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Pontypridd Local Board of Health. THE CLOCK QUESTION. THE DWELLINGS ON THE GRAIG. The ordinary meeting of this Board took place On Thursday se'nnight the Rev D. W. Williams, M.A., Fairfield, presiding. There were also E resent Councillo- Roberts, and Messrs David isyshon, D. Rowlands, W. W. Phillips, J. H. Jones, M. Hague P. G )wan, H Ll. Grover (clerk), and J. Sprague (deputy clerk.) THE MAINTENANCE OF THE CLOCK. A deputation consisting of Messrs H. S. Davies (president), H. Porcher (vice-president), J. Coombes, J. Evans, A. O. Evans, and I. Kuner attended from the Chamber of trade with refer ence to the maintenance of the clock in St. Catherine's Church tower. Mr H. S. Davies in introducing the deputation said the Chamber desired the Board to undertake the future maintenance of the clock. He thought he need not refer to the circumstances which led to the clock, which was so generously presented by the late Mr Jabez Evans and Mr Phillips to the town, being placed in the Church tower. He would simply deal with some of the arguments adduced; against the Board undertaking the maintenance of the timepiece. One argument nsed was that there was a matter of principle involved-the principle oti religious equality. Some of their opponents said that by using the rates to maintain the clock the Board would be levying a sort of Church rate. He (the speaker) could not see any force in that argument. If he could see any force in it he would not have been o one of the deputation that day. The, hurch would not remain an establishment one hour the longer because the Board undertook to maintain the clock. The clock was of no particular Advantage to the Church as a Church. Indeed it had been a source of expense to those connected with the Church. The clock was intended as a f»ift to the town and the Church had simply given t a place and it was fixed in the most prominent position now available in the town. The other urgument was that people living in the outlying districts would not derive any benefit from the clock. Ha must object to fbat argument on the ground that people from the outlying districts Came into the town constantly and during their visits they benefitted as much by the clock as any one living in the town and probably much more than those living cose by. When he went to Cardiff he found the clock in St. John's Church a great convenience. Before the clock in St. Catherine's tower oould be depended upon to keep correct time it would have to be maintain 3d and carefully kept going by some responsible person. He did not see how that could be anything like as well dniie by public subscrip- tions as by the Board. Whoever was appointed' by the Board to keep the clock would be subject to the Board, whereas if the clock was kept by public subscriptions there would be no one re- responsible at all. On behalf of the Chamber of T. sie he earnestly hoped the Board would con- sider this matter well and that they would ultim- ately decide to adopt the course th Chamber desired them to take. The Chairman What do you imagine the ex- pense of maintaining the clock would be ? Mr H. S. Davies From tlO to £ 12 per annum. Councillor R berts It is a very difficult matter to gu ige. The Chairman Of course it is. Mr John James If we get the main spring broken who is to go to the expense of putting it tight again ? Mr H. S. Davies That would only cost some thing like tl or t2. tiMjl Mr Porcher said he endorsed the remarks made by Mr Davies. The clock was given to the town through the medium of the Chamber of Trade. A committee was appointed to select a site, but while the question was under consideration the late Mr Jabez Evans himself found a site for it in the tower where it was now placed. The maintenance of the timepiece would only meajp an expenditure of £ 10 or 412 per year and coif- tracts might be invited for the work. The Chamber of Trade followed the proceedings of the Board with a good deal of interest and they were glad to observe that the Board had decided to make a recreation ground of the common and had already s:>ent £;:)0 in improving it Had they yet heard a single dissentient voice from the ut- most limits of the district objecting tnthe expense entailed in this matter. He hoped they would take a broad and generous view of this matter and come to a decision in favour of the maiutsn- ance of the clock. MrJamesCoombes said he fully agreed with the remarks made by the previous speakers and he felt that it would be a disgrace to the town if they refused to undertake the responsibility of the future maintenance of th( Ilcck. Mr Kaner referring to the remark made by Mr James said there was no mainspring in the clock to be broken. (Laughter.) Mr D. Leyshon Is it correct that at a meeting of the ratepayers'association last Tuesday night they passed a resolution against the Board inter- fering in the matter ? 