Towyn-on-Sea and Merioneth County Times

OSWESTRY BRANCH R.S,C.P.A. ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting of the Oswestry branch of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty-to Animals was held in the Victoria Rooms, Oswestry, on Tuesday evening. The President (Mr C S Denniss) occupied the chair and he was supported by Mr C A Reeks, country representative of the Parent Society; the Revs T Redfern and J J Poynter, Oswestry; the Rev E Pell Edmonds, Whittington; the Rev G 0 Brown, Hengoed; Mr Thos Owen, Oswestry and Mr C E W Noake, hon secretary. Inspector Lale was also present. REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE. The President opened the meeting by reading the report of the committee, which was as follows:- The Committee in rendering to you the tenth annual report of this branch regret to announce a loss of subscriptions amounting to X10 9s 4d. The accounts for the year ended Dec. 31st, 1900, show subscriptions and donations amounting to X30 2s, as compared with X40 11s 4d for the year 1899. The balance of X2 2s lid carried forward from the pievious year, together with the bank interest of 2s 3d, further increased this amount to z632 7s 2d. A contribution of L25 was paid to the Shropshire branch for the services of the resident Inspector, and the incidental expenses amounted to X2 9s 2d, leaving a balance in the hands of the hon treasurer of X4 18s 2d. The committee have reason to be grateful for the pecuniary aid which has been ac- corded them and they hope they will continue to receive the sympathy and support of the public in the work of the Society. Loss of subscriptions through deaths, removals, and other causes neces- sitates a fresh appeal for help and owing to the decrease of income already referred to the com- mittee desire to make a special appeal for additional subscriptions. The aims and objects are so well understood that the committee can but view with deep concern any curtailment or crippling of the work of the Society through lack of funds or other causes. The committee have to announce with deep regret the great loss through the death of Mr George Owen, an old member of the com- mittee and a staunch supporter of the Society. During the year, Inspector Chivers was removed and his place taken by Inspector Lale. Following the lines of the previous year, the committee decided to offer prizes to school children for the best written essays on the duty of kindness to animals. Fifty-six papers were received as com- pared with 35 during the previous year, or an in. crease of 60 per cent. Your committee note with pleasure the progress made in this department. The sum of X2 4s 9d was contributed towards the prize fund. The thanks of the committee are due to Mr Lloyd Williams (for kindly adjudicating the papers), whose report is annexed, and to Mr A C Nicholson for again kindly auditing the accounts. THE PRESIDENT'S REMARKS. The President went on to say that it would appear to most of them to be quite needless in this enlightened age to say much, if indeed anything, to advocating the claims of such a society, and as they were living towards the end of the nineteenth century it seemed very singular that so recently as 70 or 80 years r.<r > the Society was instituted and when Lord Erskine was bold enough to introduce a measure in the House of Lords for the protection of animals, his eloquent speech was received with jeers and shouts, and strange though it might seem to them in these days, with whistling and cock- crowing. The Society was started in 1824 and the support which it received was very limited at first, but a great impetus was given to it in 1835 when the then Princess Victoria associated herself with it and became patron of it two years be- fore she became our beloved Queen. When she ascended the throne her late Majesty by her kindness and forethought and care for the animal creation, was the means of bringing enor- mous influence and monetary support to t), Society, and it was not surpiising now to find tf owing to her support the Society now had the F";)- port of the leading nobility and highest ph-etd clergy and other influential people throughout the country. The number of Acts of Parliament which had been passed during the time made it very difficult for cruelty to be shown towards the animal creation. The great interest which the late Queen showed in the Society was further evinced in the remarkable letter which she caused to be written when the Society celebrated its Jubilee, and when she contributed a hundred guineas to to the Society's funds (applause). Her great in- terest was further shown when Her Majesty attended the annual meeting in the Albert Hall in 1887 They would be pleased to know that his Majesty King Edward and his beloved conaort had taken the place of her late Majesty as patrons. Coming to local interest in the Society, the Presi- dent said there were one or two points in the Inspector's report which called for observation. In the first place they were pleased the Society had sent down such an able inspector as Inspector Lale was (applause) and he should like Mr Reeks to know that they found him always doing his duty with discretion and intelli- gent care in the interest of the society and they felt that great advantage would result to the