Cheshire Observer

CHESTER TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION. THE PRESIDENT ON THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM. NEEDS OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. A meeting of the Chester and District Teachers' Association was held on Saturday at the Gros- vei&r Museum. The new president (Mr. G. T. Lodge) took the chair, and a hearty vote of thanks was passed to the retiring president (Mr. S. Earlam), reference being made to his long and valued service in connection with the association. The President, in the course of an interesting adiirews, said tho position of educational affairs wa!1 one of uncertainty. Neither on the adminis- trative nor the educational side did anyone seem to. know exactly where they were. Local authori- ties and managers appeared in doubt as to the exact linyts of their respective powers an-d liabilities, while there was perhaps more indecision as to whit should not be taught in the schools. AlSding to the circumstances of the elementary school curriculum, be said there appeared to be two extreme schools of educationists—the utili- tarian who 901elv advocated studies connected with the work of life. and the idealist who pre- ferred the cult of the abstract rather than the coijfcrete. While in the elementary school CM?anical accuracy in reading, writing. and ari t hmetic was a-?ailcd by the wider culture of nature study, iifcerature, and other subjects, it sed to him that the solution of the difficulty laj to some extent in a proper realisation of what should be the real aim of education. Surely, that airq was to form and develop character and to train and discipline the mind so that in whatever sphere of life a boy might ultimately find himself. hq might by his own inate self-reliance, rather than by his school-acquired knowledge, adapt himself readily to its requirements. Education v a3 not intended to make clerks or mechanics, soldiers or schoolmasters, farmers or gardeners. bu, men. (Hear, hear.) "I call a complete and genSe-rous education." said Milton, that which fits a man to perform justly, skilfuiJy and mag- nanimously all the offices, both private and public, of peace and war." Just so; we did not want to turn out a raoe of precocious specialists, but men and women capable of adapting them- selves to any station of life to which they might be galled. This would not be brought about by a onesided curriculum. Reading, writing and arithmetic of the rigidly accurate type no more constituted an education than a knife, fork and spoon made up a dinner. Neither did moralising or/'personal hy" giene nor rannblings into the realms of.pature or literature. There must be a weil- proportioned blond. Thero was a danger in our eJepientarv school,, that, the blend might become ill-proportioned. This was terribly so some ten or fifteen vears ago, when the utilitarian idea piedominated. Education was then all a means to a sordid end, and school life was hateful to teachers and tausrht. Two iesulta of the system stopd out painfully prominent to-day-the great dearth of teachers and the strong antagonism shewn by the lack of that period towards any form of self-education in their youth and early manhood. There were those who would return to that system, and there were those who would err too much in the other direction. He had oollected, without in any way specially seeking them. the following subjects for which compulsory teaching was advocated in the public elementary schools: patriotism, thrift, courtesy, temperance, citizen- ship. empire teaching, the use of the tooth-brush, deep breathing, the rule of the road. and how to feed the babv. (Laughter.) There were a few others which he had forgotten. For all of them it was urged a place should be found in the school time-table. How should a balance be- maintained? Candidly, he saw only one possible way, and that was by reposing reasonable trust in the teacher. (Hear, hear.) He had. if he be worthy of his profession, an ideal, and he should be reasonably free in his efforts to reach it. Judge him by examinations and utilitarian results, and his highest instincts of dutv were pigeed in direct conflict with his professional existence. The outside reformer ditt not attempt to settle the curriculum as a whole. A svilabua should be suggestive and wbole. ,? pfiil in framing a cou;;?Z of lessons rather than of itself forming a oo. This new interest on the part of outsiders in the interior work of school was not in any way to be re- sented by the teachers, and they did not resent it: but it might be misdirected. It was not so much additional subjects as improved conditions that were needed in the schools of England. (Hear. hear.) The fashion was to judg-e of English education by American or German syst.ems.. If the superiority be with the American ^Tstem. it lay not in the ability of the teachers, but in the perfection of school equipment. In American schools the limit of scholars under one teacher was thirty. No civilised country in t1,.0 world, so far as he knew, provided teaching staffs on the same meagre and anomalous lines as England did. Educational reform should be directed fi Nt. to the removal of those difficulties which handicapped the English teacher at every turn. Improve the environment, and improve- ment in education would foHow a8 surely ?? nilivz-eh; foUow?-d dav. At present, he believed that t!? teacheru wer giving the best they could give. It was not thA best they might give, but neither the fault nor the remedy lay with them. (Applause.) Mr. Earlam. in moving a vote of thanks to the president for his address, concurred with him in the view that tho attainments in the school., de- pended in a great measure upon the surroundings rather than the teacher. Unless he had proper tools to work with. the teacher would be in the same position as the workman. Educationists -at the present dtv. instead of trying to crowd the school time-tables with too many fads, had better corifine thornsel-ve^ to- the r-quirements of that real, prac- tical education that tended to 'make a real man. (Hear. hear.) Mr. T. Barker seconded, azitl the resolution -was carried.

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CHESTER TOWN COUNCIL. I A quarterly meeting of Chester Town Oouncii was held on Wednesday, the Mayor (Aldeiman R. Lamb) presiding. The attendance included the Sheriff (Dr. Mann), Alderman Cunnah, H. T. Brown, John Jones (B.), John Jones (S.O.), W. H. Churton, Dr. Stolterfoth, and T. Smith, Councillors James Frost, John Frost, D. L. Hewitt, Dr. Klllg, Dr. Archer, G. Barlow, H. D. Jolliffe, Egerton Gilbert, J. D. Siddail, W. Ferguson, John Dodd, Edgar Dutton, R. H. Lanceley, R. Townsheiid Wickham, A. W. Butt, John Griffiths, W. H. Denson, W. Vernon, C. P. Cockrill, J. Williamson, W. Carr, Martin Gibbons, Dr. Griffith, the Town Clerk (Mr. J. H. Dickson) and the other officials. RATEPAYERS' ASSOCIATION S VIEW. I The Mayor's communications included the tollow- ing letter froui the Chester Ratepayers Associa- tion:—" I am directed by the committee ot the Ratepayers' Association to forward you the toliow- ing resolution passed at a meeting held yesterday I'luecxlay) for submission to the Council :—iliac lu iew of the satisfactory repurt of the working oi motor- buses in London and el.-e.vhere, this association respectfully urges that the Couiiull shoula not take any further steps in connection with the propüôed extension of the electric trams to Boughton until they have tully investigated the comparative advantage of electric tramways and motor-'buses. Yours faithfully (signed) Bertsfurd Adams (secretary). A second letter from the same association conveyed ihe following resolution: This association respectfully requests the Council not to adhere to their decision to abolish fees now received in the elementary schools unaer the control of tiie Council, as the abolition of these fees would involve the sacrifice of a substantial contribution to the rates without any corresponding educational advantage." A WISE PRECAUTION. d ü I Alderman J. J. bunnan, in tne aosence 01 Mic chairman of the Watch Committee, moved the following recommendation—That tho commiiteo be authorised to place a sluice valve hydrant at the junction of Nicholas-street and Grosvenor- road, so as to provide an efficient supply of water in case of fire, either at the Militia Barracks, the Savings Bank, or the Museum, at a cost of L30, the military authorities having agreed to contri- bute half of that sum." Alderman Cunnah eaid this was in consequence of some communications the military authorities had had with the Watch Committee as to their requirements for the bar- racks in Nicholas-street. The officials of the committee had had several interviews with the military authorities, and the upshot was that t. e cost would be £30, and the military authorities had agreed to pay half that sum. The Watch Committee considered that it would be a very fair portion for them to pay; and as the altera-, tion would be a vast improvement to t' e service from the firemen's po..nt of view, the committee proposed that the Council should agree to this. Alderman J. Jones (St. Oswald's) seconded, and the recommendation was confirmed. TEST OF GAS. The Chief Constable had reported to the Watch Committee that the mean result of t: e photo- metrical test of gas was 16.52 candle power. Mr. H. B. Dutton enquired what standard of candle power was compulsory. The Town Clerk said the candle power which they could require was 15. Should the Chief Constable on the test find that tha candle power was beLc-w what it ought to be, then he would naturally draw the special attention cf the Watch Committer to the subiect. PUBLIC LIGHTING. ELECTRIC LIGHT v. GAS. The Chester Electrical Engineer had presented a report to his committee on the subject of public lighting in the city. The following is an epitome Tue inoieased cost of public lighting by eiectrkity as compared with gas 1a due to the improved lighting of the thoroughfares. In piaoticaily every ease where gas has given place to elect no lighting, either arc lamps are erected in place of two or three gas lamps, or more incandescent electric Lamps have been erected 111 pla.30 of tho gas Lump abolished. Since March, 1905, 37 aro and 115 incandescent eeutrie lamps have been erected at an atmtia cost of £ 300. as compared! wi.th 110 gas lamps disconnected, at an annual cost of a.n incrtMiccd expenditure tin about two year:,) of £ 470- When it is lealised th.at the aggregate candle power of theso electric lamps is about 33,340, and costs about 4.94d. per candle power per aittitltit. a6 compared with tho gas lamps giving about 2.920 candla power at about 28.03d. per candie power per annum, it hardly appears pos- sible that tlioio can bet two opinions as to whether tho citizens gee vaiue for the cost of the addÜional lighting. The charges for public electric lamps aio based on e--oli lamp burning 3,644 hours pin- annum, vlz. Each open type arc burning all night £ 13. o.i.eh opon type burning half-nigh;; £ 10. each cno.osed Jiro burning all rught E13. 