Rushden’s Second Holiday Fete
August Programme Will Help Charities

Another holidays-at-home week for Rushden was outlined on Thursday evening, a well-attended and enthusiastic meeting at the Council Chamber taking the first steps.

Mr. A. F. Weale, J.P. (chairman of the R.U.D.C.), who presided, said the effort made last year was highly appreciated in high quarters. The programme of events was not only successful, but of its kind was said to be one of the best in the country.

By Thursday’s decisions the whole of August Week will be covered by Rushden’s Holiday Fete (1943) with daily events at the Hall Grounds and supporting attractions, including dances and a Sunday concert, elsewhere.

The school authorities will be asked to make the Wednesday (additional to the Monday and Tuesday) a school holiday in which case Wednesday will be Children’s Day. Messrs. John Cave and Sons, and G. Selwood and Co. offered to take charge of one day’s or evening’s arrangements, Messrs. John White, Ltd., another day’s. Dances are promised by the Rotary Club and Query Motor Club, a Sunday concert by the Serving Men’s Parcels Fund, a “market” by women’s organisations, a dog show and fur and feather show by the local societies, a competition by the Hospital Committee and Trades Council, and a flag day by Mrs. R. Denton.

Daily Openings

There will be an opening ceremony each day. Mr. Weale, Dr. R. W. Davies, Mr. John White and Mr. H. C. Allen will arrange these and a well-known personage will be asked to attend on the first day.

Coun. Weale was appointed chairman, Mr. H. C. Allen hon. General secretary.

Last year’s Finance and General Committee was re-elected with the addition of Messrs. A. Beeby, F. J. Sharwood, C.C., F. G. Deane, W. Ainge, S. Smith, T. L. Watts and B. W. Williams, Dr. Davies, Mrs. Sharwood and Mrs. Waring.

The Entertainments Committee comprises Messrs. John White, W. E. Capon, Sharwood, S. Hawkes, H. Rice, O. A. H. Muxlow, G. W. Marriott, J. D. Bugby, S. Sharp, W. Clark, A. Pack, J. W. Cooke and C. G. Perkins, and Dr. Davies, with power to add.

Messrs. T. Sanders, J. W. Cooke and L. V. Elliott were appointed as the Publicity Committee.

A subscription list will be opened, and one of the aims of the fete will be to provide funds for charities, a list of which is to be drawn up by the Finance and General Committee.

The Chairman gave a cordial invitation for ideas and help from all quarters and asked that all who were willing to organise attractions during the fete week should notify the Entertainments Committee.

Rushden Ration Books

It is learned on good authority that the block system of food ration book distribution will operate at Rushden through the factories, relieving many people of the need to make a personal call at the Food Office in Church-street.

More Staff Needed? - Rushden Council and Ration Book Issue

Ration book queues were discussed by Rushden Urban Council on Wednesday, when members urged that the staff at the Food Office should be increased. Another feature of the meeting was a short report on post-war housing plans.

Reporting on the events which followed the protest at the Council’s last meeting, the Clerk (Mr. T. L. Watts, LLB) mentioned that Coun. Cox and himself had helped to make the arrangements for the distribution of ration books in the town.

Coun. Allen enquired whether any reply was received from Wing-Cmdr. James, M.P., who had been asked to take action on Rushden’s behalf.

The Clerk answered that Wing-Cmdr. James had sent him, with a covering letter, a communication he had received from the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Food. The letter came on June 2nd.

Coun. Mrs. Muxlow said she wished the issue of the ration books at Rushden could be speeded-up. She had been to the office most days during the week, and felt that 1½ hours was a frightfully long time for a woman and child to have to wait. Lots of people waited from 1 to 1½ hours on Tuesday.

Staff Praised

Coun. Sawford: Is it due to the block system?

Mrs. Muxlow: No, I don’t think so, because they were not dealt with in the public time. The staff themselves are doing all that is humanly possible, but I wish we could have a little more staff.

Coun. Waring said that someone had to wait two hours on Wednesday morning to obtain a temporary ration card.

The Clerk mentioned that about half the Council’s staff went to Wellingborough each evening to help write-up the books.

Coun. Cox said that the Food Executive Officer had been unable to obtain sufficient suitable people either from the Labour Exchange or anywhere else. “To-day,” he added, “I found that the staff were waiting for clients, and that there was still a lot of A, B and C books not collected.”

Mrs. Muxlow: Mr. Cox’s experience has been happier than mine!

Coun. Roe: Someone to-day told me they had to wait half an hour.

The Chairman (Coun. Weale) said the Clerk would report to the Food Officer, and he was sure that if anything could be done, he would do it.

A.R.P. Protest

The Clerk then reported that after the protest last month regarding the amalgamation of the first-aid and rescue parties representatives of the county authorities visited Rushden to discuss the question, but as it was a national decision there was nothing that could be done about it.

Coun. Bailey said that as the mover of the protest he would like in justice to the county authorities to pay a tribute to the way in which they met it. He was surprised within a few hours of his protest to receive an invitation to meet the deputation, and he was impressed by the trouble taken by the visitors.

He thought the members of the Council would be pleased when they heard the results of that meeting, and he thought their Higham Ferrers friends were pleased at the way they had been dealt with. He still thought the amalgamation of services was a bad thing for Rushden, but they would nevertheless do their best to secure efficiency.

Empty Houses

Following comments made at last month’s meeting of the Council, the Housing Manager (Mr. H. C. Allen) reported that there was only one empty house in the town, and that it was for sale. In two other cases the present non-occupation was purely temporary.

Coun. Allebone: Am I to understand that the empty house is exempt from requisitioning simply because it is for sale, and is it to stand empty until someone comes along and offers the price the owner wants for it? Does the price rule it, whether it is reasonable or unreasonable?

