The monthly meeting of the above Council was held in the Council Chambers Rushden, on Wednesday night, when there were present:- Mr. John Claridge (chairman), Mr. G. Miller (vice-chairman), the Ven. A. Kitchin, and Messrs. G. H. Skinner, F. Knight, F. Ballard, C. E. Bayes, J. S. Clipson, T. Swindall, Chas. Bates, J. S. Spencer, W. Bazeley, with the Clerk (Mr. G. S. Mason), the Surveyor (Mr. W. B. Madin), and the Sanitary Inspector (Mr. F. J. Allen).

Plans, Etc., Committee

A meeting of the Plans, Highways, and Lighting Committee was held at the Council Buildings on Wednesday, the 25th Oct. 1911, when there were present:- Messrs. John Claridge (chairman), G. Miller, F. Ballard, C. E. Bayes, W. Bazeley, J. S. Clipson, and Fred Knight.

Plans

were presented by:-

Mr. Bailey Mortimer for additions to farm house on the Newton-road and passed.

Mr. Henry Sparrow for stables in the yard attached to his house No. 108, Wellingborough-road, and passed.

Mr. J. Harrison for two houses in Washbrook-road and passed, subject to a separate drain being provided for each house, or an agreement being entered into at his expense for the future maintenance of the combined drain.

Mr. J. Harrison for house on the Irchester-road and passed subject to the building line on the Irchester-road being in conformity with the other buildings on that side of the same road.

Mr. George Bayes for two barns to Nos. 11 and 13, Bedford-road and passed.

Mr. William Packwood for house in Cromwell-road and passed.

Messrs. Jaques and Son, Limited, for additions to factory in Station-road and passed.

Bicycle for Road Foreman

It was resolved to recommend the Council to provide a bicycle for the road foreman and to authorise the Surveyor to purchase one from the Lightstrung Cycle Co. for £6/10/0, subject to it being guaranteed for 12 months.

Public Lighting

The Lighting Sub-committee reported that they had met and now recommended that additional lamps be placed in Woburn-place and at the corner of Hove and Trafford-roads.

The Committee agreed and decided to recommend the Council accordingly.

Rectory-Road Improvement

A letter was received from the Salvation Army stating that they would be prepared to give up their Barracks in Queen-street for the purposes of this improvement upon being provided with premises of similar accommodation and in a position equal to that now occupied.

The offer was considered satisfactory, and the Clerk was instructed to communicate with Mrs. Warner and the Midland Railway Company with a view to entering into negotiations with them.

Shop Window Blinds

The attention of the Committee was called to the unsatisfactory state, as regards height, in which certain shop window blinds were now placed, and the Surveyor was instructed to have an inspection made and in all cases where the blinds are not found at least seven feet clear of the pavement to call the owners’ attention thereto and require them to be raised.

Damage to Trees

The Surveyor reported that a number of the trees on the Higham-road had been maliciously damaged. It was resolved to offer a reward of £1 for information that would lead to the conviction of the offenders.

Road Board

The Surveyor submitted a letter from the County Surveyor stating that the Roads and Bridges Committee of the County Council were now prepared to consider schemes of road improvements for recommendation to the Road Board, and enquiring if this Council had any scheme to put forward.

The Committee resolved to recommend the Council to instruct the Surveyor to put forward the same scheme as last year, viz., the improvement by the Church-yard.

Mr. Spencer said he was not going to vote against the negotiations being carried into effect, but there were a number of things which ought to have priority over the extension of the Rectory-road improvement. There was Washbrook-road, the recreation ground and other things which ought to have a prior claim. He should probably have something to say about the matter later on.

The Ven. A. Kitchin said that with regard to the recommendation of the committee re the improvement near the Church-yard, if it meant the cutting down of the trees and

Setting Back the Road

he should like to say that the Church-yard being his freehold, no public body could do that without a faculty which had to be issued, and that issue would be strongly opposed.

Mr. Bazeley said he was very sorry to hear a fellow councillor make a statement like that. He thought that Mr. Kitchin was more public-spirited. He should have thought that he would do all he could to forward that improvement instead of standing in the way. He thought it was only sulky sentiment that stood in the way as far as he was concerned or anyone else. He did hope that that improvement would be effected in the very near future. It had been done in other places such as Cardiff, so why not in Rushden? He was very sorry that Mr. Kitchin had not been converted since last year. (Laughter)

The report was adopted, Mr. Kitchin voting against the Church-yard improvement.