10s., each en- closed arc burning half-night E8, each 16c.p. in- candescent H2. 17a. 9d.. and for Dubhe 4ft. aras burner on the same basis per aiuid-ra L2. 14s 6d Tne chaiges per can die power per annum for tho different types of lamps are--tl) Electric: 1.000 candle power are lamps 4.56d., 600c.p. arc lamps 5.4d., 70c.p. Nernst lamps 19.8d., 16c.p. incan- descent 43. 3(1. (2) Gas: 13o p. (4ft.) burner 50.3d. It may interest the cornmitte-o to know that re- cently the Manchester Corporation went very deeply into the question of public lighting by the most mocLo:n and improved systems of gas and elcctnoity, and in each instance electricity came out cheapest. Another valuable and interesting report is that of the surveyor to the city of West- mmstier. There aro 1.105 elect no lamps, a.nd 2.076 gas lamps on the thoroughfares of Westminster, and the lighting by elm-tiicity is cpiisiderably clieaper than by gas. The average inconto per I unit supplied to public lamps for the year ending March, 1904. is 1.753d., as compared with private consumers 3.9d. and tramways 1.7od. Comparing the public lighting accounts (gas and electric to- gethor) for the last nine months with the cone- sponding period of last year, there is an increased expenditure of E208. 18s. There ate a number of circuits which do not contain the full number of I lamps, and in consoquenoo of resistances which have to be used there is a waste of energy; these circuits might be completed with advantage to the public lighting and the electricity depart- ment, at no very considerable cost. as there are a few lamp columns and accessories on hand which are (julto suitable for the purpose. Mr. James G. Frost gaud he noticed that the engineer stated that a 1,000 candle power arc lamp cost 4.56d, and a 600 candle power arc lamp cost 5.4d. When they considered that thefie arc lamps were. covered by a thick opaque shade, it could not be roally more than half the normal power, and therefore th3 ccst of that candle power was almost double. He saw that the comparison with gaa was based on the oldest system of gas lighting, and which the Corpora- tion could have improved1 any time during the last ten years. The last gas-lamp which the Gas Company had affixed for the Corpcration was with a 70 candle power incandescent burner, which worked out at a cost of 9.08d. per candle power per annum. It would be very interesting to see the report of the Manchester Corporation and the City of Westminster which the engineer had referred to, because it was well-known that in all large towns, such as London. Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Glasgow, Sheffield, and, many others, street-lighting by incandescent gas was on the increase. Liverpool and Sheffield owned their own electric lighting, yet street-lighting by incandescent gas light was increasing in that town. They could see for themselves how very little electric light was used in Liverpool; then, again, Manchester owned both electric and! gas system, yet the gas undertaking of that city was on the increase. The Mayer said he dared say the cost of street- lighting in Chester by el-ectricity over gas had gone up considerably; but in view of the resolu- tion of the commitÍ' that the Electrical En- gineer should make a further report as to where a reduction can be made in the cost of public lighting, to what extent it could be raducfd, and the ocst of effecting suoh a reduction, discussion should be postponed until that report was re- ceived. (Hear. hear.) Mr. J. G. Frost: I just made those formal observations. The minutes were then confirmed. MOTOR'BUSES v. TRAMS. Dr. Archer had addressed the following letter, dated Fob. 9. to tho oiiairnaan. of the Chester Tramways Committee:—"I wish to cali the at- tention of your committee to the advisability of adopt; ng motor omnibuses for traffic in Boughton. instead of going on with th-o system of electric tramways- To my mind tho advantages of the former over the latter are obvious, and as time goes on will become still more so "When the Electr o Tramways Bill was before the Council I advocated waiting for a time, that we- might see. v,hat the outcome of motor traffic might be.. in- stead of incurring the enormous expenditure the town has. been put to in laying and fitting out electric tramways, and my suggestion was 10 oeived with coldness and evasion. Now, however, it seems as if my ideas were going to be justified by the rapid dln-elopmllt of public traffic by motor omnibuses, and I would respectfully urge upon your oommitteo some of the benefits to be dorved therefrom, oioro especially in a town built as Chester is: 1. The initial outlay would be about one-quarter of that for electric tramways, and the up-keep very little, if at all, more. 2. Motor bLiso,3 would be tble to permeate al! parts of the town, and thereby be in a position to earn more money and pay batter. 3. The great convenience they would be to the public generally of Chester and suburbs by havijeg every quarter reached by a system of traffic at. onco up-to-daio. comfortable a:t;i convenient. 4. The saving the immense ocsS of laying lines fer electric tramways which, it # now becoming more and more apparent every i day, will at no distant date bo obsolete and use- less, ufter having sunk enormous sums of public money in them. I enclose oaper cutting shewing the result of reliability triaf of the Straker-Squiie 24h.p {.rtrol omnibus-, which is instructive. Hoping your committee wrtl consider the matter well and -k>ause before oooe more committing the to.,n to avi enormous expenditure, which ulti- mately may be a doubtful and expensive proceed- ing. After disonission. tho committee resolved—That tho cons-deration of the letter be deferred to the next ordinary meeting, or, if necessary, to a special meeting Df the committee, to be convened by the chairman, that in the meantime the City Surveyor, the Electrical Engineer and the Tram- ways Manager be directed to obtain information as to the oost of motor omnibuses, cost of running, etc.. and that after consultation with the Town Clerk, a joint report be presented to tho com- mittee." Mr. W. Ferguson (chairman of the Tramways Committee) moved the confirmation of tLo imn- u, Alluding to the letter from the Ratepayers' Association 86 to motor 'buses, he would assure the ratepayers that the oommittoe were seriously cwaidmD!{ tho question of motor 'buses. Ae uiey would soo from the minutes, the Suiveyor. j bj.ectf?cai Engineer and Manager were appoinÍYd II co collect information and make & joint report to u'm* committee at an early date. Ho might state I -hat ac tho request of tne Mayor and two or three otiicr members of the Council they visited the ex- aib.tion of motor 'buses, as well as other motors, as the Oiymp:a last week. The chairman of the jyinaiitt e was also requested to go with them, ana ho went. ithouc doubt great strides had been made 111 the icoiistrulton of motor buses in iLCuiit years, but when they took every oonsidera- t on t-1w;e was room for diversity of opinion on that po.nt. All tho data collected in London. and that which would be got eisewhere, would be .ai d bdoe the eomnuctee and fully considered, and tho report wouid come before the Council on an cariy date. Dr. Archer said he wLLs prepared to move that afternoon an amendment that the scheme for the extension of the tramways to Boughton be sus- pended for six months, and that during that time ih-e Council should consi der tne advisability of substituting motor 'buses. If, however, the oom- mittee would give an undertaking that the wo.k should not be proce.eded with until they had mado luti investigation as regarded motor 'buses, thJ¡; would be sufficient. Thfc Mayor: \\ould it not be better if the chair- man of the Tramways Committee agieed not to put the resolution of Apiil last into opeiation until the Council nave had an opportunity of dis- cussing the icport or the officials on motor 'buses? Will you give that undertaking, Mr. Ferguson? Mr Ferguson Yes. Mr. W. Vernon said that when considering the matter of motor 'buses for Boughton they should the necessity of arranging otne-r sei vices to go on. to the Bache, as they had had I before, also to other parts of tho town. It was impossible, oxeept at an enormous 00.-1, to put ra;ls down tiiese nairow streets; they could only do it by compensating owners. It was t nie tho whole City was considered, and not one particular pitrt of the, elty. khear, hear.) He bad fiom tho tirst been opposed to tramways, and his impres- sion was that this system should have been adopted for Chester, and not tramways at all. if they orny had the patience to look for the very "stcm they would and that. motor 'buses could be got. for Chester that would bo satisfactory to everybody. Mr. Ferguson said tho matter would be con- sidered. He did not take the pessimistic view of Mr. Vernon and others as to the electric tram- ways. He did not think they had anything to fear from what they had aaeady done. No rash step wouid be taken by the committee without tho full consent of the Council. hear.) D. Archer alluded to the £ 1,300 which it was proposed to borrow for the widening of Christie- ten; road. He said the main object was the exten- sion of tho tramways in Boughton, and. that bc-ing so, he wished to know if the Council would pioceod to boriow tho money or postpone the matter. Th.e Town Clerk said that as a matter of fact that was within the province of the Impiovemcnt j Committee. It was on tiieir roconuncnckitiori that :1 Local Government inquiry was held and sane- tion was being sought to the borrowing of the money. It Wad not only in oonsequenoe of the proposed oxtension of tha tramways that the widening was asked, for, but also because of the necessity of widening the road from the entrance to Sp:t-al to Sandy-lane 011 account of the vehicular traffio which passed over it. Of course, if the tramway was laid it. would make the widen- ing more necessary than it was at the. present tm". Alderman Churton urged on behalf of Boughton tl at the Council would not for one moment con- sic?r the question of postponing the widening of Ch r is tleton road, which for a long time had been one of tho most dangerous places in the whole city' This load was frequently blocked, especially on Saturdays Whether the tramways went there or not had nothing to do with the necessity of widening that road. Aldarman John Jones (St. Oswald s) said as chairman of tha Improvement Committee he sir,- «(.