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FOOTBALL NOTES.

FRIENDLY MATCLIES.

THE rrANAT SIDE HARRIERS.

OSWESTRY CONSERVATIVE CLUB.

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OSWESTRY CONSERVATIVE CLUB. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. MR STANLEY LEIGHTON, M.P., ON THE WAR. The an111".1 general mpetiJgof t.hi8club W38 held on Friday evening, when Mr Stanley Leighton, M.P., presided over a large attendance, of members, amongst whom were Dr Avlmer Lewis, Messrs W Fletcher Rogers, J P Sheather, Dd Vaughan, G Ingiis, G E Watlev, Jenkins, G Alldritt, Morris Smith. G Whitfield. E Whitfield, W G Gough, R T Gotv.'h. R E Hughes, A O Nicholson, and J H Nicholson, with Mr G A Doody, secretary. nH COMMITTEE'S REPORT. Letters regretting absence having been read from Mr A Wynne Corrie, who was with the Yeomanry at. Shrewsbury, and ;\Ir Hignett Gough, tbe treasurer, the Secretary read. the Committee's annual report and statement of accounts, in which t'nev congratulated the members upon the club's continued prosperity. The number of members on the books was 366. this was after deducting re- movals, &c. All the accounts in connection with the alterations had been paid, leaving a balance in hand of nearly JE40, being a nucleus towards re- ducing the mortgage. A soiree bad not been arranged this season, as the Committee considered that during the somewhat anxious times, owing to the war, it was advisabie to defer Ic. The Com- mittee regretted the removal through death of Mr Owen G Jones, of Llanforda, from the list of vice- preshlents. who had always been a generous sup- porter of the cause.—On the proposition of Mr Watlev, seconded by Mr Alldritt, the report was adopted. SATISFACTORY FINANCIAL POSITION. Mr A C Nicholson one of do" auditors, said the best way to describe the position "f the Club was by taking a comparative of this year and last year. The gross mcome dui ing the y was £685 including the stock-in-trade, nnd the expenditure was £618, leaving a balance of £66 198 2d (app'ause). The previous year they only had a credit, balance of £7 ÓR 7d, which was owing to the exceptional expenditure. He was glad to say that the committee was able to carry on the club with- out, incurring that large expenditure every year, and if tiiey '<11, on UR t hev had done they would l1avt' money in Land. One thing which struck one forcibly was the revenue account which showed the steady amount ab;¡ at the It showed that Oswestry Conservatives, whatever happened to them and whatever the times were aud whatever the political news was, patronised the bar in a steady manner. In 1897. £376 was taken at the bar; 1898, £366; and 1899, £361. The income from billiards was less by £9 than the previous year, but was £22 more than the year before that. They were £66 better off than the year before. Taking the furniture, dwre was a surplus in favour of the club of £340. They also had a surplus of J237 on the alterations account, and they had about £37Q assets. If the whole thing were valued the surplus would be more, so he understood. He actl- gratulated the club on its exceptionally good posi- tion. He had found everything correct (applause). ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE. On tbo motion of Mr D Vaughan seconded bv Mr J P Shea: her, Lord Harlecti was re-elected president. The vice-presidents were also e-eh-cied the addition of tne Hon Ormsby Gore »nd M'jor Ball. Mr Ingiis proposed the re-appoins ment of Mr Hignett Gough as Treasurer. The proposition was seconded by Mr \VK(lev ami carried. Mr W Martin proposed and Mr S.heithe;- seconded there-appoint- ment of Mr Doody as secretary, and this was agreed to, Mr Doody thanking the members, and saying he would endeavour tv do moro Îur tha club in the future (applause). Messrs Ghiwaodine, Sabitie, and Fay Williams, having resigned from the committee, Messrs E M Garner, J B Beubow, and G M Jenkins were put in their places and the following were elected on the committee :—Messrs David Vaughan, G Ing',i; G Alldritt, W D Fowles, W G Gough, R Kay, T Raybould, Morris Smith, G C Smith, Geo Whitfield, W H Peudry, and G E Watley. WAR TELEGRAMS. Mr Ingiis asked the chairman to take the voice of the meeting as to whether they should negociate for receiving war telegrams at the club. The telegrams, would be tho means of bringing new members to the club and be of great benefit. The Committee had been negligent in bringing the matter forward owing to the expanse.—Mr David Vaughan supported and said that at the Beacons- field Club in Shrewsbury, the telegrams had been the means of increasing the Club's receipts and membership.