No Use Pestering The Housing Committee
Railway Station A Disgrace
Bus Companies Must Observe The Regulations

  Wednesday, present Messrs. J. Hornsby, J.P. (chairman), F. Corby (vice-chairman), T. Wilmott, J. Roe, A. Allebone, W. C. Tarry, D. G. Greenfield, M.D., C. Claridge, F. Knight, J.P., J. Allen, T. Swindall, C. W. Horrell, C.A., L. Perkins, M.B.E., G. W. Coles, J.P., W. Bazeley, J.P., and C. Bates, with the Clerk (Mr. G. S. Mason) and the Surveyor (Mr. W. B. Madin).

  The Chairman said he was sorry that Mr. J. Spencer would not be able to attend as he had had a serious illness.  He moved that the Clerk be instructed to write to Mr. Spencer wishing him a speedy recovery.

  Mr. Horrell seconded, and it was carried.

Housing Committee

  A meeting of the Housing Committee was held at the Council Buildings on Wednesday, Aug. 24^th, 1927, when there were present Messrs. L. Perkins (chairman), J. Hornsby, A. Allebone, C. Bates, G. W. Coles, and J. Spencer.

Irchester-Road Housing Site

  A letter was received from Messrs. W. Packwood and Son inquiring if the Council would be prepared to sell to them a plot of land between the 36 completed houses and the 32 now in course of erection on this site.

  In view of the uncompleted state of the site and the uncertainty of the Council’s future requirements, the committee were unable at the present time to recommend the Council to accede to the application.

Further Houses

  The Surveyor laid before the committee plans in connection with the proposed construction of a further 51 houses on this site, all of the non-parlour type, 41 with three bedrooms each and ten with two each, which the committee approved.  He was instructed to at once approach the Ministry of Health with a view to their approval, and, if necessary, to interview them with regard thereto.  He was also instructed to proceed to the obtaining of tenders for the construction of the houses.

Tenants

  The committee went through the list of applications and resolved to meet again on Wednesday next, at 6.30, to make a final selection of tenants for the remainder of the 32 houses now nearing completion.

  A further meeting of the committee was held at the Council Buildings on Wednesday, Aug. 31^st, 1927, when there were present: Messrs. L. Perkins (chairman), A. Allebone, J. Allen, C. Bates, C. Claridge, G. W. Coles, J. Roe, and J. Spencer.

Tenants

  The committee again went through the lists of applicants and reduced the number to eleven, from which the Letting Sub-Committee were requested to make a selection of ten, which would complete the letting of the 32 houses, two being reserved for cases of emergency.

  The report was adopted.

  Presenting the above report, Mr. Perkins said that in Westfields-avenue, the new road, it would be possible to put the 50 houses.

  Mr. Knight asked if the plans for the houses would be similar to previous plans or whether there were alterations.

  Mr. Perkins said there were no great differences apart from the feature of two bedrooms.

  Mr. Madin explained that the only notable alteration would be in the grouping.  The two-bedroomed houses would be interspersed between the others.  The accommodation was exactly the same.

  Mr. Perkins, on the subject of letting the houses, said that that mentioned in the report had been the most formidable task of the kind he had ever undertaken since he had been a member of the Council.  He had gone carefully through about 200 papers, occupying many hours of work and practically the whole of Sunday.  If other people wanted to give up their Sundays they could.  The committee also went very carefully through the cases.  A great many applicants’ cases were brought into Class A for immediate consideration.  Too many people thought it would be better for them if they pestered the members of the committee, but he could assure them that that was not so.

Plans, Highways, and Lighting Committee

  A meeting of the Plans, Highways, and Lighting Committee was held at the Council Buildings on Wednesday, Aug. 31^st, 1927. when there were present: Messrs. A. Allebone, C. Claridge, G. W. Coles, C. W. Horrell, F. Knight, T. F. B. Newberry, J. Spencer, T. Wilmott, and T. Swindall.

Chairman

  In the absence of the chairman Mr. C. Claridge was voted to the chair.

Plans

were presented for :

  Bungalow in Purvis-road for Mr. F. W. Hooton, and passed.

  An application for a subsidy in respect of the above house was received, together with an estimate of the cost thereof, which did not exceed, including the cost of the land, £650, and it was resolved to recommend the Council to issue a certificate in respect of same as coming within the Council’s scheme for the subsidy of £70.

  Motor garage in Essex-road for Mr. J. W. Wright, and no exception taken.

  W.C. to house No. 1, Brookfield-road, for the late Mr. John Clark’s Executors, and passed.

  Barn to house on the Wellingborough-road for Mr. Walter Dickens, and no exception taken.

  Shed for Mr. G. Noble at the rear of his property No. 21, Church-street, and no exception taken.