society by his being amongst them in Oswestry. There were several points which the inspector had given attention to and it seemed obvious that it would be a great advantage in the interests of the dumb creation if the butchers of the town com- bined to have a common slaughter-house, or if it could be brought about by the influence of the Cor. poration (applause). Another point was the over. crowding of carriers' carts. Anyone must see that great cruelty and injury must result to the poor horses who had to bear such heavy loads as they saw proceeding in aad out of the town on Wednes- days, They were pained very often to see this overcrowding and he hoped the owners would take the hint. Mr Lloyd Williams had done excellent service for the society in adjudicating the prize essays (applause). There was no need to refer to the excellent work done by the hon see, Mr Noake (applause). Most of them knew that Mr Noake was most indefatigable in his efforts and they were pleased in having such an able secretary as he had proved to be. He should like to make an earnest appeal to those present who were not subscribers and outsiders likewise to become members of the society and do what they could to promote the splendid objects it was intended to serve. To his young friends who could not afford to givo -,l uch he would like to point out that one of the og icts of the society was to induce young people to show kindness to animals (applause). By their influence and example he thought they could often check those who were disposed to be cruel. Looking at it from a higher 'standard they in this Christian land where Christian principles were permeating the hearts and minds of everyone it was their bounden duty to do all they could in the interests of that Christianity for the success and develop- ment of the society (applause). After quoting Coleridge's lines on love and prayer, Mr Denniss moved the adoption of the committee's report. The Rev T Redfern seconded the proposition with pleasure, though, he said, the pleasure was some- what modified by the unsatisfactory condition of their finances. The Branch was not so flourishing as it had been. They had been able to send to the county branch for the services of the inspector zC35 and for some years £ 30. This year they had bad to drop £5 again, but he hoped it was only a temporary inconvenience. There was no question at all in their minds that every effort should be made to retain the services of the resident inspector. They all felt admiration for the way in which the inspectors in Oswestry had done their work. It was a very difficult work, as the inspectors had to exercise tremendous tact and patience. It was the opinion of them all that the presence of the in- spector had a most beneficial effect with regard to persons' treatment of animals. The committee had at all times to effect improvements, and though they had every support from those kindly disposed towards them, they bad not been able to carry through all they desired. The President had mentioned the subject of the slaughter house which had occupied a great deal of the committee's attention and was not lost sight of. Another matter they bad endeavoured to bring about was the licensing of and granting of badges to drovers, and that would not be allowed to rest. They had also tried to get a float in which to con- vey the fat cattle and the little calves from the Smithfield to the station (applause). There might not be intentional cruelty, but often calves were mauled about more than little baby things ought to be. After saying that Mr Reeks usually addressed the school children at the schools in Oswestry, but had not done so this time, Mr Redfern went on to say he looked upon the educational part of the work as most important. A great deal depended on the way they brought up their children on the subject of kindness to animals. He hoped they would be able to get in all the schools the humane series of readers so that the subject might be brought before the children as a regular lesson. In connection with that matter he was rather con- cerned with regard to what was going on in the country districts. They did their utmost in Oswes- try to inculcate a better feeling in this subject, but he was afraid in the outside districts there was a great deal of unkind treatment going on. He wished they could radiate from Oswestry into the outside district and leaven the district in this duty. He was sorry they had not been able to organise a band of mercy when the children could be spoken to in the subject of kindness to animals. He ven. tared to ask on behalf of the committee if thcifa was any lady who would organise such a band ? As to accommodation for holding the meetings he would be pleased to place at her disposal what he had (applause). The proposition was carried unanimously. INSPECTOR LALE'S R^ORT. Mr Reeks then read the repou ,;f Inspector Lale in which he stated that durir-r bhe past year 24 persons had been convicted for various acts of cruelty, and the flees and costs inflicted amounting to JE18 15s none of which was received by the Society. In a number of cases monitions had been sent from London to accused persons against whom the evidence bad not been suflicieutly strong to justify a prosecution. The fairs and markets throughout the district