The Welsh Coast Pioneer and Review for North Cambria

Reorganisation of the Prestatyn Fire Brigade. A Pleasant Reunion. THE Prestatyn Urban District Council have re- organised their fire brigade. New officers, with the exception of the captain, who still retains command, and firemen, have been ap- pointed, and the brigade now consists of the following members, all of whom are volun- teers:—Wm. Thomas (captain), W. H. Harrop (first-lieutenant), A. L. Jones (second-lieuten- ant), Edward Jones (first engineer), W. Roberts (second engineer), Ed. Ellis (third engineer and .branchman), E. Eames (first driver), Charles Williams, David Roberts (branchman), W. H. Williams, Thomas O. Jones, T. R. Edwards, and Thos. Brookes' (second driver), probation- ers. Certain recommendations having been made to the Council, it was decided to ask seven of the old members to retire, and eight new ones accepted positions in the brigade. On Wed- nesday the names came before the Fire Brigade Committee, and their services were accepted. Lieutenant Harrop will carry out the secretarial work. Flremci-l at Burner. At the invitation of Captain Thomas, the popular "chief," the officers and men, with two or three guests, including Mr J. O. Hughes, the hon. secretary of the North Wales Fire Brigade Union, sat down to an enjoyable dinner at the Croft Hotel, on Friday evening. Coun- cillor J. E. L. Jones (chairman of the Fire Bri- gade Committee) presided, and was supported by Captain Thomas and Lieutenant Harrop. After dinner, which was irreproachably served by the Misses Higgins, "duty was de- clared off tobacco," and a splendid supply of cigars, provided by Lieutenant Harrop, com- pleted that sense of satisfaction and compla- cency, which usually prevails upon the termina- tion of a well-cooked and well-served repast. It ought to be added that the liquids provided were of a strictly temperate character. The Chairman, in the course of a few re- marks, expressed satisfaction at seeing such a respectable body of men before him-, and con- gratulated Captain Thomas upon his excellent selection. They had got a first-class engine, and a good lot of volunteers, and all they were short of was a fire station. He had done all in his power to hurry on the erection of the build- ing, and he was glad to state that the contract had now been let to Mr Jos. Williams, Pres- tatyn, who would have it ready in about four months' time. (Applause.) A selection was given on a phonograph, kindly lent for the evening by Councillor Parry Williams. Objects of the Fire Brigade Union. An address was next delivered by Mr John O. Hughes, secretary of the North Wales Fire Brigade Union. Mr Hughes' was clearly the speech of the evening, and during its delivery, the chief points, marked with much emphasis and meaning, were loudly applauded. He was pleased, having heard all the facts, that the captain had taken the steps he did to re-organise the brigade. It was necessary sometimes in order to keep it in a good state of efficiency, to have to weed out even one's own friends if they were detrimental to tne well-being of the brigade. The captain should always have his choice of men, and in this case he was glad that Captain Thomas had secured so able a body of volunteers. He was sorry they were still with- out a fire, station. It was like having a horse without a stable, to have a fire engine without a station, and it was, therefore, reassuring to hear the chairman's remarks about letting the tender for the new building. It was something to possess a good fire engine, and the Council" were to be congratulated upon purchasing an up-to-date steamer. (Hear, hear.) The speaker then entered upon the objects of the Fire Brigade Union. It not only promoted esprit de corps amongst the men of the various brigades, but also tended to pro- mote the efficiency of each brigade by means of friendly competition. Fixed rules were laid down for drill, and by strict observance of the rules a brigade could be brought, in careful hands, into a high state of efficiency. (Hear, hear.) He believed the Prestatyn brigade would attain that efficiency under Captain Thomas. (Applause.) SpeecT, by the Cap'ain. Captain Thomas, who received a cordial wel- come, said it was the first occasion such a re- union of firemen had taken place in Prestatyn during his captaincy, and he hoped it would not be the last. If possible, he would be glad if they were held annually, because he believed ,they promoted feelings of good fellowship be- tween members of the brigade, and also in- creased their respect for the noble profession to which they belonged. Essential qualities in a fireman were willingness, obedience, regu- lar attention to drills, and sobriety of conduct. If these rules were observed by the men it made it a pleasure for tne officers to meet them. (Applause.) Efficiency could be gained by strict attention to duty, and hard work on the part of every individual member of the brigade, and the more efficient they became, the better would be their position in the union and in the fire world. Their Council had done .all they could in the past to encourage the, bri- gade, and the presence of their worthy chair- man he regarded as a sense of favours to come. (Hear, hear.) With the