—After discussion, a vote was taken and it was decided to have the war telegrams. THE CHAIRMAN'S ADDRESS. Mr Stanley Leighton, M.P., who was cordially received, said it gave him groat pleasure to be there to make a few remarks on political subjects were of interest to them all. First of all he might congratulate the members on their good financial position. They had evidently prospered with the prosperity of the country, for although they were involved in the calamity of war at the same time it was a remarkable fact that during the last month of the last year the commercial returns < 1 the country were fully as much as they had bee at any time. It was satisfactory to them to 1 eel that they not only had most excellent premises, which were certainly worthy of the town and the Conservative and Unionist party and very comfortable and agreeable to the members, but that they had that place of meeting in Oswestry—the centre of the constituency- and as the representative of the constituency he was very proud to meet them (applause). A few words he would say upon what was likely to occupy Par- liament which Was to meet next week. At the present time, happily, matters of domestic legisla- tion were treated in a subdued tone, and not in a violent recrio inatory on party spirit, and, at the same time, although we were in the midvt of a war, he thought as far as possible they ought to go on with the ordinary business of life and legislation fo long as it did not interfere with the carrying on of the great and important work in which the whole Empire was engaged. Therefore he gave no apol- ogy for speakiug for a few moments on some of those thiugs which he suggested as an independent unofficial member, ware likely to, and he hoped would, be undertaken during the next session. One was the great question of the organisation cf secondary education. He thought they would allow that was a subject to which they must pay particular attention. Another subject may be, ought to be, the adjustment of the claims between landowners and tenants on the vacancy of the. tenancy. Everyone desired that. the Act should be as businesslike and easy of application as possible, and there were certain amendments which were thought would make the Act more business-like, and there was. no reason why they should not take place. The improvement of the law with regard to the distribution of relief out of the public funds to the destitute and aged was a question which would very likely be considered. The poor were always and would always be with them, and that was a question which would probably never be entirely settled or completed, but every generation in its turn ought to look and see how could the, old and poor of the country be made more comfortable (applause). Again there was the extension of the Workmen's Compensation Act, which certainly worked well and not disastrously to the trades. He hoped it would be extended. There was another question which he thought was ripe for consideration and legislation, and that was the great inequality in numbers between somo constituencies alld others (applause). He hoped tuis would be taker. in hand next session. No doubt what dominated the whole political horizon, what took away the excitement of all other topics was the war in which we were engaged. There were certain duties which belonged to citizens in time of peace, and there were certain duties which be- longed to them in time of war. There wa", a time for preparation, there was a time for action, and there was a time for re-organisation. Criticism was appropriate for the first, silence for the second, and readiness to pay the cost was appropriate for the third (h;-tr, hear). There were politicians licensed to speak. All politicians bad been busl.eo during the last few months; their voices bad been drowned in the roar of the campaign, but at the same time some utterances had bten made. Mr Balfour had spoken, and failing to hit the passing mood of the moment, he had been m08t, severely criticised. There had been an uproar ali rouud on Mr Balfour's speech. He (their member) could assure them ho read the whole of the speech and he was astounded at the uproar. tie did not unders'and why what Mr Balfour said on that oc- casion had created, as it, undoubtedly did, such hostile criticism. He thought the violence of the criticism would subside as quickly as it rose. Of course, on a many-sided question like their South African policy there -would be many different opinions. Expression of opinion was the right and proper thing in a country like our own. Now Sir Henry Campbell Banuerman, the responsible head of the Opposition, had stated a thing in his place in Parliament and he heard him. His criticism was something like this that our warlike preparations never began too soon (laughter.) Mr Herbert Gladstone, who also spoke with authority on accouut of his positionas R. Whip of the Opposi- tion, so that the retrogressive policy after the calamity of Majuba Hiil was was the true (policy us to follow, that war was unnecessary and ought not to go on. Mr Courtney, who had a singular I courage of opinion and was the veteran friend of the Transvaal, had publicly said that we ought to sue for peace at the present moment and submit (laughter.) How did they know — the figure must be familiar to them—people who went about the world with a board slung from their necks and hanging down in front and behind., ou which the public are begged If you please will you give me a kick" (laugh- ter). He believed that those sandwich men would have in Sir Campbell