¡eiy hoped nothing would be done to disturb the arrangement already anived at. (Hear, hviir.) Whether they had trams or motor buses, tho necessity for tho widening was exactly the snme; it might be. that if they had motor buses tho necessity would be greater. The Mayor said the object- of infoi-- mation as to motor 'bUEO;¡ was not with a view of onlv supplying Boughton. but the whole of the city if they liked. He did not know why Bough- ton or Saltnev. or anv othor part of the city, should be catered for and other parts of the city left out. He hoped sincerely they would be able to instal motor buses. The minutes were confirmed. T IMPROVEMENT IN COMMUiNUAhL- STREET. 1 T On the proposition of Alderman Jonn jonc* (S.O.), seconded by Mr. John Frost, the Improve- ment Committee were authorised to accept- Mr. F. F. Brown's offer, and to purchase from him 21 vards of land or tboreabouta for widening Commonhall-street, at 8s. per yard. and 13 va-rdi of land or thereabouts, for widening Old Hall- vlace. at 6s. per yard. making a total of 212. os. ¿ TRAMWAY-STREET IMPROVEMENT. ",TT-y- "nv1\OVO APPORTIONMENT U- int. AlcLerman John Jones (S.U.) took excapt-on to a recommendation that £ 234. 12s., the appor- tioned amount of expenses of street works in Tramway-street and Car-street, be paid out ot tne Borough Fund. under the provisions of Section 15 of the Private Street Works Act, 1892. He claimed that the matter ought to ba charged to the tramway undertaking so as to place it on a purely business footing, and in order that the dtiz&ns and Counc.l might know exactly where they were and whether the trams wore paying. Mr. W. Ferguson (chairman of the Tramways Committee) pointed out that the committee were under the obligation of maintaining the streets over which the trams ran, and 18 incites beyond the rails. He considered that was a good set-off in favour of t.ha Corporation. i urtner, in mak- ing this improvement in Tramway-street the com- mittee were giving up a considerable quantity of land at the oorner lor widening the place and making it better all round. The Corporation were not giving this for nothing; they had, in his opinion, a very good equivalent. Mr. J. Williamson moved that the matter be referred back to the committee. He thought the amount should be borne by the Tramway Committee. Alderman Churton mentioned that the Tram- way Committee were not a separate financial bodv in any way. The tramways were carried out by the Corporation and the property charged with this sum, was the property of the Corpcra- tion. He thought tha legal position was that the Borough Fund must be charged with this sum. It did not matter out of whose pocket the money came. It was a great mistake to imagine that these trading compajups were being carried on by any particular committee. He sympathised with Mr. Alderman Jones's remarks as a matter of bock-keeping, but he thought the matter might be dealt with afterwards by the accountant, in owder that the public might see whether the trams had actually been worked at a Voas or profit. Alderman John Jones (S.O.) reminded Mr. Ferguson that the obligation cf maintaining the roads over which the trams went was also obliga- tory on the old Tramway Company, so therre was no alteration in that respect. Mr. Ferguson had referred to certain land being given up, but was it not reasonable to suppose that the property now held by the Tramway Committee had been enhanced in value by the improvement that had taken place and the money that had been spent. They must not forget that the tramway under- taking was a trading concern, and that separate acoounts had to be kept with regard to it in order that it might be shewn whether the trams worked at a profit or loss during the year. He did not see how the accounts could; be accurately kept unless the undertaking was debited W':th a legitimate charge such as this. The matter then dropped. THE EASTGATE CLOCK. Mr. Egerton Gilbert said he noticed that Messrs. Joyce and Co., Whitchurch, had written intimaiiag that the winding and care of tho clock at tho Eastgate was Eot paying them at the present rate. j62 per annum, and asking if the committee could Itae their way to al!ow them another JB1. making t .e total B5 per annum. Tiie committee, he saw had resolved "That in future Messrs. Joyce be allowed E3 per annum." He suggested that the matter be referred back to the committee in orefcr that the work unight be given to a local firm instead cf Messrs. Joyce. Alderman John Jones (S.O.) said Messrs. Joyce had attended to the clock g¡nc its erection, and he thought it would be wisdom to allow the pre- sent arrangement to stand in view of the fact that it was going to cost only ancther pound per year. Mr. Egerton Gilbert said he would leave th3 matter alone for the present, but would take an opportunity of bringing it up in committee. It was not such a marvellous clock that it required people to come twenty miles to wind it up. (Laughter.) Alderman Jones I do not know anything about the mechanism. THE CHEESE FAIRS. On the proposition of Alderman Churton, seconded by Mr. Lanceley, it was decided to authorise the Markets and Baths Committee to offer a prize of J65 for the heaviest weight of cheese sent to the cheese fairs in the city during the year 1905, the Cheshire Dairy- Farmers' Association agreeiasr to supplement this prize by giving a second priie of E3, and a third prize of J62. INSTRUCTION IN SWIMMING. AkEerman Curton moved that the Bathe Com- mittee be authori" to advertise for, and appoint <m instructress to teach ladies and girls swim- ming at a salary of 30s. peT week. He explained that there was an increasing desire that girls should be taught swimming, and giris had gone to the baths for the purpose in very much larger numbers. He held that one of the most impor- tant. tilings was to teach a child how to swim. The committee had decided that the instructress should also give private tuition in swimm:ng, t'??- fees to be received by the committee. He added that girls from fifteen schools now attendied the baths. Mr. James Frost seconded, and it was carried. THE SEWAGE EFFLUENT. j A TESTING LABORATORY. i ALDERMAN JOHN JONES AND MR. I SIDDALL. The Sewering Committee recommended that they be authorised to have the necessary main laid for supplying the laboratory at the Sewage Disposal Works with gas, at an estiniated cost of £ 70 The Sheriff asked wi-wllior the 'aboiutory was absolutely essential, and for what purpose it was r,quiied-whetlier to exatrine, the effluent of the river or oth,-rw isc-- whether the teste would be made by an expert analyst, and whether the la.boratory yv- intended too be permanent iF temporary. Alderman Jones (B.) replied that the committee had been advised by tho engineer (Major Tul- lo. h) that the laboratory was absolutely essential, and the Local Government Board would compel them to have an anal ysis of the sewage effluent at certain periods. They had taken eveiy care to ascertain the best wuy of conducting the experiments, and the replies received from all the up-to-date laboratories at teciiiiicai schools and other p.aoes showed that gas Wd..s necessary for the purpose. Mr. J. D. Siddail thought that while a periodi- cal analysis of the sewage might be desirable, it would be unwise and wrong to establish a new soientifio department at the sowago works, to carry on such an analysis as wou.d requiic, tlic, special skill of an analytical chemist. The Coun- cil sent their water for aiia.ysis; were they going to submit tha sewage ettLuiHit to analysis by a young man who had no special training? He moved an amendment that tlJ-e. recommendation be referred baok to the committee. TiiO Sheriff, in seconding, said they hoped that before long a laboratory would bo attached to the publio health depaitment, and that a good deal of the analytical work now done for the Corporation by specialists at Liverpool would be done by their own medico oUiLcr. He couid not help th.iikmg, however, that tho auaiysis of the sewage could very wo. 1 be mado m tEe. city, in- stead of at the works. Such a comparatively simple analysis could easily bo done by a. medical officer of health. Alderman John Jones (B.) said Mr. Siddail was making a mountain out of a molehill, as the labora- tory at. tho sewage works was being provided at a l,'Ost of £ 10. (Laughter.) Gentlemen who un- derstood tho matter tar better than Mr. Siddail consulted an engineer, who to.d them what they wanted; and he thought they had got what they wanted. The sewage works had to be erected according to tho conditions imposed by the Local (JovormiK.-nt Board. Tile committee b.d been asked if thty couid not get the analysis cone at tho Museum, but the object,on to tnis was that the-y never knew when tho sewage might require to be tested. Mr. W. Vernon thought the discussion about tho laboratory was rather belated, as he under- stood it was nON working. (Laughter.) The Council had given authority to spend L50 to set up a. laboratory at the sewage works. Mr. Siddail: But tho Council has not given authority for this additional £ 70. Mr. Vernon said it was only after exhaustive in- quiry that tho committee recommended the spend- ing of this sum for supplying gas to the labora- tory. Tho labora-tory w.is not for scientific ex- periments. but simply to feel the pulse of tne works and detect if anything was wrong. Mr. John Dodd said Major TuJoch had told them it was absolutely neoesaary to have a labora- tory to feel the pul se of the works. The Council had allowed him to spend £ 60,000 on the works, and now they were quibbling over an expenditure of only about JE125. The matter was threshed out by tho Sewering Committee, and it was a waste of tiuloG to discuss it luither. Mr. Siddail replied that it was the. last straw whioh broke tho camel's back. He thought Major Tulloch's scheme had hud enough money spont upon it without any expenditure On experi- ments. Alderman Jones protested against Mr. Siddall's reference to Major TuJoch. They had in Major Tullooh an engineer who understood his business. Alderman Churton said he did not know whether they were going to start a poultry farm at the sowage woiks. He found the heat Was required at the laboratory for incubators. (Laughter.) Alderman Jones explained that the incubators wero required to bring the sewage to a certain heat. The Sheriff said he now understood that tho laboratoiy was ncoesA.ry for tests to satisfy the Local Government Board, and he therefore with- drew his support of the amendment. The aiurndrrH nt was then put to the Council and was defeated. Mr. Jno. M. Frost said many citizens were anxious to know when the now works were likely ta be opened. He understood some preliminary e," periinonts had been made, and wished to know whether