assistance of his lieu- tenants, Messrs Harrop and Jones, he would leave no stone unturned to make the brigade as smart as possible. Hp thanked the chairman and Mr J. O. Hughes for their kind remarks. Lieutenant Harrop said he had always taken .more than ordinary interest in matters pertain- ing to fire brigade work, and when Captain Thomas invited 'him to become his first officer he received the request with mingled feelings of delight and surprise. He accepted the post with some diffidence, because he had had no practical experience of fire work, but he in- tended to throw his heart and soul into it, and learn all he could. (Applause.) On the motion of Captain Thomas, seconded by Mr J. -0. Hughes, a vote of thanks was ac- corded to the chairman for presiding, and a similar compliment was extended to Captain Thomas for his hospitality. Mr J. O. Hughes was also cordially thanked for his excellent address, on the motion of the chairman seconded by Lieutenant Harrop. A most en- joyable evening was brought to a close by sing- ing "God Save the King." The First Drill. On Saturday afternoon Captain Thomas put his men through a "dry" drill at Dyserth. The brigade was divided into three sections of four men each, and each section went through the "four-men" drill, which included carrying the suction pipe, into position, and fixing branches to four lengths of hose. One-man drill was afterwards rehearsed. The men turned out satisfactorily. The probationers, under the circumstances, did some remarkably .good work. All the men were in uniform.

Alleged Street Betting at Llandudno. Case Dismissed through Lack of Evidence. ON Monday, in a crowded court, a case which aroused considerable interest in Llandudno was heard, before Messrs H. Kneeshaw, Dr. Dalton, Captain Darbishire, and Mr J. Adey Wells, in which William Brooks, town porter, living in Back Madoc-street, Llandudno, was summoned for frequenting and using a public place, to wit, 'North-parade, Llandudno, to meet William Jones, a bookmaker, of Llandudno, for betting purposes, in contravention of the County Coun- cil bye-laws. Defendant, who pleaded not guilty, was repre- sented by Mr J. P. Cartwright, of Chester, while Mr J. J. Marks (Messrs Marks and Marks, Llan- dudno), appeared for the police. Mir Marks, in opening the case, requested that that and a similar charge against William Jones be heard together. Mr Cartwright stated he had no objection to the facts relating to the cases being made known together, but he asked that the cases should otherwise be dealt witu individually. The Prosecution. Mr Marks assented to this arrangement, and proceeded with his statement. The summonses had been taken out against Jones and Brooks under section 8 of the County Council bye-laws, which held that "no person shall frequent and use any street or public place within the county on behalf of themselves or any other person for the purpose of bookmaking, betting, wagering, or agreeing to bet or wager with any .other per- son." He hoped to prove to their worships that the defendant Brooks was an agent or tout for the defendant Jones. It might, pernaps, be well to define at that juncture the exact mean- ing of betting, and that was to propose or lay a wager. In that case they did not mean to try 'to prove that money actually passed between Brooks and Jones. It was not necessary. Apart from that definition, however, it had been distinctly laid down Uxd-t. it was not necessary, in order to secure a conviction, that there should have been a deposit of money before-hand. Jones was summoned for having used the street in question for the purpose of betting, and Brooks for having used the street for the same purpose on behalf of Jones. About mid-day on Saturday' a special edition of evening papers arrived at Llandudno, this being just about the dinner hour of a large number of the working men of the district. It was a significant fact in each of the cases now before their wor- ships that Jones and Brooks met each other shortly after one o'clock. On the 29th ult. they met at nearly one o'clock; on the 30th at 1.10 and on the 31st at 1.23. The meetings took place at just about the same spot on the North Parade, and on each occasion the person who arrived first kept a good look-out, up and down the street, evidently in anticipation of the ar- rival of another person, and Brooks and Jones met on each occasion. On the 29th, the day on which Brooks was charged, he was seen going on the Parade from the direction of Mostyn-street. He appeared to be waiting for someone, and that someone came in the person of William Jones, who arrived from a north- easterly direction. On meeting, the two men had a short conversation. Then Brooks handed Jones some slips of papers, which the latter put- in his breast pocket. They afterwards sat on the railings, and while they remained there another man came up to Jones, and handed him some papers. Later, on the same day, at 2.5 p.m., William Jones went on the Promenade, and immediately a man approached him. On the 30th Brooks arrived on the Parade at 1.10. No Money Passed. Jones came upon the scene shortly afterwards from the direction of Church-walks. Brooks met Jones on the roadway in front of Tudno Villas, and both sat on the railings