Mexborough & Swinton Times – Saturday 6 August 1904
Conisboro’ Parish Council
An ordinary monthly meeting was held in the Station Road Board Schools on Wednesday evening, Mr. John Brocklebank, the chairman, presiding, and there were also present Messrs. T. W. Mosby, C. Walker, Hy. Baker, W. W. Norwood, T. Pagdin, W. Wilson, F. Ogley, with the clerk, Mr. J. Hawksworth, and Mr. Wilson, cemetery caretaker.
The Denaby Allotments.
A discussion arose on the question of the Denaby allotments. At the last meeting it was decided to take over the five acres from Mr. F. J. O. Montagu, as per the committee’s recommendation, at £3 per acre, and to pay Mr. B. J. Clarkson two per cent. valuation.
Mr. Baker said the actual price Mr. Clarkson was paying was nothing like £3 an acre. He considered that it was an exorbitant price to pay, and also the £2 they were going to give him per acre. In his humble way he protested against it.
The Chairman said the committee had done their utmost to get Mr. Clarkson to reduce the price, but they failed. They had discussed it at length at the last meeting, and it was decided to give the price asked.
Mr. Baker: May I take it that it was the unanimous feeling of the Council?
The Chairman: Yes, I believe it was.
Mr. Baker: Then I am sorry I was not here. I think you would have been a bit longer over it.
The Chairman: I am sorry you were not here.
Mr. Baker: Yes, I was with a picnic party at Chester.
The Chairman said that Mr. Clarkson had said he would submit the matter to arbitration if they would agree; he was confident he would be awarded more than he had offered it to the Council for, because there was some drainage he had put in, and as that was likely to be a considerable item he thought the Council would accept the offer.
Mr. Baker remarked that the drainage would be paid for by Mr. Montagu. He would try and see Mr. Clarkson on the matter, and if the Council would not pay half the cost of the arbitration he himself would pay it out of his own pocket. He considered it was most unfair to pay £2 an acre for that grassland.
The matter dropped.
Mr. Robinson’s Allotment.
A discussion also arose on the Council’s decision at the last meeting, when they decided to ask Mr. Robinson, who is a member of the Council, to surrender his allotment. It was stated he was in arrear with his rent, and had not attended to his garden.
Mr. Baker said his idea was that no member of the Council should have an allotment.
The Chairman said that was the feeling of the Council at the present meeting.
This matter also dropped.
Later on in the meeting the question came up again, when the Clerk stated that he had been told that the fencing would cost between £60 and £70.
Mr. Baker asked to be allowed to move a resolution. He gave notice that at the next meeting he would move that the previous resolution be rescinded.
It was understood that tenders be invited for the fencing, at so much per yard.
Painting of the Cemetery Property.
On the motion of Mr. Baker, seconded by Mr. Ogley, it was decided to accept the tender of Mr. R. Clarkson for the painting of the property at the Cemetery, at £6 15s.
On the motion of Mr. Norwood, seconded by Mr. Baker, it was decided to acquire two more acres adjoining the present allotments, for additional gardens, at £2 per acre.
The Church Footpath.
The Chairman said the following letter had been received from the Local Government Board: “Local Government Board, Whitehall, S.W., 28th July, 1904. Sir, I am directed by the Local Government Board to advert to your letter of 2nd inst., enquiring whether the Parish Council of Conisboro’ are legally empowered to contribute towards the cost of repairing a public footpath which crosses the Parish Churchyard. The Board gather that the footpath forms part of a churchyard, which was closed for burial by order in Council, dated the 19th July, 1893, and that the churchwardens repaired it in pursuance of duties cast upon them by section 18 of Burial Act 1855. Assuming therefore that there is no fund legally chargeable with the expenses incurred by the churchwardens in maintaining the closed churchyard, it would be competent to the clerk to create for the purpose of obtaining repayment of such expenses by the overseers, out of the poor rate of the parish. The legal effect of issuing such a certificate, however, would be to bring into operation section 6 (1) (b) of Local Government Act 1894, under which all the powers, duties, and liabilities of churchwardens in relation to the repair and maintenance of closed churchyards in the parish would be transferred to the Parish Council, and future expenses would have to be paid by that Council. Until such a transfer of powers has taken place there would seem to be no legal authority for a payment by the Parish Council in connection with the repair and maintenance of the churchyard. I am, sir, your obedient servant, H. C. Monro, assistant secretary.”
The Chairman said it would appear that the Parish Council had no power to contribute anything until the powers had been transferred to them.
Mr. Wilson said they were not prepared to do that.
The Chairman said if that was so they must send a communication to the Local Government Board to have the powers transferred to the Parish Council, but he did not think the churchwardens would be prepared to do that.
Mr. Wilson suggested that the letter be sent to the churchwardens, and it was decided to adopt this course.