Mexborough and Swinton Times November 1919
Mr Frank Allen
The Property Owners
Mr Frank Allen said he appeared on behalf of Captain Montagu, and all the considerable property owners in the district who would not otherwise be represented. His clients in the aggregate, were assessed at £28,000.
He was afraid that the fate of the property owners was like that of the railway companies, it was to pay, and to suffer. The property owners suspected the scheme, and protested against it as unnecessary. There was quite sufficient work for local authorities to do at present without disturbing existing arrangements. It was very significant that no statistics as to the cost of running an urban district have been produced. It was fair to infer that the promoters new that the cost would be high and it was all so unnecessary.
The existing administration had full powers to deal with privvy middens, and a great many other things that have been mentioned. If the district was satisfied with its representation on the Rural District Council, it was a simple matter to apply to the County Council to increase it.the promoters were trying to bring back to life a scheme that was dead and buried 19 years ago. In their present application they proposed to seize Conisbrough Parks and Clifton, and to go the River for the Cadeby pit, but they were utterly indifferent to Old Denaby, and they left it completely cut-off and isolated from the rest of its administrative district.
The property owner saw no reason why they should be this absurd little revolution in the affairs of the district. He asks the Commission at least to reduce it to reasonable proportions on lines consistent with justice. It was an unfair scheme, and, in any case, this was not the time to pull to pieces existing administration machinery that was working satisfactorily