opposite the house in which Inspector Griffiths had secreted himself, and from whence he could observe easily all that took place between the two men. Brooks took out of his pocket a handful of papers, and so favourably was the inspector placed that he could see the papers were folded differently. Some of the papers were folded flat, while others were thick, and had the appearance of containing something which he (the speaker) did not want to contend directly was money. It was also worth observ- ing that the handing over of the papers was done in a secret fashion, each man looking up and down the street before the action was per- formed. Both Brooks and Jones were thus obviously aware that their's was an illegitimate action, else why the secrecy. Brooks further took out some additional folded papers from his waistcoat pocket, and handed them to his con- frere. In return, apparently, Jones handed something back. Brooks duly left, proceeding in the direction of Gloddaeth-street. After 1.25 on the same day (the 30th ult.), Brooks came back to the Parade, and he and Jones sat down together. Brooks took out something from his right-hand pocket, and handed it to Jones. This done, Brooks went away in the direction of Mostyn-street. Inspector Griffiths was at Tudno Villa again on the 31st ult. He saw William Jones arrive opposite the Villa at 1.10 p.m. At 1.25 Brooks came up. Some con- versation passed between them, and in due course Brooks took out an envelope from his pocket, and a further number of slips of paper. Secrecy Observed. At that particular .moment the two men stood some distance away from one another, and Brooks signalled to Jones, who came up, and, as they passed one another, the papers were de- livered to Jones secretly. On return, Brooks received something from Jones, and they imme- diately afterwards went away. He (Mr Marks) would call witnesses who would prove that there was horse racing during those three days. There was racing at Newmarket, and the Cambridgeshire was also run during that period. With those facts before their worships he sub- mitted with confidence that Jones and Brooks were on the Parade on the days in question for the purpose of betting. He was bound to acknowledge that up to a certain point the evidence ccaid be no more than circumstantial, but under the existing bye-laws police o could not obtain actual proofs, because were not empowered to arrest the offende have them searched. However, Jones w e -er. mittedly a professional bookmaker. porlvyay speaker) would call the registrar of the and Llandudno County Courts, who won duce a record of a transaction which Jones was sued by one of his ag Redfern by name, for ^30 balance of an ac between them. Jones then pleaded whole transaction was under the < Moreover, the police would tell their Qrterj that Brooks, though nominally a town P was an agent under Jones. Jones Claims to be a Bookmaker. Mr R. S. Chamberlain, registrar of the>Co* J Court of Llandudno and Conway, Pr0 u record of the action between Redfern an defendant Jones in September, 1901. "ot Mr Cartwright contended that that was n admissible evidence. The Chairman I should have though 1 It proves that Jones was a bookmaker. Mr Cartwright: That the man admlite the thing on that occasion does not advance t point in this case.. f{me The Clerk: It proves that, at a in 1901, Jones pleaded under the Gaming The Argus-eyed lnspeclor. Inspector Griffiths then gave evidence bean^^ out in detail the statement put forward y Marks in reference to what took place 1 vicinity of Tudno Villa on the 29th, 3° » 31st ult., and added that when 'he _SP°, • Brooks about the affair, the latter deme on the Parade at all, and held that he was the St. George's-ere scent with his cart. As against this, the inspector sta saw the defendant in charge of no cart at the times mentioned. When served summons, Brooks said he had not seen W Jones on the Parade except on Thursday? on that occasion Jones gave him a QWji buy some whiting with. It was a well- fact that Brooks was a tout for Jones, an Jones was a bookmaker pure and simple. Circumstantial Evidence. 11 Mr Cartwright asked for a dismissal of t d: case. There was not a tittle of evidence xnat against Brooks. Where was the evidence a9 could justify them in saying that Broo s there by himself betting, or betting body -else? He -submitted the case wa^ gether out of court. Admitting that ^roo ^0 receive papers from somebody else, wti that amount to? Something more than lace'. passage of slips of papers must take P a lIø The whole thing was perfectly absurd. would remind their worships that they we of ministering the criminal law, and m e ~fae such cases the facts must be proved up hilt. waS a The Chairman suggested that the case fineable one under the bye-laws, and not e a criminal offence.. rimi*1' Mr CartwrightMost decidedly, it is a c al offence. -A rthett Eventually, the Bench retired to consiae decision. airmaO On their return into court, the Chair, as said Well, we think the -case is one t properly brought before us. It is full picion, but we don't think there is enouG dence for us to deal with. We,, therefor > miss it. ther Mr Marks then observed that as the d be cases were on all fours with that, they Would withdrawn.

