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IHUNTING APPOINTMENTS. I

-om. TWR.I

IAMATEUR GARDENERS' COLUJFN.

FOR THE TWELFTH TIME,

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FOR THE TWELFTH TIME, 1 Ecstatic Magwr-Making at Montgomery. Councillor Owen Asks Whether They Cannot Make a Mayor Twice a Year. Alderman C. P: Asks Why not Weekly? For the twelfth time Alderman Fairies-Hum- phreys, of the County town, has been invested with the mayoral insignia, and his investiture on Wednesday was more marked by enthusiasm than any previous occasion. If Councillor Henry Cautley had been present he would have found it difficult to add hia quota to the seriec of apprecia. tive speeches, as preceding speakers had vsed up all the conventional words and phrases to express the regard with which they held the worthy alderman. The principal speech came from Councillor Henry Jones, who delivered some well- chosen remarks, then after the mayor-making had come to an end &V the Council and officials found the path to Bank House quite easy of ascent, and there they received a royal and cordial welcome from the popular civic chief, who presided at the banquet. The town clock bad jusc finished the last stroke in the mid-day hour when the retiring mayor announced:—The business, as you know, gentlemen, is the election of a mayor. Mr Henry Jones: It ia a great privilege and pleasure to me to have the honour to propose that Alderman Fairies-Humphreys be again asked to occupy the position of mayor. We are all very much indebted to Mr Fairies-Humphreys, and we have been for many years. As we all know he is the one existing member of this Corporation when first formed, and he has never ceased to be a member of it. He has taken an exceptional interest in the welfare of the public and especially of the borough, and his services to the borough have been more than those of any other member of the Corporation. MAYORS AND MAYORS. Gentlemen, we could make anyone we chose as a mayor, but here we have noone who could fill the office or execute the duties as they have been done by Mr Fairies-Humphreys. He has been mayor now I think 11 times.—[Mr Maurice Owen: 12 in a few minutes.]—During these many years, there have been some very important events tak- ing place such as the Coronation and the Jubilee, and it has been very necessary that we should have a gentleman to represent us who would be a credit to the borough. This I admit is only a small borough, but I think to be Mayor of this historic little borough is quite as great an honour as would be attached to a larger town. There are the same duties to perform, and it is not everyone who could occupy the position in such a dignified manner, and represent us at great functions as Mr Fairies-Humphreys can. There are times when a mayor's duty are not always pleasant; we don't always agree in our dis- cussions, but whenever we digress from the sub- ject of discussion he pulls us up in his courteous manner which can cause us no offence. If we look round at other boroughs we find that every- thing has not been quite so pleasant as here. Another matter for which we deserve credit is the condition of our financial affairs. We are a very good pattern to boroughs overloaded with debt, and a great deal of the credit for our financial position being so good is due to him. Now, gentlemen, I have very great pleasure in pro- posing that Mr Fairies-Humphreys be again appointed Mayor for the ensuing year over this Corporation. COUNCILLOR OWEN CREATES A DIVERSION. Mr Maurice Owen: Well, Mr Mayor and gentlemen, I quite endorse all Mr Jones has said. I really think we could not get a better anywhere than what we have at the present time in office. I have been thinking that he must indeed be veiy highly honoured for Welshpool to volunteer to come here to pay us a visit- The Mavor You must not sav that. Mr Owen. I was only speaking privately. Mr Maurice Owen (to the Press): Just you keep that out then. I am quite satisfied with our present Mayor, and the way he has conducted the business since I have been on the Council. I am sure if we change we should chang9 for the worse. After 40 years' residence he knows all the ins and outs of our little town, he is always willing to help those who require it, and he is always willing to assist in any charitable purpose. Therefore, I endorse all Mr Jones has said, and I am very pleased to second his proposition that the Mayor keep his seat for another year. I only hope he will live long to hold this office; for I don't think that anyone will ever attemnt to hold it so long as we have such a worthy man to do his duties as he is Alderman C. P. Davies begged to endorse what had been said by the previous speakers. They could look back upon everything their Mayor had done with satisfaction, and he was sure that