Coun. George replied that they could only requisition a house for a blitzed family. The house in question (in Wellingborough-road) was likely to be sold to a prospective purchaser as soon as the owner was able to deal with it.

The Clerk said a house could be requisitioned whether it was for sale or not, but only for homeless people, war workers and so forth. The Council had nothing to do in that respect at the moment.

Housing Programme

Responding to the Ministry of Health circular which invites local authorities to submit a housing programme for one year after the resumption of building, the Housing Committee proposed a programme for the erection of 60 houses on the existing estates (30 at Highfield and 30 in Newton-road) and 120 on other sites, not yet decided upon, which would have to be purchased.

A letter from the Rushden and District Trades Council referred to the continued absence of ‘bus barriers and urged that if the materials cannot be obtained some temporary measure should be adopted. Hearing from the surveyor on May 26th that some of the materials would probably be delivered “in the course of the next week or two,” the Highways Committee resolved that no further action was necessary. Coun. Green said he understood the Surveyor had received part of the materials and would proceed with the work next week.

The Dump

The Sanitary Inspector (Mr. F. S. F. Piper), reported that he had communicated with the owner regarding the conditions at a large dump of tins, paper, old boots, etc., at the site of the old brickworks in Wellingborough-road. A reply was received explaining the circumstances and stating that all the paper had been removed, that the tins were being taken away, and that the boots were being burnt in small heaps.

The Health Committee expressed the opinion that the site should be cleared at an early date.

Coun. Richardson spoke of overhanging hedges which were a danger to traffic in Wymington-road and elsewhere. He was informed that the Surveyor would take action in any case reported to him.

A letter from Caerphilly U.D.C. sought support for a resolution protesting against “the regulation which gives the right of compensation for the confiscated railings to the ground landlord.” The Highways Committee took no action, “particularly in view of the fact that, apart from the question of whether any leasehold properties in this district have been affected, compensation for railings removed has already been paid probably in all cases.”

More Measles

The Medical Officer reported the following cases of disease: Tuberculosis 1, measles 163, whooping cough 6, scarlet fever 1, pneumonia 3, erysipelas 2. Ten males and 4 females were born, and there were six deaths.

The Surveyor (Mr. J. W. Lloyd) reported that the Book Recovery Drive yielded 26,690 books, which were disposed of as follows:- Forces 2,720, salvage 23,160, libraries 430, Record Society 17, children 363. Thanks were expressed to those who helped and special mention was made of the schoolchildren, who were responsible for quite 50 per cent of the total.

It was decided to place a dozen bins for household bones about the town.

Coun. Paragreen said the demand for bones was far exceeding the supply, and valuable shipping space was taken up importing bones. He hoped the householders would place all available bones in the bins.

A sub-committee was appointed to organise the scrap metal drive (from June 21st to July 10th).

Still Asking

A letter from the National Union of General Municipal Workers asking the Council to receive a deputation, on the up-grading question, was referred to the Finance Committee.

A letter from the Rushden Parochial Charities drew attention to the state of graves for the upkeep of which the trustees made an annual payment. It was explained that the trouble arose from shortage of labour and the difficulty in obtaining plants.

Members learned that up to the end of the discount period 75 per cent of the rates had been paid.

Asked to support the Hindley U.D.C.’s resolution urging the Government to increase old age pensions, the Finance Committee decided that this was not within the province of the Council.

Coun. Allen and the Clerk were deputed to attend the Social Service conference at Kettering on June 17th.

The chairman read a telegram from the Chancellor of the Exchequer offering congratulations on the success of the Wings for Victory Week and expressing thanks to those who took part.

Members in attendance were Couns. A. F. Weale, J.P. (chairman), Dr. R. W. Davies (vice-chairman), A. H. Bailey, J. Roe, A. Allebone, J.P., C.C., T. W. Cox, F. Green, J.P., Mrs. O. A. H. Muxlow, J. Allen, W. E. Capon, J. George, J. E. Dilks, J. H. J. Paragreen, H. Waring, W. J. Sawford, E. A. Sugars, J. T. Richardson, J.P., and T. J. Swindall.

Barriers at Last - Two Erected This Week at Rushden

After months of waiting for materials to arrive, the erection of 'bus barriers in Rushden has begun.

The first barrier was put up in Skinner'€™s Hill on Wednesday, the next in Church-street, near the Lightstrung premises, on Thursday. Two are to be placed near the old Post Office in High-street and others near the Independent Wesleyan Church, the 'Oakley'€ crossroads and the 'Wheatsheaf' Inn.

Safety First Week at Rushden
Campaign to Reduce the Accident List

Rushden’s own Safety First Week will begin to-morrow (Saturday) and continue until July 31st. It is an attempt to put children and adults permanently on their guard against the danger of accident in Rushden streets.

Similar campaigns are being organised throughout Northamptonshire at the suggestion of the Chief Constable (Capt. Bolton), and the committee for Rushden comprises Mr. Arthur Allebone, J.P. C.C., Mr. W. J. A. Peck, Inspector R. E. Valentine and Mr. W. A. E. Sherwood (secretary). These names show that the public authorities, transport firms, police and schools are all interested in reducing the accident risk.

The appeal is mainly to pedestrians, who in a town of Rushden’s type can do much towards the adoption of a safety-first code. It springs from the initiative of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (the old Safety First Association), which is fighting a strong campaign by means of films and other propaganda.

Rushden’s programme will probably include talks by policemen in the schools, special school lessons with films and slides, and safety-first films at the cinemas. Posters and slogans will also remind the people of the great need to walk and watch with greater care.