Competitive Meeting at Bettws, Abergele. List of Prize Winners. A VERY interesting and successful ^tera.r cC'JiOol petitive meeting was held at the Nationa flec- on Friday evening, November 14th, m c eeting'- tion with the Wesleyan Church. I he ceI1- was opened with the hymn "I'r Arglwy Rev. wch lafar glod," and in the absence of jjev. Philip Price the chair was occupied by L T. Gwilym Roberts. ^n0ws^ The successful competitors are as Iur, Reading a piece of prose without stops J- A. Davies, Rhwnyddwyffordd. ^eCltlX^ex ■ J' 39, from verse 19 to the end of ^ie.c Jane Davies, Moelfre; 2, Mary Davies, ;L,lVjeS> Solo, "Llythyr fy Mam:" il,,Iiss J-a_vies, Rhwn'gyddwyffordd. Quartett Bull 3^ Mr R. R. Davies and party, Rhwngyddwy g0^0), Muffatees: Miss H. Lloyd, Dolyfran- „avVn. "Y Golomen Wen:" Mr W. Davies, the Essay, "The distinguishing characters wel- Gospels." An essay sent in by "Yr calle<2 ydd," though did not turn up when- y for, was the best. Duet, "Y j. Lli:" Messrs R. Jones, Eglwysbach, Davies, Penybryn, Coda. Any rfcl > Miss L. Davies, Moelfre. Solo (barit011 Banerwr:" Mr R. R. Davies, Rhwngy, ffordd. Congregational tune, "Buallt jd, of eight) Mr R. R. Davies, Rhwngyddwyu and party. "March of the Men °^ jia played on the accordion. It was eV ef-n.cr, # this was the chief attraction of the mee^-e.pce. being thoroughly appreciated by the au The prize was divided between Messrs- Roberts and J. R. Hughes, Llysfaen- ^eSSis minutes' speech on "Blodeyn" (flower). "^au- D. Roberts, Brynygroes, and W. lorte,Sla.exi a ddulas, equal. Anthem, "Canys bac aned i ni." Only one choir competed, y, the conductorship of Mr D. Roberts,^ groes. The adjudicator, in awardinfJToi th0 prize, spoke highly of their re er in;, 0 anthem. g T- The adjudicators were: Music, Mr q, Davies, Old Colwyn; literature, ReV_ *jmit- Vaughan Jones and T. Gwilym Roberts d Ñfg ting: Mrs Davies, Gwyndy Cottage, and Williams, Gwyndy. nn- The duties of secretary and treasurer we dertaken by Mr D. Roberts, Brynygroes, a^0iii f. Jones, Shop Ucha, respectively, to snc* great praise is due for the organisation an cess of the meeting, which was conducte Rev. Owen Foulkes, C.M., whilst Mr Hughes presided at the piano. t ^ll Another competitive meeting and con^f l0tb be held in the Independent Chapel on of December.

LIST OF NEW INVENTIONS sp piled for the "Pioneer," by Mr George r0ve* 77, Colmore Row, Birmingham ments in shifting spanners, G. P- Llanelly; new diagram sheet and me scoring in connection with the game pong, F. Deacon, Bristol; the "Maxim, .[.J.. fat Maxey, Gloucester; improved aPP]ian -ner^ opening bottles containing aerated j, waters and the like, A. Lovell and W. P' a. Kingswood.