0 Mr H. S. Davies I here was such a resolution carried by 13 votes to 12, but there was nothing in the circular convening the meeting to indicate that this question was coming on. cl Mr Coombes: Some of those who voted wore n It ratepayers. Councillor Roberts The question is before the public ar.d if it could be shown that there was a preponderance of feeling in favour of it I would give way. Mr Jno. James They are unanimously against it at Rhydfetin and 70 per cent. of the people of Pontypridd are again sc it on principle. The money is ready in public subscriptions and why force it o" the rat-ss. We hav-* no works at Tire- fore t There is not a stroke doing 1n the place and would it be right to propose this extra rate. Mr W. W. Phillips 19 out of every 20 of the ratepayers in my ward will vote against it and that w rO, pays 1 3rd. of the rate. Mr Hague I don't think it does. iVlr 1 oombes The cost of the lighting ap- paratus woul I no doubt have b^eu a considerable sum. It would have run away with nearly £ 100 a year. People looked at that large sum no doubt. Hut we don't ask for that amount. All we ask for is the paltry sum of £10. ur Porcher said he thought he might point out that evjrv membe.r of the deputation belonged to a nonconformist body and that went to show that they did not consider there was any principle in- volved. Mr J. H. James I t link it would be well to let ynu have this place altogether. There are de- puta.tions at every Board meeting. We are like a lot of children here. We had better go out an give the place up to you. Mr H. S. Da. vie): We do not come here to dic- tate to the Board in any way. The 'hairiuan I have seen many deputations at this Board to ask for favours, but I cannot re- member having seen one deputation come to this Board repn sent T g so much respectability ,r,& intel !ence. The deputation having thanked the Board for reoe. ving ttieT,,ttiei:lvithdrew. Mr D. Rowlands said that the arguments used on both sides need not be repeated. There was only one point he wished to bring before the Bo»i;d and it was this. When the late Mr Jabez ISVfMis and Mr Phillips proposed giving a public 11 1 tloc-k to the town, Mr Evans came to tha Board and made the remark 'If Mr Phillips and myself MppL you with a pub!ic clock will you maintain it." The members of the Board with one con- sent promised tliat they would. There was no jprcpostion moved and there was no record made but they mutually agreed that the clock should be maintained out of the rates. He thought they should not go back upon their words but out of respect for the doners should undertake the maintenance of the clock. He begged to give notice that he would move the rescinding of the resolution on the books with reference to this question. Mr Thos. Taylor said he thought that if they could afford to pay for placing seats on the com- mon they surely might accede to the wishes of the deputation. Councillor Roberts What Mr Rowlands said is true. There w,,s a tacit understanding, but in the face of the strong objection entet taiiiel in the neighbourhood in which I live towards the main- tenance of the clock I could not feel justified in going against public opinion. I have to be sub- ject to poblic opinion as long as I sit at this Board. If the voice of the public is taken in an inexpensive form, and if it was found to be in favour of the maintenance of the clock I would be quite prepared to give way. The Clerk Of what advantage is the Common to the Hafod people ? Mr W. W. Phillips: I have objected to that matter all through. Mr Leyshon As a representative of the Graig Ward I have nothing to say. I have not broached the subject there. They tell me that I have a clock good enough for the Graig Ward. It keeps good time and I go to the expense of re- pairing and winding that clock. I am of the same opinion as Mr Rowlands, although I would be quite willing to subscribe towards maintaining the clock and most of my constituents would do the same. Mr Hague: I quite agree with Mr Leyshon. I have not heard one voice raised against maintain- ing the clock. THE DWELLINGS OF THE POOR ON THE GRAIG. A letter was read from Mr E. B. Reece, coroner of the Cardiff district, intimating that at an in- quest recently held on the body of a hawker who met with his death accidentally on the Graig, the jury had requested him to write to the Board call- ing their attention to the insanitary condition of the dwellings at Llanganna. Councillor Roberts stated that according to the newspaper reports it was announced at the in- quest that the dwellings had been reported to the Board by the medical offiser and the late superin- tendent of police. The Clerk: I don't think that was so. Councillor Roberts said he had no personal re- collection of the reports having been presented. If the medical officer drew the attention of the Board to the matter, he should like to know why it not been taken up. -The strictures of the jury on the Board were very severe. Mr Leyshon said he had lived on the Graig for 20 years. Some years ago a committee of the Board visited the house in question and houses in the vicinity. It was mentioaed at the time by the committee that the houses were rather crowded and some closets were recommended. It was asked in a newspaper in the previous week what the name of the member who lived near those houses was, and whether he had any interest in the property. He was the member referred to and he might say that he had no interest what- ever in the property. At the time when they visited the houses in question the committee felt that they could not condemn them at all, but the other houses were condemned and brought before the notice of the magistrates. The Clerk Those were the only houses I ever remember being condemned. Mr Leyshon remarked that he had asked the inspector about the sanitary condition of those houses and he had said there were many far worse. The step3 leading to the back of the pre- mises were not dangerous. They bad steps else- where far mere dangerous than those. He could assure them that the houses were fit for persons of the lalouring class to live in. They were kept clean. The house in which the man who met his death onl > consisted of one room it was true, and there were a few steps leading up to it. But the room was kept clean, and was fit for any old man be live in. The Clerk: Are the steps private property ? Mr Leyshon: Yes. The houses are fit for persons to live in. After some further discussion it was agreed that the medical oScer and the ex-superiniend- ent