they had resulted satisfactorily. Alderman Jones (B.) replied that he was as anxious as Mr. Frost to know when tho works were to bo opened. He was not well versed in cientifio pluases like Mr. Siddail, and lie could only say that the expeiintents they had conducted had boon splendid Persomdy, he was delighted with the works, and ho hoped in a short time to invite tho members ot the Council to inspect tho works before they wore opened. The sewage would not be pumped on to the filter beds until everything was complete, and tuey wero now waiting for some finishing touches. The Mayor thought it would be unwise to dis- m;sa the cleik of tho wo: ks before the works were opened. Ho thought they ought to retain the services of Mr. Fletcher Robinson until the works wore in order. Alderman. Jones said he would ask Mr. Vernon to spoak on this point. He would leave him to have a turn with Mr. Siddall. Mr. Siddaii (warmly): Mr. Mayor, I protest a,,al rist the alderman dragging in my name like this. Aldorman Jones: I also protest against Mr. Siddall's trying to do an injury in the town through the Ratepayeis' Association and other things. Mr. Siddail (to the Mayor): I appeal to you for the ordinary protection from tibe chair. (Hear, hear ) Mr. W. Vernon said the committee had been anxious to keep the expenditure down as much as possible For several months Mr. Fletcher Robin- son had been under notice, but he (Mr. Vernon) thought he ought to bo kept at the works until they were in proper working oidpr. Mr. W. H. Den son thought Major Tulloch ought to be consulted as to the desirability of retaining Mr. Robinson. Mr. J. Williamson: I think tha.t for the last two months we have been wasting £ 20 a month by keeping him on. Dr. King moved that Mr. Robinson be retained to superintend the working of the sewerage works after their completion. s Aldeiman Churton wished to know what was the time specified in the contract for the com- pletion of the- works, and why they had not been completed within that time, and whether there was any intention on the part of the committee to call the contraetois to book for not having com- pleted the work in accordance with tho contrac t). The iHlary they were paying- to the clerk of the works, £5 a woek, seemed enormous. They said he was an engineer, but lie understood that Major Tulloch was the engineer. He did not doubt that tho works were of an exceptional character, and it was perhaps right to pay him £ 5 per week. Tie salary, however, was very large, and the sooner ,tlwj were able to stop it the better. Alderman Jones replied that they had had very good coutractois, and if the Council ran con- trary to them he was afra.d they would get very much the worst of it Mr. Vernon said Mr. Fletclier Robinson had proved himself a. careful and efficient servant. It ww not at all uncommon for salaries of E3 and B10 per woek to be paid to men in his position. Tho amendment in favour of reta.ning the clerk of the works was carried. A further amendment- was then moved bv Mr. Lanceley, that hp be re-engaged until the sewer- ing Committee have had an opportunity of con- sidering tho matter. This was carried, and afterwards adopted as the substantive motion I LIBRARY CARETAKERS' WAGES. On tho consideration of the Library Commit- I tee's pioceod.'ngs. Mr. W. Carr called attention to a recommend at. 011 of the appointment of Mr. and Mrs J. Thoma.s as caretakors at a. joint salary of 25s. per week. Ho moved an amendment that the salary bo 30s. Ho was surprised that any members of the Corporation should fix so small a g.ilarv for the number of hours of work that they oxpeobed this man and his wifo to give. The man worked 14 hours a day, or 87 hours a week; and assuming that his wife gave two hours a day, tbero was a total of 99 hours of work per week between the two for the magnificent sum of 25s. per week. Mr. M. Gibbons seconded the amendment. D: Stoltcrfoth explained that the men would not bo working all the time, and tha-t his wife would not be required while the Library was open; and he thought they would be fairly re- munerated for the work thoy d d Aiderman Churton supported the at¡on of the committee. Hundieds of people would be glad to take the position at the same salary, and the latepayors ought not to be saddled with extia ÐXpCllS0S for sentimental reasons. Mr. J. D. Siddall po nted out how difficult it was for the Librarv Committee to maintain the institution with the proceeds of a penny rate. They offered the salary with sham?, but their poverty was thpir only justification for it. Mr. H. D. Jolliffe was in favour of referring the matter back to the committee if an incieiise in the wages was contemplated. Mr. Vernon pointed out that the man would not bo on the premises 14 hours -a dav. Dr. King regretted that the committee d:d not see their way to offer a larger salary, out he thought there were- many people in Chester who would bo glad to undertake the work for 25s. per wee k. Mr W. Clrr: I am confident that if the rate- payers were consulted on the matter they would not be a party to the miserable pittance the com- mittee have offered for the work expected to be done. The amendment was lost. Mr. Lanceley then moved, and Mr. C P. Cock- riH seconded, that the matter be referred to tho Library Committe with the view of stipulating that the wages should be 28s. a week—the wage which had been paid for this work up to the present t,ni- Alderman Churton said the committee had acted on the instructions of the Council, and the fact that a largei number of applicationg were received argued that the wage offered was a fair one. Eventually Mr. Lance-lev withdrew his amend- me-nt, and the recommendation was confirmed. I VACANT SITE AT SALTNEY. Alderman John Jones (S.O.) asked what was bejig done with reference to a piece of iand at Saltftey. At a previous meeting he withdrew a resolution that it should be soldi; at the request of Mr. Carr, who said it rmght be posible for the Housing Committee to make use of it. They had dispossessed certain tenants there and the land was now a loss to the corporate estate. Mr. Carr said the surveyor had submitted p.ans for the erection of houses to an architect, ihe •committee were considering a schelrne lor six cottages on Tower Field, and afterwards the Saltney matter would be considered- Alderman Jones: That will mean two or three years loss of rent, etc. Mr. Carr said if cottages were not buiit there the land might be used for allotments. Alderman Jonee said the land was only a .heap of einders-(Iaughter)-and was absolutely lID- fitted for allotments. Mr. Hewitt drew attention to the fact that the minutes of the Housing of the Working ClaBseil1 Act Sub-committee, the adaption of which had been moved by Mr. Carr, had not yet been re- ferred to the Housing of the Working Classes Act Committee, and no accordingly moved that they be referred back. Mr. Egerton Gilbert seconded as a matter of priitciple. The Town Clerk ruled that the ex-sheriff was quite right in his contention. Tho minutes ought not to have been submitted to the Council until they had been considered by the whole com- mittee. THE CITY AND COUNTY SCHOOL. I On the proposition of Alderman H. 1. Brown, seconded by Mr. James Frost, it was decided that the Education Committee be authorised to ap- point an additional assistant mistress, at the City and County School for Girls qualified to teac.. science and mathematics, and to take ordinary form subjects, at a salary of F,110, rising by JEJ5 to JE150 per annum. THE TECHNICAL SCHOOLS. I FINANCIAL DIFFICULTY. I Alderman Brown moved: "That in order to enable the Governing Body of the Chester School of Science and Art and Technical Schools to carry 011 the work of the said sohools for the year end- ing 31st July, 1906, the Education Committee be authorised to make such grants to the Gcverning Body as they (the committee) consider proper, subject to the same limitation and on the same terms as for the year ending the 31st July, 1305." He explained that the Governing Body were quite prepared to carry the schools on for another twelve months on the same terms as heretofore. Mr. James Frost seconded. Dr. Stolterfoth said the bank would not allow them to have an overdraft, and they could not carry on the schools unless they had one, owing to the delay there was in receiving the Govern- ment grant. Mr. Vernon suggested that the Council should advance the Governing Body a sum oi money bo as to obviate the necessity of going to the bank for an overdraft. The Council ought to grant the Governing Body i;500 at the end of their financial year and £ 5C0 in September. That was practically what was granted them last year. He pointed out that the Governing Body had relieved the Education Comnii.ttea of certain obligations with regard to education. Mr. Siddall iupported the attitude of Mr. Vernon. Mr. John Dodd said that mornin.g he had had a talk with the manager of Lloyd's Bank on the subject. By the time the March salaries were due the Governing Body would be nearly jEMO overdrawn unless something was a-dtvanced by the Council. Mr. Beckett (city accountant) said last year the Corporation granted the schools £ 1,350. Alderman Jones (S.O.) did not sea any objec- tion to advancing the money earlier than usual. Alderman Brown said the committer would be only too glad to aoquiesce in the suggestion, but they had no money to draw upon. (Laughter.) Mr. John Dodd thought the bank would be satisfied with an assurance on the eubject from the Corporation. It was finally decided that in order that the Governing Body might be enabled to carry on the work for the year ending July 31, 1905, the oomnnttee should be authorised to hand ovar as they reoemd it from the exchequer contribution account £ 500, and to hand over a further sum of £ 500 in September. SCHOOL FEES. Mr. Hutt had given notice of the following I motion: "That 1110 resolution of the Council, passed at their meting on the 16th of December. 11;03, thnt all the elementary schools in the city be freed from payment of fees as from the commencement of the financial year, the 1st April, 1905, and that there be no distinction between any of the elementary schools of the city, but that they all be brought up gradually to give the same level of educational ad vantages, be rescinded and that the matter be referred to the Education Committee for further consideration." Mr. Butt said he would withdraw his resolution for the present a" he understood the matter would be brought up in the Education Commrlttes. Alderman Brown said if the committee re- oeiced any notice of motion from- a member on the subject it would be discussc-d. Mr. Vernon asked if any parent could claim a free seat in any school where fees were paid. The Town Clerk promised to look the matter up.