’Bus Routes

  An intimation was received that the ’Bus Company and the Police had arranged for the ’buses proceeding from Rushden to Wellingborough via Church-street to stop at the top of Church-street instead of opposite John-street, and for the ’buses proceeding from Wellingborough to Rushden to stop at the bottom of Church-street and not make any other stop until they reached the Post Office.

Building By-Laws

  A letter was received from Mr. W. Goosey complaining that Mr. Silburn had increased the size of the cycle shed which the Council, with his consent, had permitted to be erected near his house in Carnegie-street.

  Mr. Goosey objected to the increase in size, and in the circumstances the committee had no alternative but to ask Mr. Silburn to remove the building, which they resolved to do.

Public Lighting

  The Lighting Sub-Committee reported that they had given instructions for general lighting in High-street to be resumed as from Saturday last and had also given instructions for general lighting throughout the town to commence on September 17^th.

  The charge for the ensuing season for electric lighting was £3  12s.  6d. for ordinary lamps and £7  9s. for all-night lamps, a reduction of 10s. 2d. per lamp on last season.

  The committee approved and resolved to recommend the Council accordingly.

  The Sub-Committee further reported that they had instructed the Electric Light Company to substitute 40 porcelain reflectors for the present enamel ones, at a cost of £9  7s., and further recommended that two lamps in Station-approach should be purchased from the L.M.S. Railway Company for £6  2s.

  The committee approved and resolved to recommend the Council accordingly.

Washbrook-Road

  The Surveyor was instructed to include in his improvement works in this road, which were contributed to by the Ministry of Transport, a continuation of the footpath on the south side of this road between Higham-road and Washbrook bridge.

Footpaths

  The committee had under consideration the question referred to them by the Council at their last meeting of providing footpaths alongside the roads leading from the town.

  The committee were of opinion that the question resolved itself into one of finance, and resolved to adjourn the matter for consideration in connection with next year’s estimates, but instructed the Surveyor to deal at once with repairs required by some of the existing paths, particularly the footpath along the Hayway.

  The report was adopted.

Health and Sanitary Committee

  A meeting of the Health and Sanitary Committee was held at the Council Buildings on Wednesday, September 7^th, 1927, when there were present:  Messrs. F. Corby (chairman), J. Hornsby, J. Allen, C. Bates, and W. Bazeley and Dr. D. G. Greenfield.

Health and Sanitary Reports

  The report of the Medical Officer for the month of August was received.

  The Sanitary Inspector reported that since the last meeting 24 additional nuisances had been dealt with and eight abated.

  Thirty-four visits had been made to premises where food is prepared or sold, during which inspections quantities of beef and beef offal, pork and pork offal, to the total weight of 2cwt. 0qr. 27lb., had been found to be diseased or unfit for food and destroyed in the usual way.

  At the Depot a quantity of bedding had been disinfected after cases of infectious disease.  Two rooms had been disinfected, also after cases of infectious disease.

  The Inspector gave a detailed statement of his work and inspections since the last meeting.

Rats and Mice (Destruction) Act

  The Inspector of Nuisances also reported that under this Act two complaints had been received, five premises inspected, and two premises reinspected.

Milk and Dairies Act

  An application was received from Mr. A. E. Thurlow for registration as a retail purveyor of milk at his premises No. 9, Ebenezer-terrace, and it was resolved to recommend the Council to accede thereto subject to the store being to the satisfaction of the Inspector.

Milk and Dairies Order, 1923

  The Inspector submitted results of four examinations of milk taken in the district, all of which were extremely unsatisfactory.  He was instructed to interview the purveyors concerned and produce to them the certificates.  It was resolved to recommend the Council to instruct the Clerk to inform the purveyors in question that unless a great improvement took place before the next examination their registrations would be cancelled.

Elm-Street

  The Inspector submitted a detailed report on his examination of six houses in this street, and it was resolved that he see the owner of same and ascertain how far he would carry out the works.

Gasworks

  A letter was received from Mr. D. Nicholson making a complaint on behalf of himself and other residents in the neighbourhood of the nuisance caused by matter from the Gasworks running into the watercourse at the rear of his property.

  The Inspector informed the committee that he had already seen the manager with regard to the matter, who had promised to put it right.

Wilson Estate – Purvis-Road

  The Surveyor informed the committee that the Allotment Society were now quite satisfied with regard to the depth of the sewer to be laid in this street and had agreed to adopt his suggestion.

  The report was adopted.

Finance and Estates Committee

  A meeting of the Finance and Estates Committee was held at the Council Buildings on Thursday, September 8^th, 1927, at 10 a.m., when there were present:  Messrs. C. W. Horrell (chairman), J. Hornsby, F. Corby, C. Bates, G. W. Coles, J. Roe, and T. Wilmott.