had been regularly attended and the treatment of animals watched, numerous cautions being given to drovers and others against unduly beating and over-driving animals. Railway cattle sidings had been visited and numerous cautions had been given for overloading cattle and minor acts of cruelty. He bad paid special atten- tion to the treatment of poultry in the markets, preventing overcrowding and cruelty in general. The overloading of carriers' vehicles had received his attention and cautions had been given. Several old worn-out horses had been destroyed during the year in consequence of the Society's action. The prosecutions and convictions numbered 24, moni- tions from London 21, cases pending 3, total 48; and the districts where the convictions Swere obtained were Oswestry county and borough, Llanfyllin, Wem, and Towyn. THE ESSAYS AND WINNERS. Mr J J Lloyd Williams, M.A., Oxon, in his report on the essays on the duty of kindness to animals, stated that fifty-six candidates entered for the competition. That was a considerable increase upon last year's entry, and it was gratifying proof that the interest in the subject was well main- tained. Taken as a whole the essays reached a very fair average of excellence; attention had been paid to his suggestions in his former report, and there was a distinct improvement in both matter and style; the composition was clear, and the writing in the case of candidates from two schools was particulary neat. After careful examination of the work done, the candidates who showed most originality and promise were :—Over 12 years-1 Winifred Robbins, Ashlands School (6s and a book); 2 Annie Roderick, Bronygarth School (5s and a book); 3 Elsie Cross, Ashlands School (2a 6d and a book) he for a special prize, Griffith Ellis, Tre- fonen School. Under 12 years of age-1 Queenie Plimmer, Ashlands School (6s and a book); 2 C B Williams, Lloran House School (5s and a book) 3 Muriel Thomson, Ashlands School (2s 6d and a book). He trusted there would be a continued yearly increase in the number of compositions sent in, and that the efforts of the Society in this neigh- bourhood might be attended with far-reaching results. Mrs C S Denniss then gracefully distributed ,the prizes to the successful candidates. ADDRESS BY MR REEKS. Mr Reeks then gave a practical address. W;th regard to the children be said when their hearts were young and tender a3 wax to receive the impression and like marble to attain it, was the time to impress upon them the duty and pleasure Of making their dumb friends' lives as happy and free from pain as they possibly could. They liked their children to keep pets because the heart of the ohiid went out to the pet whose heart in turn went back to the child. There was however, such a thing as eruelty bj over-kindness and he mentioned the instance of a young lady who over-fed her dog and caused it suffering. If they could only induce the young peonle to care for animals there would be a great improvement in the treatment of animals in the next generation. In the northern towns and borders of Wales the education of the young in this respect was realized to a far greater degree than in the south. In London no less than 1529 schools within a 20 miles radius of Charing Cross took part in the essay competition and the essays totalled 195,796, giving an average of 128 essays for each school. It was difficult to over estimate the amount of good which that might do, as not only every little boy or girl who entered for the competition, but the whole family was interested in the subject. The clergy were the friends of the Society, and in response to its appeal 2,000 clergymen preached sermons on its behalf. That showed the growth in the realisation of the fact that kindness towards dumb animals was not an unfit subject to be preached upon from the pulpit. Proceeding to speak of the overloading of vehicles, he said he would wish if the owners and drivers considered in loading a vehicle whether the load was too great for the horse to mount a hill with. He was talking the other day with some ladies who spent a holiday in Norway, and they told him that there the passen- gers always got out of the cart before mounting a hill. Now if that were done in this country it would show consideration for the services of the horses, and the horses would last longer. They had been anxious about that long protracted war in South Africa, but had they thought of the debt that they owed to the horse ? The horses sacrificed up to the present numbered hundreds of thousands and 20,000 a month were required to meet the drain. It was they who had dragged the guns in the line of battle they had brought the supplies from the base to the front, and had died in harness and had chased the ubiquitous De Wet until they were unable to go further, according to Gen. French. When they thought of these horses, they must have consideration for those at home. Referring to the improved condition and prolonged life of 'bus horses, Mr Reeks said all that had been brought about by the action of the Society. He went on to refer to cruelty by drivers and butchers, but said he did not say all drivers and butchers were necessarily unkind. He told the story of the rescue of a fox terrier by a collier near Wrexham from a pit shaft where it had been for 8 or 