South Yorkshire Times – Saturday 11 September 1943
Colour Bar Criticised
Conisborough Council Resolution
The incident in which Constantine, the West Indies cricketer who has taken part in the charity matches at Mexborough, was recently alleged to have been asked to leave a hotel in London, was discussed by Conisborough Urban Council on Wednesday.
On the motion of Coun. J. T. E. Collins, seconded by Coun. M. P. Knowles, it was decided to send the following resolution to the Home Secretary: “This meeting strongly deprecates the act of racial discrimination at an hotel in London, and suggests that the Home Secretary take such steps as are necessary to make similar action illegal in future, seeing that we are engaged in a life and death struggle with an enemy whose purpose is to propagate racial strife.”
Coun. Collins, who raised the matter, said they could not tolerate such bans on coloured men. He referred to the excellent services of well known coloured men like Jesse Owens, Joe Louis, and Paul Robeson, and said it was against such men as these that discrimination was taking place. It was against all principles for which they were fighting Nazi Germany.
Diphtheria Menace
The Medical Officer (Dr. J. McArthur) made an appeal to parents to have their children immunised against diphtheria, particularly children between one and five years of age, when they were very vulnerable to the disease.
County Coun. Ben Roberts said there were thousands of children dying from diphtheria before they attained school age, and said he would like there to be a centre for immunisation.
Coun. G. Cheshire said it was surprising the number of parents who objected to immunisation and there ought to be some machinery to break down this objection and point out the danger of not being immunised.
Coun. H. Gomersall said where people refused to have children immunised there was at present no means of compelling them to agree to treatment and there ought to be an Act making immunisation compulsory.
Coun. Roberts said immunisation was not as painful as being vaccinated. The County Council were doing all possible to further immunisation.
Coun. G. Oldfield, who presided, said the Medical Officer at the local Isolation Hospital was satisfied that the amount of immunisation taking place in the area compared well with any other area.
The Medical Officer has supplied the County Medical Officer with statistics of children immunised locally, and the County Council are to be asked to clarify the circular they are now issuing to parents on immunisation.
Items
Coun. Cheshire mentioned that owing to decline in the popularity of the cash and carry British Restaurant at Denaby, the question would probably arise as to whether it would be advisable to have the centre converted into a proper restaurant.
The Council have sent a letter to Coun. J. Humphries (chairman), who is convalescing at Rhyl, hoping that he will soon be restored to health, and Coun. Humphries has replied that his health is improving.
The Council are pressing the Yorkshire Traction Company to make ordinary bus services useable by school children in addition to special school buses.
The Traction Company have written to the Council pointing out that owing to shortage of staff all the buses the company can staff are in operation and it is not possible to augment services on Saturdays.
The Yorkshire Traction Company are being asked to operate a double decker bus on a “shuttle” service and a similar bus from Denaby Lane End to Doncaster at about 10 a.m. on Saturdays.