INTERESTING DISCOVERY AT I CHESTER. -o- An interesting find of valuable old oak has been mado in Chester in the oourse of tho demoli- tion of an old house in Bolland's-court, in connec- tion with the enlargement of Messrs. Richard Jones and Sons' (drapers and furniture dealers) premises in Bridge-street. Tho cottage is the pio- pertv of Messrs. Jones, and had boon tenanted up to a short tiin-3 ago; but it was not until the present operations were commenced that it was discovered that the walls of the dining-room and the bedroom of the house were covered with panels of finely-carved black oak, which had been hidden under several coats of paint. The carving over the fireplace was an extremely fine example of Jaoobean work. Several old documents, including a diary written by a lady, wore found behind the panelling forming a division at one part of the room. The steircase was of beautifully carved oak. and even the. door leading to the coal-placo was of solid oak. One of tho papers found bore the date 1659. The whole of the pan oil ing, which is excellently preserved, has been sold to a London dealer, and rea!s;-d several hundred potuids. At a meeting of the Chester Archieological Society on Tuesday evening, reference was made to the discovery of the oak panelling by Mr. R. Newstead (curator of the Grosvenor Museum). Mr. Nowstead, though only apprised of the discovery that morning, bad hastened to the locus in quo just in time to make an inspection of the rooms, and obtain photographs of the work before it was pulled down and removed to London. From the negatives he promptly prepared two lantern slides shewing the panelling and the carved mantelpiece, which he exhibited on the screen. The panelling he remarked, was perhaps the most beautiful that had been seen for some time. The mantelpiece was eight feet four inches in height, and six feet four inches in width, and at the top were carved the initials of the builder—T. B D. (probably Thomas Bromley Davenport) and the date, 1670. Had it not unfortunately been purchavSed by a London dealer, he would have been delighted to puichase the oak for the Museum. (Hear, hear). Mr. H. B. Dutton expressed the opinion that the oak panelling had been brought into the house. seeing that the latter was only about one hundred years old. Mr. Newstead, however, remarked that there were indications in-side the building of very old brickwork, belonging probably to the fifteenth or sixteenth century, in addition to some very early plaster work, from which he concluded that most. if not all of the panelling had been found in the place where it was originally fixed.

I £ 10 PRIZE COMPETITION. BIRTHS IN To GREAT TOWNS. RESULT. Readers will recollect the Offer made recently of Prizes, amounting to £ 10, for a skilled forecast of the Births in the Seventy-six Great Towns of this oountry during the four weeka ending February !1L We are now in a position to announce THE RESULT, and all competitors will receive within a few days the iancg and addr&eS of the Winners. Wo take this opportunity to call attetnion to another remarkable cure by Dr. Williams' pink pills for pale people, the Manufacturcr& of which are giving the-e Prizes. Mr. Henry Windmill, 19. High-street, Ivinghoe, near Tring, was brought so low from the effects of influenza that he could hardly stand. His head swam, and he shivered from head to foot. The heart, as in most cases of influenza, was seriously- affected. The first box of piils gave him new strength. Ho fe!t the aches and pains leaving him. "Hope." ho graphically said, "came with strength and restored ability to 4at "-for his health and digestion had been so shattered that food made him sicken. "Before I took Dr. \Viliiams' pink pills, he said, I was almost starved. My tongue was fevered and furred. My weakness was increased by frequent sweats.' I can now eat almost anything with keen relish: a I contrast to the time before I took Dr. Williams' pink pilTss! Until I tried them I was in agony every meal-time. Sickness and pain always canie on when eating, and my heart would violently palpitate .causing me much distress. "I soon realised that I was benefiting from the pills. Altogether I took about six boxes. I was rewarded by feeling that my health and vigour were restored. Very soon I was able to work again. a, ? 'Iv brother's case was almost as striking an I example of what these wonderful pills can do. J-I,, too, suffered terribly from the after-effects of influenzn. and was ellre(i by Dr. Williams' pink pills. He has unbounded faith in them. Such a medicine cannot be too widely known." The number of births recorded by the Registrar- General in the four weeks indicated for this Competition was 35.513. Ten competitors gave the exact number, and they have each received hv this time a Postal Order for £1 from Dr. 'Vill:al" '[('(¡'ci!Jf' Co.. Holborn-yiaduct, London. Thi-i Co*r»iv*ny will always send, post free, a box of Dr. Williams' pink nills for two shillings md liinepencv. or six for thirteen a.nd nine: bur they can be had at all medicine shons. and will be rrenuine ;f they bear Dr. Williams' name. Anrsmia. bile, consumption, decline, eczema, fits, gout, heart- d'seoso. indigestion, kidney com- plaints locomotor ataxy, paralysis, rheumatism, sciatica. St. r;tl¡' dance, and lad'es' ailments and weaknesses have been cured by them.

THE BATHS.—The City Accountant reports that from March 25th last year to January 26th this year the number of bathers at the Chester Baths was 68.105. and the receipts amounted to £619. 10s. 4d beincr an increase in bathers of 8,669. and in money of £88. Os. 4d., compared with the corresponding period twelve months previously. ANOTHER RECORO YFAR.-The unprpcmented demand for Horni'man'* Pare Tea during the past voar iq R positive r-o,f that the consumer is not to JIP put off by substitutes awd the snysne, it's just as oood Ask for Horuiman's '!>«. flT" 1 sec thit you have if Sold Viy:— Ch^stor: W. Alnti T>a,viep. lft, Commonhall st. (wholosnle agent) CO-C.}). Sf,cí. y: Orver, 25, Chriptleton-rd frol- horn iiestnurnnf, M. Forpfute-pt Nestoi Lee. Little Snttorj: ¡;w;I1.-1PJ". tihuddlan R .berts, srrocer. Upper Bri^Mon: RomervilJe. Bronnborough foe]: Co-op. Society. Myoydd Isa: Cc-np So,ptv Wold Junction: Co.op.A.)ciety. Queen's Ferrv Spark's Stores. ffoole joiies & Davias. Wrexham: Feltoa, Saltney: Bobiaeon.