their Mayor was best fitted to represent them at the coming great functions. ALDERMAN DAVIES' RECOLLECTIONS. I believe I am the only one, continued Alderman C. P. Davies, in this room to-day who was on the Council when our Mayor was first made alderman; and after such a successful career in both public and Drivate business we could not have a better man as our Mayor. I hope Mr Fairies-Humphreys will be spared long to enjoy the best health and strength to rule over us for many years to come. Mr C. B. Williams also endorsed. He felt sure that they would be very worthily represented at the Coronation. He also hoped that he would preside over them for many years to come. Mr Mitchell, in further supporting, said that the Mayor was the right man in the right place, and it was impossible for anyone to say too much in his favour. The Mayor: It is rather a difficult thing for me to return thanks to you again on this twelfth occasion. You have certainly been kind enough to give me a great deal of practice in returning thanks for these honours year after year. And yet after all that practice I don't feel that I am equal to expressing my feelings of gratitude to you all here for having again elected me as your Mayor, and for your kindness, courtesy, and con- sideration throughout the whole time I have been a member of this Corporation. Holding this office has never meant any hardship or task at all, but always throughout the greatest pleasure. I have always come to this hall to attend our meetings with a feeling of pleasure, and as though I were going to something which was entirely agreeable to me-agrreeable to me on account of the dis- position of the Corporation. It has been an exceedingly easy matter to preside as Mayor of this Corporation, and I think so for one particular reason, that tne Corporation unaer all circum- stances have always strictly STUCK TO THE BUSINESS and never gone beyond it. It has invariably been the case that we have never meddled with or introduced anything from the outside. There has been no personal feeling and no antagonism. hena business matter has been under discussion we have discussed it. We have very often differed but we have never quarrelled over our differences, and we have invariably arrived at a conclusion, the end of which, I think, has been satisfactory to the inhabitants of this borough. We have done many things in the borough, and we have expended a considerable amount of money, but I think it has been the feeling of every member to take care that the money has been well spent, and the result has been satisfactory, because, as I saw noted in the paper the other day, we had only a debt on this borough of £ 2i, and we have in ad- dition to that a very considerable sum in the bank, sufficient to justify us in having no rates for the last twelve months. Every member of the Corporation has agreed—and I think it is a wise policy-to keep just a little money in hand. There may at any time be an alteration required in the town, or an Act passed by which we have to spend a little more. My principle has always been to keep something in hand, so that in case of emergency we need not be troubled. Well, gentlemen, it has been a pleasant time for me. We have all pulled well together, and, aa far as I can judge, the inhabitants of the borough will all say we have PULLED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. It hap been a very great pleasure indeed to repre- sonv this ancient borough, whose charter dates from 1236, and I shall be very pleased to repre- sent you at the Coronation and also at Carnarvon, and I hope I shall do it to your satisfaction. I desire to return you my most sincere thanks for having elected me on this twelfth occasion and given me an opportunity of being present at these two approaching events. I thank you. gentlemen, for the honour you have done me (applause). Alderman C. P. Davies I think a hearty vote of thanks is due to our Mayor for having presided during these last twelve months. I am sure he looks as well this morning as he did 25 or 30 years ago. Mr Mitchell seconded, remarking that he had always found the Mayor the surest uei safest gentleman to follow. Mr Maurice Owen had something to add. The one thing he liked about the Mayor was that he never thought himself above anybody else, and he I would always greet the poorest person he met in the street. He was also always willing to give way when he saw anyone who could see further than himself. The Clerk: He never does. Alderman C. P. Davios: Never does, sir. The Town-Clerk scores there (laughter). The Mayor briefly responded, remarking that he hoped to meet them often again, not as Mayor only, but as Alderman. He would next year be pleased to become merely a member of the Corporation. Mr Maurice Owen We'll see about that later on (laughter), THANKING