9 days, having been thrown there by its owner to escape the tax, and said it was brought to the meeting and shewn to the people, and the man received X2 9s 6d col- lected by Wrexham people and the diploma of tne Society for his heroic action (applause). He hoped that branch would go on in the path it had entered upon and that those present would do all they could for the poor animals who were unable to speak for themselves, and that this feeling would grow with their growth and strengthen with their strength. Those who had not taken prizes for essays he hoped would be encouraged to go on and they would succeed. As to Mr Redfern's sugges- tion concerning a band of mercy he hoped it would come about and that a point would be made of inducing children to become the friends of all loving creatures and he was sure the work would not be in vain (applause). ELECTION OF PRESIDENT. The Rev J J Poynter proposed the re-election of Mr Denniss as president of the branch (applause). He had shewn the greatest interest in the Society and, he thought he was correct in saying he bad not been absent from the committee or public meeting since his election. They were much obliged to him for the services he had rendered. He should like to express a hope that they should thank Mr Denniss for favours to come and that he would use his influence in the railway world of the town and obtain for the town a float. If he could induce the two companies to become part owners, he could assure them the committee would oblige them by borrowing it (laughter). He confirmed what had been said from the chair and by Mr Redfern with regard to their gratitude to Mr Noake and to their excellent officer. He would be onlv too alad to help Mr Redfern with the band of mercy. In conclusion he hoped that the day would come when there would be no need what- ever for the work even of such a society as that (applause). Mr F L Jackson seconder the motion which was carried with applause. In reply, Mr Denniss said it afforded him much pleasure to do what he could in connection with the objects of that Society. In the short time he had been connected with it the committee had accomplished much, and more would be accom- plished, the law strengthened, and the habits of the people improved. There was no doubt the idea of being unkind was far from the minds of most men. More folly was wrought by want of thought than this world wots of." He thanked them for appoint. ing him to the chair, and he would endevour to fill it to the test of his ability (applause). THE COMMITTEE. The Rev G 0 Browne proposed the re-election of the committee, with the addition of Mr F L Jackson, as follows :-The Rev T Redfern, E Pell Edmonds, J J Poynter, G Williams (Trefonen), W G Haslehurst, and G 0 Browne, Dr Lewis, Col Fisher, Messrs T Owen, W J Wallace Pugh, W K Minshall, T W Green, J H N Walford, the Hon Mrs Ogilvy, Mrs Barnes, Miss Minshall, Miss Lewis, Miss Payne, Miss Burgo Hodge, Miss E R Thomas, Mrs H Vane Russell, Miss Lloyd Aston, and Miss Moon. Mr W K Minsball seconded the motion which was agreed to. VOTES O* THANKS. The Rev E Pell Edmonds proposed a vote of thanks to the chairman for presiding. He pro- ceeded to say that the number of societies which claimed their support and sympathy was great in- deed and seemed to be increasing year by year, but that society claimed their special support. He was interested in Mr Reeks' remarks about the re- covered fox terrier as he knew the lady who possessed it, and the dog. He also moved a vote of thanks to Mrs Dennisa for so kindly consenting to distribute the prizes (applause). Mr T Owen seconded the motion and said when they saw Mr Denniss on a platform they could be sure to look for something interesting and he had given them a very concise history of the society. Mr Owen went on to say amid laughter that it was a judicious arraugement by which he was placed to speak at the end for he held extreme views and he would have spoken at length if it was earlier. After referring to the improvement effected in Oswestry by the society he proceeded to refer to the slaughter-house question and said the only way of dealing with it was by abolishing slaughter-houses and abstaining from flesh foods. He was glad to learn that the clergy throughout the country took such great interest in the society's work (applause). The proposition having been unanimously carried, the Chairman thanked them very much on behalf of his wife and hijiself for the vote of thanks. He could assure them she had great pleasure in being present (applause). The Chairman in moving a vote of thanks to the hon Secretary, said that in a large measure the success of the brarch was due to the work which Mr Noake had done (applause). The Rev F Coleman seconded the proposition and mentioned with regard at the baud of mercy that such a .band existed in connection with the Band of Hope of the Parish Church (applause). Mr Noake, in replying to the vote which was accorded unanimously, thanked them heartily for their kind expression of appreciation. He had done what he could for the Society and he had its objects thoroughly at heart (applause). He moved a vote of thanks to Mr Lloyd Williams for his adjudication of the essays (applause). The Rev T Redfern seconded this and it was agreed to, and the meeting terminated.