raiOtflSM AT UPTON. I — o I THOUGHTFUL SPEECH BY COL. I COTTON-JODRELL. REPLY TO MR. STANLEY. I Continuing his campaign as tho prospective Unionist candidate for the Eddisbury Division in Parliament, Col. Cotton-Jodroll .addressed a large audience, which endorsed with pleasing unan- imity the views he expressed on Friday even- rug in the National Schools, Upton. Mr. B. C. Roberts preisided, and among those present. were Mrs. B. O. Roberts, Miss Roborts, Mrs. Cotton- JodreJ, Major MacGiliycuddy, the Rev. W. Spar- ling, Colonel Evans-Lloyd, Messis. Jos. Beecroft (Bastham), T. A. Beckett, Gardner, Edw. Dean, uno. M. FlOSt, C. Maddock (Capenhurst), J. Prinoo, Davicfe, R. Itbell, R. Walceiield, Evans, C. F. Pntchard (agent), etc.. The Chairman, having announced a letter ex- pressing apoiogy for absence from Mr. Henry roiiomacho, M.P., who will not seek ne-election as member for Eddisbury, winch he has repre- sented in Parliament for 24 years, said t-ney had boon fortunate beyond measure in securing to fill ins place a gentleman like Col. Cotton-J odrell. (Appiause). Col. Cotton-Jodreil was no stranger to them, having represented the adjoining division of Wirral for fifteen years, and thus gamed im- mense Parliamentary experience. They knew abo of tlio services ho had rendered out-side Parlia- went for till) county in which he resided. He had .aiwaye taken the greatest interest. in all matteis affecting the welfare of the county, notably by his active work in the cause of agriculture. (Ap- plause.) Being an old so.dier, he was at hue. head of a thriving corps of engineers at Crewe, and tiie Unionist party could not possibly have. a better candidate than he to repiesenti their political opm.ons. (Hear, hear.) Col. Cotton-Jcdreli was not unknown in tho immediate neighbourhood 01 Upton, where he had a relative in Miss Alaiy liumborston, whoso respected family had been so long associated with the district. Col. Cotton-uodiell, who was received with hearty applause, began his speech by movingl the following resolution:—"That this meeting ex- pressca its continued confidence in His Majesty's Government, and congratulates Mr. Balfour and his colleagues upon tho legislative programme of tho session unfolded in the King s Speech, mote especially with regard to the proposals for equal- ising the electoral districts, for stopping the in- ilux of undesirable aliens, and for tho fii-,n and statesmanlike -attitude displayed in the foioign and colonial policy of his Majesty's Govern- mont." vClieers.) The first critical division of the piosent sc-ssion of Parliament occurred on the previous night, and it resulted in a Government majority ot 63. (Cheers) This was not so bad for what was said to be a disreputable Ministry and fin "onfecblccl .and disunited rank and hie" supporting that Ministiy. The normal majority of the Government was about- 81. and when they considered that the resolution moved by the Oppo- sition last night was ingeniously worded in order that -it might draw away the extremists at botn ends who usually supported tho Government, he did not, think tho majority was one to bo despised. Although their opponents had made a great deal of oapital out of tho byo-elections which had taken snco Parliament was prorogued last August, it must havo been rather disappointing to them that t io niaj ority of 63 was ten more than that which the Government had on a similar question during the King's Speech of last session. (Hear, hear.) This majority was in itself larger than any majority wnich Mr. Gladstone was able to com- mand oonootiiing tho proposals he brought up for the disintegration and the disunion of tlio United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Mr. Stanley, in a recent speech at Waveiton on the Fiscal policy, maintained that at present- our Colonies were not our be-st trade customers. Hp (Col. Cotton-Jodrell) traversed that statement when speaking the othor da.y at Christlcton, but he had siiko conio into possesion of more recent figures concerning that point. He maintained with Mr. Toilemaciio that our Colonies were our best cus- tomers at the present-t-.me. (Cheers.) Mr. Cham- berlain and all who had studied Tariff Reform maintained it for tho reason that the following figures would be fouud in the second Fiscal Blue Book just published by the Board of Trade. In that book they found that the exports of wholly or mainly manufactured goods to tho British poBSL'Siiona in the year 1870 stood at 45,000,1)00. In the year 1903 they stood at £ b7,000,000, so that they had nioie than doubled during that period. (Hear, hoar.) On the other hand, duruig tiie last thirty years our exports in the same goods to foreign countries had remained practically sta- tionary. In 1870 they amounted to £ 136.000,030. and in 1903 to £ 134,000,000. A study of the Bluo Book would show that our trade with our Colonies had been gradually advancing, and had remained practically stationary during the whole of tiudi period in our exports to foreign countries. Air. Stanioy claime-d that the exports of all articles to fo,eigri countries in tho year 1903, which ho crronoousiy oLalled 1902, wero £ 241,000,000, and thoae to our Coioniea £ 119,000,000; and he there- fore claimed that our trade with foreign count lies was double the trade with cur Colonies. But he mack) I TWO MISTAKES. Firstly, he did not consider the charoetor of tho trade. The trado with our Colonies was almost exclusively oontined to manufactured goods (i.e., goods which wero manufactured in this country, and which oomandcd skilled labour), whereas our exports to foreign countries included millions of pounds worth of coal and other raw materia;, of which tho Colonies took hardly anything. Tho raw materials which passed from this country to foreign countries seivcd in tho manufacture of goods which the foreigners sent to this country, underselling our own manufactures and handi- capping the employment of British labour, be- cause tho goods wero all those which we could make ollrselvc.9 if we had the chance. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Stanley also made an error in not taking into account the population. The exports of British mainly manufactured goods to British possessions canae to £ 111,000,000, and were dis- tributed among a white population of not more than eleven millions; whereas in the same year our exports of the same oharacter of goods to tho whole of Euiope only came to £ 88,000,000, which were distributed' among not less than a hundred million pcopio. The market with our Colonies and possessions was a. rising market-, and that with foreign countries a falling market. T^ est it how wo would—n the character or the value of the vol- ume of the trade, or the population-it was indubitable that our Colonies were our best customers at the present time. (Cheers.) And why not": The Colonies already gave us a. pie- ferenee. Canada was .giving us a preference, South Africa was giving us a preference, and New Zealand was offering us one. On the other hand. how did foreign countries treat us? For every LIOO Nvo,th of manufactured goods we so it to Germany we had to pay JB25 for the privilege; France deinaiided E34 for the same, the United [States £7.5 and Russia, J3151. These were fact, and as the Fiscal question was so gigantic, he would ask them to think over our policy, not for the sake of themselves, but for the sake of the country at large, and of the twelve million men of this country who Sir H. Campbell-Bannerrnan told us were underfed or in a half-starving con- dition. (Hear, hear.) Turning to agricultural matters. Col. Cotton-Jodrell alluded to the incidence of rates and local taxation upon land and tenant farmers, and said it was very essential that the present Government should renew or make permanent the I AGRICULTURAL RATINGS ACT. 1 t 1 1.,1 A. L (luar, hear.) At all events, ne tnougnt tne lC¡; should be continued until a thorough enquiry and revision was made in the system of local taxa- tion in this country. The Radical party had always bitterly opposed the Agricultural Ratings Act, which they alleged gave doles to the land- lords. The Act had been in force for four or five years, and never had he hoard a tenant farmer complain that it gave doles to landlords. A year ago Mr. Stanley condemned the Act, but it, ap- peared that since then some of his friends in this division had exercised a little pressuro upon him. and had told him his theory would not be entirely acceptable to the tenant farmers generally. He had consequently so modified his views that at a recent meeting near Nantwich he had said that if tho Act was renewed by the Radical party he would vote for It. (Laughter.) That was a very safe thing for him to say, because there was not the slightest chanoo that the Radical party would continue the Act, if they came into power. The discontinuance of the Act in this county would moan a loss of C35,000 per year in rates to the tenant farmers. Were they going to throw that away heedlessly? Concluding, Colonel Cot.on- Jodrcll said the whole question of local taxation was one which called for serious consideration, in view of the increasing indebtedness of loeil authorities. MAJOR MACGILLYCUDDY ON ARMY REFORM. Major MacGiliycuddy. in seconding the resol u- tion, said he appreciated the good fortune which had fallen upon the division in the choice of a candidate like Colonel Cotton-Jodrell, whose position and record were well known. The Dissolution appeared to bo still some distance away. and it was perhaps well that the proposed Fiscal reform, which people were coming more and more to favour as they got to know more about it, should bo given time to work its way into tho minds of the people before the election arrived. After alluding to the repulse which Wi'.S given to the opposition in Parliament on the previous evening, he declared that the time had arrived for the Government to adopt the system that had been in vogue in the United States for many years in order to free the oountry from tho pest, of the immigration of undesirable aliens. The Liberals, for some reason hef-t. known to then- selves. were apparently anxious that the alien should have a chance of starving the Eng'i-h workine-man and his wife and family. It was impossible fo,- a candidate to touch upon rhe I infinite variety of subjects tliii-L, occupied the atten- tion of Parliament, and they might be thankful in that division that they had no Chinese labour qUC.410il to bother them. (Laughter and hear, hear.) 'I he Chester newspapers had struck a prem'cr mine in regard to that question, and he was sure ho voiced the feelings of all the people in tho locality in saying that he hoped that mine would soon be closed. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Ch:1;,I- berlain had summed up the situation very well when he said that the Oppo.iton during the last eighteen jeais or so had opposed every Bill brought in by the Government, and tha: every ono of fhoso Bills t.hat had been passed into law ha 1 more or lesci tended to the betterment of the country. We had a Government who recognise 1 the danger in which the country stood in the prprent condition of the Army. the Government wc-'c anxious, not to toy with the Army question, but to get if, settled in a way that would make England a she ought to be, safe from all possible attack. (Cheers.) The Government had formu- lated a scheme of Army reform which was shortly to bo put .uito operation, but the old saying that Rome was not built in a day applied forcibly to that scheme. The system with which the Government was going to experiment was not one to bo judged by its effect in one or two years. It must be given a trial of a few years, end, pro vidmg- that the Unionist Government were left in oifico, he believed that in a few years we would get an Army worthy of the position that England neld as th" strongest nation 111 the wond. (Cheers.) England, however, was not strong through her Army, but through her Navy \Vhiie we de- plored tho terrible submarine disaster that had occurred, we would echo the sentiment of Sit William White, who ,aid on the previous day that although thoce men had perished at their pOot, he was certain there wa.s no officer or aran in tho Navy who, if called upon, would not at once volunteer to take the place of danger tho aj men had been in. (Hoar, near.) We ought to put irto the Army the same men who made the British Navy the wonder of the woild. Witi, respect to our relations with our Colonies, he wao of opinion, as one who had been very much in Canada, that. any preferential torms wo itilg.L givo them did not turn entirely on tho matter < 1 1j. s. d. Tiie Colonies strongly felt the sentiment of their kinship with England, and England ought to reciprocate that sentiment. (Hear, hear.) What sort of reception did that sentiirieui receive from the Liberal party? They ,,id ¡hal no such sentiment existed. This was another reason why the present Government should be kept in power until some final arrangement was made whereby a union would be made between the Colonies and the Mother Country so indissoluble that nothing could sever it. (Cheers.) The resolution was then put to the meeting and carried. Colonel Evans-Lloyd. in moving a vote oi thanks to the speakers, expressed his astonishment that foreign countries "mposed such heavy duties upon imported goods from England. Ho had no idea until Colonel Cotton-Jodrell told them that night that Russia, for instance, could demand £1.30 from us for every £100 worth of goods we exported to that country. Those fact shewed how important it was to consider tho Fiscai question in ail its bearings. There was one feature of iNIr. Chamberlain's proposals, however, which he could not understand. He proposed that wo should encourage tho growth of corn in Canada, inasmuch as our farmers could not com- pete with those in the States who sent corn to us duty free. Did not Mr. Chamberlain propose that Canadian corn should come into England free? If so, he wanted to know how the Choshire farmer was to benefit by that. Mr. Edward Dean, in seconding, endorsed what Colonel Cotton Jodrell had said about local taxa- tion, and urged that by a policy of extravagant expenditure the County Council had doubled the county rate. Mr. J. Beecroft-, supporting the resolution, said ho was pleased to come and support- tho prospec- tive Un,onist candidate that night at Upton. liis birthplace. Ho was an old friend of Col. Cotton Jodreli, and so also were tho tenant farmers at largo. In him they had a gentleman who had shewn the keenest interest in agiioulture by h:s work in oonecetion with the Cheshire Chamber of Agriculture, the Milk Producers' Association otner bodies. He had always done his be-st to further any object calculated to benefit all classes ,tt,(? d to all of agriculturists. Some years ago, when an agi- tation was made in favour of more advanced edu- cation in cheesemaking if Cheshire was to main- tain its supremacy in that industry. Col. Cotton Jodroil was the foremost in placing one of his farina at their disposal for the manufacture of dairy produce. (Hear, hear.) It was most im- port-ant. that they should! ha.ve as their representa- tive in Parliament a man in whom they could put soio trust. It might be said that he (Mr. Beecroft) had been seen speaking on a piatform in. favour of another political party. His name w^is Joseph, and there was another Joseph who sixty ago perhaps thought aa he did at one. time, but who had changed his views. (Hear, hear.) It was said that wise men changed, but fools never did. (Laughter and hear, h(-ar.) Regarding tho Fiscal question, all they wanted was fair play. As an agriculturist, it seemed to him that when anything he produced on the land came upon tho market it could not obtain a lemunerativ e prict.) owing to foreign competition. It did not matter what ait-iclo they put upon the market, the foreign one was always to some extent lower. If it was good for foreign countries to havo Pro- t.ctioii-a.iid we were to.d that most, if not all of them wore p,-oksperc)us-wliy should we adullt their goods free? To his mind, the question was in a nutsheil. If wo reciprocated the preference given to us by our Colonies there was no doubt that, if the foreigner wero taxed as we were by him, tho money of our wealthy olasses would go into circulation and find work for our unemployed. (Hear, he.nr.) We heard a. great deal about- the dear loaf. Forty years ago the labourers of this country earned about 14s. a week, and an 8ib. loaf in those day a, when wheat was selling at 75. or 83. par bushel, oost about, 14d. To-day an Sib. loaf cost about 10d.. and tlio labourer's wage had r.seii to 18. Were we not in a belter posi- tion to-day to bea.r a slight tax on Hour--in order to enable us to produce goods at a paying Ho was strongly in favour of our admitting as muoh iaw material as tho foreigners liked to send us, but nob manufactured goods. We could then grind our wheat and use our own offal. Tho-io was no fear of an exorbitant increase in the price of foreign beof. Tho Americans knew our mar- ket was a good one, and if wo levied the proposed tax on imported wheat and beasts, it would not laiso tho ( price of beef a farthing per lb. (Hear, ii-ear.) Concluding, Mr. Beecroft expressed tho hopa that Col. Cotton-Jodroll would he returned to Parliament by a thumping majority, and that his future constituents might live to see him made a member of the Cabinet as the Minister for Agri- cultuie. (Cheers.) Tho resolution was then put and carried, and a vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the meeting.

BOARDS OF GUARDIANS. i TARVIN. The fortnightly meeting of the Tarvin Board of Guardians was held on Saturday morning, Mr. R. O. Ortcn presiding.—Tho Relieving Officer (Mr. R. Willis) applied for an increase of salary. He stated that he had been eleven years in the service of the Board, and during that time he had worn out two ponies and five bicycles in his travels* over his district. His salary as re- lieving officer was JE90 per annum, and' was the same as that paid to his predecessor prior to tho addition of ten townships to ti-c Union. He gave a table of the salaries of relieving officers m neighbouring unions, from which it appeared that the average aoreage was 31,000 acres, being somewhat less than the area he covered, the number of paupers on the books 186, or b9 less than he had, and the average salary £ 112, or JB22 more than he received. Including his fees for registration and other work, it appeared that he received about L160 altogether.—On the moutn of Mr. Gunnery, seconded by Mr. R. Catheart Smith, it was decided unanimously to give Mr. Willis an increase of JB50 per annum. HAWAKDEN. A REGISTRAR COMPENSATED. Tho fortnightly meeting of the Hawarden Board of Guardians was held on Friday at Broughton Workhouse, Mr. Win. Fryer pre- siding. The Relieving Officer (Mr. G. Jones) gave some surprising information regarding an application by a widow residiri- near Seaiand Church -for out- door relief. He said her late husband during his last illness received 56. a week from the Board, and when lie, died £10 was paid to her by a friendly society to which he had belonged. The funeral had taken place this month and ho had seen a receipted bill for L9. 18s. 6d. tor the expenses of the funeral. The sum of £ 4. 16s. was spent on the coffin, and besides the hearse three broughams had been engaged, although the. body had to be taken only imo Saugnall village. Iiav.ng spent her meney the widow asked tor relief. The Board granted her 2s. 6d. a week. The Clerk (Mr. Hugh G. Roberts) read a letter from the Local Government Board regarding tho application of Mr. P. Harding Roberts clerk to the Holywell Board of Guardians and registrar for the Holywell district, for compensation for L ss of emoluments due to him as registrar by the transfer of Buckley (Mold) from the Holy- well to Hawarden registration area. The Board stated that, following rules usually adopted by them, th, y proposed to award to Mr. RoLe rt,, ior his loss tile lump sum of E36. 13s. 3d. They had considered the representations of the guardians as to the chargeability of the compensation, but they saw no reason for departing from their usual practice, and they ordered that the money should be paid by the Hawarden Union and be charged to the parish of Buckley (Mold).—A member I wish we were all officials. (Laughter.) RURAL COUNCIL. A meeting ot the Kural District Council < t Hawarden followed that of the Board of Guardians, Mr. Fryer again being in tho chair. With reference to the Kinnerton water supply, the Chairman said the people of Kinnerton da- sired to know what charges would be made on their taking the water.—On the nioh.cn of Mr. L. E. Fcrd, a committee was appointed to con- aider what charges should be levied. The Surveyor (Mr. W. Newton) stated that the Wepre foot-bridge, between Shot ton and Connah's Quay, needed repairing. The cost would be between :615 a rid ;Cl8, and would be shared equally by the Council and the Connah's Quay Urban Council.—It was decided to submit the estimate to the Connah's Quay Council, and cbtam tenders for carrying out the work. BUSINESSLIKE RAPIDITY! Tho Clerk stated that in rebruary, 1903. the Hope Parish Council appUed to the County Council that the parish should be divided into wards so as to obtain increased representation en the Board of Guardians and Rural Clotin.- They had hoped to carry rhe matter through in time for the election last April. He heard nothing more until February 13th, 1905, two years after the application had been made. On that date hs received a letter from the clerk to the Council mentioning that March 6th had bem fixed for the purpose of holding an inquiry into th matter, and desiring a reply by return of post as to whether the date was suitable. The Clerk said the Council ought to have mere particulars re- j garding the number of wards and the number of members required. They must remember that Shotton, Saltney, and Hawarden were also complaining about the unequal size of the wards, and were wanting increased representation. The Council were not at present in a position to deal with the matter. Mr. T. Lewis said he believed the Parish Council desired to have two wards and two guardians and rural councillors for each ward. The matter was ordered to be placed; on tho agenda for the next meeting, the Clerk promising to obtain the particulars of the application. (The above appeared in our last Hatu clay Evening Edition.)

A CHESHIRE AGRICULTURIST. IMPORTANT APPOINTMENT. Mr. J. N. Jack, formerly Agricultural Instructor and Director of the Experimental Farm of the Cheshire Agricultural College and Lecturer at the Edinburgh and East of Scotland College of Agri- culture, succeeds Mr. J. Walker as Principal of the Elsenburg Agricultural School, Cape Colony. Mr. Jack has left England to take up his new duties.