should be asked to attend the next Board meeting and give particulars as to the date and character of the reports submitted by them. The clerk: If the steps are private property we cannot interfere with them. THE PROPOSED BERW BRIDGE. A letter was read from Mr Crawshay's secretary asking the Board to complete the agreement with reference to this bridge. The clerk said there was no agreement, and that there ha i been nothing further than correspond- ence between Mr t. rawshay and the Board. M r D. Rowlands: There was a committee there last week, and we decided to recommend to the Board that a footbridge should I e erected either on or above the old trough. Councillor Roberts: That is hardly correct. We came to the conclusion to ask Mr Harwood to meet the surveyor before anything further was done. Mr D. Rowlands: But we were agreed about the footbridge. Mr Thomas Taylor: Mr Passett was here yesterday, and he said he was prepared to give £ o0 towards a footbridge, and more if a carriage bridge was erected. Mr D. Rowlands In that case would it not be well to write to Mr v_'rawsl:ay and tell him what &r Bassett has consented to do. The matter was left in the hands of the clerk. URINALS. A letter was read from the Pontypridd Water M'orks Company, stating that they contemplated making an addition to the amount charged for water supplied Lo the Board's urinals. The chairman remarked that the urinal under the Taff Vale Bridge was a disgrace to the neigh- bourhood. I:> It was agreed that the clerk should write to the Company and inform them that the Board were already paying enough for what they had. THE RHONDDA tiOAD. The Roads and Bridges Committee wrote the Beard requesting that the plans of the proposed improvement < f this road should be submitted to them. Mr Peter Gowan proposed that the Public Works Committee accompany the surveyor and assist hLn in preparing the plans. THE STANDINGS ON THE TUMBLE. A letter was read from Messrs ilichards and Bloss complaining of the obstruction caused by standings on the tramway near the, umble. Councillor Roberts I don't, wonder that they complain The place is so occupied by stalls and standings on certain days that people who use the tramroad find it difficult to get through them. Mr James: What proceedings would we have to take. The clerk: Summon them for obstructing the highway. Councillor Roberts: I bfg to move that the necessary steps be taken to put a stop to these obstructions. Agreed to. PONTYPRIDD IMPROVEMENTS COMPANY, LIMITED. A letter was read from the Local Government Board intimating that they had received a schedule setting forth the particulars of the public improvements scheme of the above Com- pany for providing dwellings for persons of the labouring classes at Rhondda. Road and Mill-st. A ocal Government Board inquiry would be held as soon as their inspector cculd find it conven- ient to v,sit i ontypridd. INSPECTOR OF LODGING HOUSES. Superintendent Evan Jones applied for the appointment of Inspector of lodging houses ren- dered vacant by the resignation of the Jate Supt. Mr Matthews. On the proposition of Mr Phillips, seconded by Mr Taylor, it was decided to ccnfer the appoint- ment upon iiir Jones. TJE FIRE BRIGADE. Mr E. W. Fees, the hon. sec. of the Pontypridd Volunteer Fire Brigade wrote submitting for the perusal of the Board a form Of advertisement drawn up for tl e appliances required. It was decided to ask the Brigide to rndertake the advertising and submit tho tenders received to the Board. THE MAIN SEWERAGE. The chairman said that at the last meeting of the Joint Sewerage Committee at Cardiff, Mr Chatterton intimated that he would like very much if the members of the two Board could make it convenient to inspect the sewer from one end to the other, and if they did so, he would be very pleased to entertain them to a quiet dinner at Cardiff. The date of the proposed visit would be duly communicated to them. APPLICATION FOR AL LICBNSE. An application was received fro.* Mr. Neakes, Star Theatre, Llanelly, for a license empowering him to produce stage plays on the space at the back of the Butcher's Arms, Pontypridd. The application not having been couatersigned by two members of the Board, it should stand over until the next meeting. THS FORTHCOMING ELBCTION. A resolution was passed empowering the return- ing Officer to employ whatever clerks were neces- sary to conduct the forthcoming election. THE PROPOSED PUBLIC SLAUGHTER HOUSE. Mr. Leysbon reported the result !of the tenr made by the Committee in search of sites suitable for the proposed public slaughter house. They bad failed to find any p!ace they could recommend, and the question of site was allowed to stand over. The Committee also visited Mr. Treaohard's tagh t er house, and pointed out several alterations necessary in their opinion. Mr. Taylor said he still contended that a public slaughter house was necessary, and he pointed out that if they waited for the progress of the town, they would not get a site for the establishment at all. Mr. Trenchard's slaughter house was not suitable at all, because the offals were boiled in toe place where the blasts were killed. He had understood from Mr. L" shra that the Market's Company had power to build a slaughter house. Mr. Leyshon said he had since ascertained that the Market Company had no more power to establish a slaughter house than a private com- pany. Mr. Rowlands Supposing we leave the matter for a month to further consider it. Mr. Taylor. A public slaughter house would be a great benefit. Mr. Hague: I dont think it would be as lproflt. able as we imagine. The matter stood over. The other business was of minor importance,

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