Bsnnerman, Mr Gladstone, and Mr Courteney, fitting representatives in the House of Commons (laughter). The relations of Great Britain and her Colonies was that of an offensive and defensive alliance. The self-govern- iug colonies werG not contributory states; they were daughter countries and England was fighting not for herself in this battle but for her Colonies (applause). And the Greater Britain had recog- nised the meaning of the struggle, and this war had forged, as it were, in a furnace of fire, that link of brotherhood which joined and united and bound together the Mother Country and her daughters (cheers). The world in arms would never break that chain which had been forged within the last few months (cheers). Great Britain was not a miJiary ¡¡aiou, but we were a war-iike people, and the war spirit had oeen roused throughout the length and breadth of this land, the war spirit had been roused in cottage and castle and it was still enforced to the breast of every man. Who, he should like to know, could spsak against the manliness of Euglaud's sons. They should rne the day if they did. The Volunteers of England were raised for defence and not offence, and they had been called upon for the first time to defend the Empire and nobly had they responded to it (cheers). They had shown that there was a reserve of latent strength in the peaceful homes of England which would make Africa and Europe and all the world think two or three times again before they roused the sleeping energies of the wounded Lion (prolonged chesrs). — Mr R E Hughes pro- i' posed a hearty vote of thanks to Mr Leighton for his able address (applause).— Mr J P Sheather seconded, and said they would agree with him that they owed a debt of gratitude to Mr Leighton for coming there and giving them the benefit of his wisdom and experience (applause). —The proposition was carried with acclamation.— The Chairman .mid he was verv much obliged to them for the heartiness -with which they accepted the kiud words said.of him. It was splendid to see the spirit in which Englishmen faced that war— quiet and steady and firm. It seemed strange that the war should have.gone on so long to those who did not know the long period of preparation which bad been going on in the Transvaal. If they had known how long the Trknsvaal had been preparing then it would not be surprising that, we had not already marched on Pretoria. A few months was not a long time b the life of a nation, and they were prepared to go on and he hoped to succeed (applause). The gathering round the mother country of the colonies was a fact of supreme importance, and the kindly feel- ing in America was another sort of forecast of a great predomination of English, American, Norman an(1 Saxon feeling all over the world. Some people thought that, a great racial trouble would go 011 for ever if we succeeded in conquering the Transvaal and the Free State. If they remem- bered this it would relieve them of the fear of such a difficulty. The Transvaal is a country as big n.s France, and suppose they said there were 100,000 Dutch families tbore, these wou'd bFJ scattered about the whole space and how could they quarrel. It took two to make a quarrel. Under Knglish rule they would have their property safe-guarded. What created race difficulty vvas domination of one race by the other which lead to injustice. Although we had complained of the way Transvaal Gov- ernment Lad behaved, he thought in our hearts we did not, dislike Dutch character. There is a certain steadiness and hard-working courage about it which was not antagonistic to the English. We recognized good colonists, and as agricultural colonists the Dutch were extremely good colonists and had done very good work. The objection is to the number of corrupt foreigners who had dominated the Dutch. He did not think there would be auy violent race difficulty. He again thanked them for their kind- ness. (applause.) The rest of the evening was devoted to a smoking concert. Mr Leighton had to leave before the con- clusion, and as be departed the members sang he's a jolly good fellosv." Dr Lewis after- wards took the chair. Songs were sung by MeHars J P Sheather (encored), James Edwards (encored), Geo Bay lay (encored), A Parsons, Yarnell, G Alldritt, G E Watley, and J Groves (who also gave a recitation). Mr Bay ley sang The Absent- Minded Beggar," and a collection was made which realised £1. Mr Yarnell was accompanist.— On the proposition of Mr Ingiis, seconded by Mr R T Gough, a vote of thanks was accorded the perfor- mers.— Mr Sheather proposed, and Me D Vaughan seconded a vote of thanks to Dr Lewis, and this was passed.— Dr Lewis acknowledged, and said no borough could be prouder of itself for its efforts in t.he present crisis than Oswestry (applause). He referred to the funds he was connected with, and said he had been graciously received everywhere (hear, hear). III the<;fo\ matters OswesLry was in the van, and he hoped it would always be (cheers).

CARDIGANSHIRE CONSERVATIVE…

COLONEL BADEN-POWELL, OF EDENHOPE,…

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