COUNTY POLICE COURT SATURDAY. --Before Mr. Horace D. Trelawny (chairman), the Hon. Cecil T. Parker, Mr. B. C. Roberts, Air. John Thompson, Col. Evans-Lloyd. CASES FROM WHITBY.-Benjamin Mann, Whitby, was summoned for an offence against the Rabies k.Niuzziii.got Dogs) Order. P.C. Boyle said defendant had sent to the Police Station to say he would pay whatever tine was imposed. (Laughter). The liuu. Cecil Parker Weare much obliged to him. (Laughter). A fine of 6d. and 4s. 6d. costs was the penalty.—Thomas Worsley and John Cheetham were summoned for being drunk and disorderly at Whitby on February 4th. Worsley was tined 5s. and costs, and Cheetham, who had been before the Court on a previous occasion, was fined His. and costs.

L. & N.-W RAILWAY, OPPOSITION DEFEATED. THREATENED LITIGATION. lord Stalbridge, piesidmg at the half-yearly meeting of the London and North-Western Railway Company, said the decrease in receipts, owing to general depression in trade, amounted to £100,000, almost equivalent to a deciease in the dividend of 1 per cent. Substantial economies in working had made the reduction only ;} per cent. In first-class pissenge-r traffic there was a diminution of 43,938 in numbers and !.11,295 in money, in second-class 124,0(J1 in numbers, and £ 9,735 in money. Third-class passengers had been fewer by 377,345, but from that source £ 783 more had been received. Season tickets shewed a satisfactory increase. Dealing with the company's finance, he declared that the fall in dividend and depreciation in the capital value of railway stocks was largely due to the excessive expenditure of the Government and municipal authorities—(hear, hear)—which now amounted, in one form or another, to £ 300,000,000 per annum. No country, however wealthy, could bear this weight of taxation without its commerce being seriously affected. Mr. W. L. Burdett-Coutts, M.P., moved an addition to the report designed to introduce a system of statistics giving the ton and passenger mileage of the lino for the information of the shareholders. This was, after considerable discussion, defeated, whereupon its promoters said they held that the proxies obtained by canvassing wf-i eIllegal, and that they proposed to test the matter in the Courts. Subjec: to a scrutiny of the poll and to the legal point raised, the chairman declared the report adopted.

I WILL OF MR. JOSEPI-I BECKETT. Probata has boen granted of the will of the- late Mr. Jcs<eph Beckett, of Newstead, Woodland Park, Colwyu Bay. and of Messrs. Joseph Beckett- and Co., ot' Chester, silk mercers, who diocl: on the 31st Deoembor, aged 84. His estate is valued at £ 39,375. 19s. 3d. gross and at £ 26,854. 12s. 3d. nett, and by his will of the 15th Oct., 1904, with, a oodicil of the 11th November, he bequeathed £G,iOO in trust for his wife for life, with remainder to issue, if any, but in tho event of failure of issue in trust for the following purposes — £ 500 to the Wesley an Methodist Chapel Committee or Fund at Manchester, to bo invested by loan, on Wesley air Methodist chapel property at interest, and the interest arising r,horcfrom to be used in aid of any viilago chapel cases outside tho ordinary luies of that committee commomy known as "m regular cases" or in addition to grants of the committee in v,.ry poor "regular oi village chapels where a little further aid is urgently needed; £ 1.(XX) to the Weisleyan Methodist Ciiapel or Fund for general purposes, £ 500 to the Whitchurch Cottage Hospital, Whitchurch. Salop. and £ 1.500 to the Wesieyan Methodist Chapel. St. John-street, Whitchurch, in trust., to use the income for lighting,. heating, for general main- tenance, or for other purposes. He also be- queathed to his wife J3150 and the old Wesieyan Methodist Chapel at Whitchurch, now use as a post office, and the bequeathed E2,400 in trust for Rosa Helen Bockett and her children, Edward Perceval Joseph Beckett, William Charles Beckett, Ethel Alary Beckett, and Majorie BeteH Beokett; E3,000 to his nephew, John Beckett Baker, of Cordoba, Argentina; real estate known as the Woods Farm, Bolton, Lines., to Mrs. Annio Joyce for life, with remainder to her issue or as she may appoint; £ 500 to his partner, Mr. Walter Bithell, of Chester; £ 200 to Mr. George Meek, of St. Helicr's, Jersey; £ 100 each to Joseph Herbert Meek, Wm. Henry Smith, William Ombler Meek, and £100 between the children of Francis Elizabeth Barker, late wife of the Rev. George Heatcote Barker, Wedeyan minister, of Sowerby Bridge, and ;61W to Mabel Gertrude Meek. daughter of George Meek. Sub- ject to some other bequests, he left the ultimate residue of his estate to Mr. John Stringer Moss, f Lastgate-row, Chester, draper and silk mercer, absolutely. The executors of the will are the said John Stringer Moss, Mr William Henry Smith, of The El ms. Whitchurch, lronfomider, ?? M'- ?J'?eDlL??I?rt Meek. of 148 South- bank-road, Southport.

PROSPEROUS MINING CO.-On Saturday afternoon a half-yearly meeting of the East Halkyn Mining Co. was held at the Queen Hotel, Chester. Mr. F. W. Mason (chairman of the Board) presided, and there were also present Alessra. W. M. Roberta (vice-chairman), G. M. Richardson and S. Staton (directors), Mr. E. Noe Humphreys (secretary), &c. The report and accounts were adopted, and a dividend of 7^ per cent., making 30 per cent. for the year 1904, was declared, pas able forthwith, free of income tax. It was stated that the warrants would lie posted to the shareholders that night. The Chairman con- gratulated the shareholders upon the new power, pumping and dressing plants, which, he said. were almost entirely completed, and would be certainly running in a very short time. He also spoke con- tirtently of the great richness and prospects of the mine. FEEDING SCHOOL CHILDREN. At a meeting of the Chester Caledonian Association on Friday, an interesting debate took place upon the question of the feeding of necessitous school children at the expense of the rates. Mr. W. Ferguson presided. The question was put thus: "Is it desirable that necessitous school children be fed at the expense of the rates?" Mr. J. Weights supported the affirmative view in an able speech. concluding with the following resolution That in the opinion of this meeting legislation is urgently needed by which local education authorities may be empowered (1) to make provision, if necessary, whereby children suffering from lack of proper feeding shall receive the same (2) and to take such action as may be desirable to obtain the cost of such provided food from the parents or guardians of the children (S) and further that grants should be given from the Central Exchequer towards local expenditure. The negative was taken by Mr. Cooper, and an animated discussion followed, taken part in by all the members present, the preponder- ating opinion favouring the affirmative side. THEIR MAJESTIES' COURT.—On Friday evening, the King held his first official reception after the opening of Parliament, at Buckingham Palace. Lord Kenyon Lord in-Waiting) was among those in attendance on His Majesty. Among those summoned to attend were the following :-The Marquis and Alarchioness of Cholmondeley, the Earl and Countess Kilmorey. the Countess of Shaftesbury, the Countess Grosvenor, Lady Lettice Cholmondeley, the Right Hon. G. Wyndham, the Hon. Eleanor Lilian Grosvenor, JMefioimes Cecil Delve.s Broughton and Theodore Delves Broughton, Miss Dorothy Delves Broughton, the Rev. Henry Stuart Gladstone, Aiiss Kathleen Mary Gladstone. Among the presentations made in the general circle were the following Mrs Theodore Delves Broughton and Mis Dorothy Delves Broughton by Mrs. Cecil Delves Broughton Miss Kathleen Mary Gladstone by Mrs. Henry Sr-uart Gladstone the Hon. Eleanor Lilian Grosvenor by the Countess of Shaftesbury the Hon. Mrs. Ernest Guinness by the Countess Grosvenor Airs. Eric Pearce Serocold by the Hon Mrs. Walter .James. (The above articles appeared in our last Saturday Evening Edition J

A LONDON WELSH CLUB.-The provisional committee appointed scarce a week ago in promo- tion of a Welsh Club for London, says the London correspondent of the" Manchester Courier," has already issued a report. The committee favour the selection of rooms in Whitehall-court, overlooking the Embankment; Gardens and the Thames. Whitehall-court is certainly convenient to the Houses of Parliament and all the activities of London. ali(i i t is tho home of the Authors' Club. But it is rather an expensive quarter, and good Conservatives hailing from the Principality may not appreciate its contiguity to the National Liberal Club. The proposed' Welsh Club, how- ever. is designed to be national, non-political, and unsectarian. It is intended for Welshmen living m London, who would be elected as town members, and for Welshmen living outside London, who would be country members. To co% er the out- goings subscriptions amounting in the tiggregate to one thousand guineas per annum would be required —derived from three hundred and fifty town members at two guineas each and three hundred country members at one guinea each.

4JlJ !'Im'r:t<E'I_'¡}'r.71!   Trial of the perfect 1 Food || I_ &rap3=i&uts I proves its strength I There's a Reason B