THE OFFICERS. The Mayor then proposed a vote of thanks to the officers of the Council, and they had as good a staff of them as any in the county. Not only were they able but they were also very willing, and to him they seemed to be at the beck and call of every member of the Corporation on every occasion. Mr Pryce was their right hand, and he was always ready to do a great deal. Then there was their Medical Unicer (Dr Kirk), who certainly was most attentive to his duties and ready with his advice, and he had given it to them freely with regard to the water supply. Mr Hole had a great deal to do; he was certainly a most efficient and satisfactory surveyor, and he had lately taken an enormous amount of trouble, though the work he had done was not all seen, a great deal of it had been bi^ed, but they could all join in thanking him. As to Mr Tomley, it was hardly necessary to say anything about him, for he not only did useful work in the town, but he took a great deal of interest in the welfare of the rising generation and in all public matters. Mr Turnbull was not present, but he must say he had been very atten- tive to his duties. I Mr Henry Jones seconded, and remarked that without Mr Hole he did not know what they would do, nor how they could repay him for all the trouble he had taken. He hoped when done that it would be a source of great satisfaction to him. MONTGOMERY, AS SEEN BY OTHERS. The Town Clerk (Mr Pryce), on behalf of the officials, responded. If the Corporation con- sidered thanks were due to them in additiop to the salaries [they paid them, then their thanks were also due to the Mayor and Corporation for the kindness and courtesy they had received at their hands. He could not sit down without joining, on behalf of the officers, in the congratu- lations to their worthy Mayor—(applause)—upon his magnificent record which had been added to that day. During the past week he had been re- ceiving letters from different people making en- quiries about the financial position of the borough. For some time he could not make out the mean- ing of the letters, but he found out that it was due to paragraphs which had appeared in the newspapers. One letter came from a man who said he had been unsuccessful where he was, and so he thought he would come and give Mont- gomery a trial—(laughter)—and asking that the Clerk would send him a guide and business directory to the borough. Then he had another letter from a person who said that he understood the borough was so prosperous under the present Mayor that, according to the papers, there were little or no rates raised, and even those were not needed. Not only that, but he understood he could get a four-roomed cottage at Is a week, in- clusive of the rates (laughter). He would like to know whether he could have a larger cottage, say at 2s 6d a week (laughter). He had once lived at Shrewsbury, but he hoped in Montgomery he would not have met with the same trouble of carrying his water from the stand-pipes. The only other condition he laid down was that there must be a Wesleyan chapel in the place (loud laughter). SIR FAIRLES-HU MLPHREY S. Mr Maurice Owen: I only hope that at this time next year our worthy Mayor will have another name-Sir Fairles-Humphre.Ts (applause). Alderman C. P. Davies: And, personally, I should like him to be made a freeman of the borough. The Clerk now announced that a telephone message had come from Dr Marston stating that by a unanimous resolution the Welshpool Town Council had decided to come and accompany them to Church a week on the following Sunday. Mr Maurice Owen I should be very pleased if we made our worthy Mayor a freeman of this borough, and I should like to bring it on at the next meeting. The Mayor: One moment, gentlemen, please. Dr Marston called on me last night to say that the Corporation of Welshpool would propose to attend here in honour of the Mayor and Corporation on the Mayor's Sunday, and attend us to Church. This was not an official communi- cation. I told Mr Pryce to let them know that we considered they were doing us a very great honour. Since then Mr Pryce has been in com- munication with Dr Marston, and he learns that a unanimous vote has been carried that they should attend here on Mayor's Sunday. We had fixed the Mayor's Sunday for next Sunday, but after receiving this very courteous communication I think we must re-arrange that, and I shall be very pleased to accept any proposal of the Corporation t, attend on Sunday week. I think it most kind and considerate on their part, and I hope we shall give them a very hearty reception. It was accordingly decided to alter the date to suit the visit of the Welshpocl Mayor and Corporation.

LLANBISTER.

KERRY.

[No title]

RHONDDA MINERS' RIOTS.

NEW MILLS.

LLANGYNOG.

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