Tradesmen’s and Other Accounts

  A number of accounts amounting to £4,696  19s.  8d. were examined and passed for payment.

Rectory-Road Improvement

  The Clerk submitted a bill of costs from the Parliamentary Agents in connection with the application for a Provisional Order to acquire the land in Beaconsfield-terrace compulsorily, amounting to £19  19s.  4d.

  It was resolved to pay the account without requiring taxation by the Taxing Officer of the House of Lords.

  It was also resolved to pay to the Clerk a fee of £31  10s. for legal work in connection with the application and subsequent acquisition of the land by voluntary arrangements, including the agreement with the L.M.S. Railway Company to acquire the Station-approach road.

Rates

  An estimate of the amount required to meet the Precepts from the County council and Wellingborough Poor Law Union was submitted.

  The amount required by the County Council for the ensuing half-year was estimated at £6,975  19s.  2d., against £7,638 for the past half-year.

  The Poor Law Union required a rate of 11½d., and the Assessment Committee ½d., the same as last year, but the Poor Law Union required in addition a sum of £589  2s.  11d. for adjustment of balances as per the District Auditor’s certificate of August 13^th.

  It was resolved to recommend the Council to instruct their Rating Officer to prepare the Poor Rate at 4s.  8d. in the £. as for the past half-year, and the General District Rate at 4s. in the £, also the same as last half-year.

  The report was adopted.

The Railway Station

  The Clerk read a letter from the Rushden and District Boot Manufacturers’ Association, dated August 31^st, asking what further steps the Council had taken in getting the L.M.S. Railway Company to provide covering for a bigger area of the platform at the Rushden railway station as protection from the bad weather.  The association would, the letter added, appreciate any further action on the part of the Council.

  The Chairman said that that was not the first time the company had been approached.

  Mr. Horrell remarked that it was an old complaint.  A deputation from the Council some years ago interviewed the company, who promised to give the matter further consideration.  He was not quite sure whether anything had been heard of it since.  If not, he thought the company’s attention should be called to the matter again.

  The Clerk said nothing had been heard since, although the company’s representative made a semi-promise.

  Mr. Knight said he had been on various deputations in regard to that matter.  It was simply disgraceful – they could not call it by any other name – that a town like Rushden, doing the business they did at the station, should be so treated.  It was much different when they made application.  The boot parcel trade to-day was a hundred times more than it was then.

  Mr. Horrell:  Quite that.

  Mr. Knight added that on that particular night, with a steady rain falling, there were probably hundreds of paper parcels in the wet.  No doubt some of them got damaged.  All he had to say was that if the boot manufacturers were to ask their men to work under similar conditions they would be quite rightly pulled up at once.  It was an improvement that was necessary to the welfare of the trade, but the company’s employees ought to be protected from the weather.  The Council should put the case very forcibly before the company.  He was glad to think the Council would back up the Boot Manufacturers’ Association to try to get the beastly nuisance remedied.  He moved that the Clerk ask the company to meet a deputation from the Council and the Manufacturers’ Association.

  Mr. Corby seconded.

  The Chairman said it was a matter of great urgency to Rushden.  It was a disgrace that a town like Rushden had no better accommodation at the station than they had.  Things were infinitely worse now than they were when the Council first approached the company on the subject.

  Mr. Corby suggested that the company might spend some of the £10,000,000 that they had to spend on the routes!

  The motion was carried.

The Extra ’Bus

  A fair amount of discussion took place on the first report received of a ’bus plying for public hire in Rushden not having a licence and plate issued by the Rushden Council.  The report was made by the police, who stated that the conductor admitted that the ’bus (one from Bedford) had not the plate.  The ’bus was licensed to carry 14 persons.

  In reply to Dr. Greenfield, the Clerk said that the licences and plates were issued free.  The ’bus company had not since applied for a licence and plate for the ’bus mentioned, but they had done so in respect of other ’buses.  It was probably one of the extra ’buses which had recently been put on the route.

  Mr. Knight said that the matter would probably be remedied at once if the Clerk called the company’s attention to the omission.

  Mr. Claridge said that the Council must let the police see that they ere backing them up.

  Mr. Wilmott considered that it must not be allowed to go by.  It was a question whether the Council put the matter in the hands of the police or call the company’s attention to it first.

  Mr. Coles said that the by-law was a very good one and it might some time be necessary to enforce it, otherwise they might have all sorts of people coming into the town, taking great risks.  The company was large and wealthy.  Probably the error was due to oversight.

  Mr. Allebone said the Council must not apply the regulation to some and not others.

  Mr. Claridge moved that the company be notified of the omission and informed that in future the Council would prosecute and that the police be informed of the terms of the letter.  Mr. Knight seconded, and it was carried.