped. The chairman thought that the oldest part was the soundest. Mr Williams said he would suggest that there should be an organ chamber and vestry on the south side, with three transepts also on the south side. The chairman objected that Mr William8's scheme would make the church broader than it was long, and would render it necessary to excavate where the earth lay deepest and from where most earth would have to be removed. Mr Williams replied that excavating was a small matter, and that it would be found that most churches were as broad as they were long. Mr Josiah Richards proposed another plan, namely, the taking down of the pine end of the church nearest to the Town Hall, and carrying out the building to the full extent of the land on that side, and putting on a new roof. He thought that this, and the increased accommodation which would be given in the gallery, would answer all that was required. The chairman approved of Mr Richards's suggestion; but Mr Hair was in favour of Mr Williams's scheme, particularly as a second entrance was very much to be desired. After some conversation on the details of the re- spective plans, Mr Richards suggested that Mr Wil- liams should put his plan on paper, and he (Mr Richards) would get Mr Deacon to do the same with his (Mr Richards's) plan, and any other person who might form ideas on the matter might do the like, and then they could submit them at the next meeting, with estimates of the cost of each scheme. This suggestion met with unanimous approval, and it was agreed to adjourn the meeting to receive these plans and estimates. Mr E. B. Edwards said there was another question, that of the money owing to the vicar. Mr Bunning explained how the debt arose. For- merly there was a collection every quarter to meet the expenses connected with the church, and out of that the vicar was paid. But latterly these quarterly collections had altogether ceased, and had given place to collections for the building fund; and thus they found themselves in arrears. It had been suggested, therefore, that X40 to pay the debt should be taken from the money which had been collected since the quarterly collections ceased. Mr Collins asked if it would not be better to make collections solely for the purpose of paying off the debt. JYlr. Parkes thought that taking the money from the building fund might be regarded as a breach of faith among those who contributed. Mr Bunning feared so too. Mr Edwards recommended that the Sunday col- lections should be continued till the debts were paid; and Mr Collins was in favour of calling on the con- gregation individually, and asking them to contribute towards clearing off the debt. They had in that way cleared off a debt of £35 connected with one of the churches in Gloucester while he was there. Mr Fox hoped that after the debt was cleared off the Sunday collections would cease. The chairman said that would be a question for con- sideration, for some might be of one opinion, and some of another, and however distasteful these collections might be to some it was pleasant to think that they had Y,300 in hand to work with. Mr Roderick said that some had told him that they disliked the weekly collections, and if there was a monthly collection they would give as much in one sum as the weekly sums put together would amount to. The chairman did not think that likely, and pleas- antly remarked that the men who had been bled would bleed again. It was then agreed to defer decision on this matter also, and the meeting was adjourned for a fortnight. GOYTREY. DURING the late trying time among labourers in the iron works, many landed proprietors have given em- ployment to the distressed workmen; among the num- ber we hear the Rev Thomas Evans, Rector of Goytrey has for a month past employed upwards of twenty men from Blaenavon and other places in stocking up and clearing woods on Llwyncelyu and Walnut Tree farms. POLICE COURT.—SATURDAY. Before Col. Brums, and E. J. PHILLIPS, Esq. DRUNK.—Thomas Roberts, charged with being drunk and riotous, and destroying his furniture, at Cwmbran, was remanded. MONDAY. Before Rev J. C. LLEWELLIN and C. J. PARKES, Esq. Thomas Francis, hammerman, of Cwmbran, who had been remanded, charged with being drunk, &c., was bound over to keep the peace for G months, and ordered to pay costs. Samuel Parsons was charged with stealing a metal fork, the property of George Masters, at the Grey- hound Inn, Poutypool, on Saturday night. Margaret Parry, servant at the Greyhound, deposed that she saw defendant coming towards the front door from the back premises, and heard Mrs Masters ask him twice what he had he replied, Nothing;" Mrs Mas- ters said, iou have got something;" he then put his hand in his pocket, pulled out the fork, and gave it to witness.-Mr West stated that the defendant had worked under him as foreman for the Ebbw Vale Company, and was now working at Panteg Steel Works; he had known him about 30 years, and he had borne a good character; and Mr and Mrs Masters did not wish to press the charge.—Defendant, who said he did not intend to take the fork away, was discharged with a caution. William Francis, who had been married only a week, was charged with stealing a trusers, a pistol, a pocket knife, and a tobacco box, at Blaenavon. He was remanded till Saturday. WEDNESDAY. Before Rev J. C. LLEWELLIN. James Prosser, who had been arrested on suspicion )f stealing two ferrets, at Llangibby, was discharged*