Mr. Bazeley said that some of the residents in Grove-road mentioned that they considered the road should be properly called either Grove-road or Grove-street.

The Chairman said it made confusion and they would bear the matter in mind.

Finance and Estates Committee

A meeting of the Finance and Estates Committee was held at the Council Buildings, on Tuesday, the 31st October, 1911, at 10 a.m., when there were present:- Messrs. J. Claridge (chairman), G. Miller, W. Bazeley, and T. Swindall.

Surveyor’s Cash Account

The Committee examined the Surveyor’s cash account with the wages books, the expenditure shown therein being as follows:-

Collector’s Accounts

The Committee examined the Collector’s accounts, from which it appeared that the following sums had been collected since the last meeting:-

Treasurer’s Accounts

The Treasurer’s accounts were also examined from which it appeared that he had received the following sums since the last meeting:-

And that the following balances were in hand on the under-mentioned accounts:-

Tradesmen’s and Other Accounts

A number of accounts, amounting to £276/13/11 were examined and passed for payment.

Memorandum of General District Rate

The Collector submitted the following memorandum of General district Rate made on the 10th day of May, 1911.

The Collector also submitted a list of the irrecoverable amounts which was made up as follows:-

and it was resolved to recommend the Council to write off the same as irrecoverable.

The report was adopted.

Health and Sanitary Committee

A meeting of the Health and Sanitary Committee was held at the Council Buildings on Wednesday, the 1st November, 1911, when there were present:- Messrs. G. Miller (Chairman), J. Claridge, C. Bates, J. Spencer, T. Swindall, and the Ven. Arthur Kitchin.

Health and Sanitary Reports

The Medical Officer reported that 18 cases of infectious disease had been notified during the month of October, viz., ten of diphtheria and eight of scarlet fever. With regard to the diphtheria cases the Officer stated that with the exception of three, in one house, they were all isolated cases in different parts of the town, some distance from each other, making it very difficult to ascertain the origin. The Committee understood from the Inspector that the Diphtheria cases were generally of a mild character.

The Committee thought it desirable that the Medical Officer should make a local investigation of the diphtheria cases and prepare and submit to the Committee a special report thereon. It was resolved that he be requested to do so and attend with the report at the next meeting of the Committee.

The Sanitary Inspector reported that 44 preliminary and three statutory notices had been issued since the last meeting calling attention to nuisances, etc., which for the most part were being complied with.

The Inspector also reported that the drainage of two houses in Albion-place was defective and constituted a nuisance. A preliminary notice had been served and it was resolved to recommend the Council to serve a statutory notice on the owner requiring him to abate the nuisance forthwith if the work be not commenced by Wednesday next.

Three books belonging to the Free Library had been discovered in a house in which a case of infectious disease had occurred and had been destroyed. It was resolved to recommend the Council to replace the books.

The Inspector also reported that the free flow of the brook had been impeded at the rear of No. 17, Bedford-road, thereby causing a nuisance. The Surveyor submitted a letter on the same subject from Mr. George Bayes, calling attention to the nuisance caused by the obstruction and further asking if the Council could not pave the brook at this point. The Committee were unable to recommend the adoption of the latter course.

The Surveyor further reported that the obstruction had now been removed and the Clerk was instructed to write to Mr. G. Warren on the subject and caution him against any further interference with the free flow of the water.

The Inspector gave a detailed statement of his work during the past month.

Refuse Receptacles

The Sanitary Inspector reported that Mr. S. Hill had failed to provide receptacles for house refuse for the houses Nos. 130 to 136, High-street South, as required by the Council.

It was resolved to recommend the Council to instruct the Officer to provide the necessary utensils and to take proceedings against Mr. Hill for the recovery of the expenses incurred.

Cemetery

A letter was received from Mr. George Cook with reference to a curb provided for his father’s grave, but which, through some inadvertence on the part of the Council’s employees had been placed round an adjoining grave.

It was resolved to recommend the Council to pay the expense of the removal of the curb, estimated at 7/6.

The reports were adopted.