Mexborough & Swinton Times – Friday 27 April 1894
Denaby Main Workmen’s Institute
The Scheme for Extension
On Tuesday night in the Old Schoolroom, Denaby Main, a meeting of miners and workmen residing in the village was held to consider the scheme put forward in the form of a prospectus by the Committee of the Existing Workmen’s Institute at Denaby Main, as the best means to deal with the generous offer made by Mr. Buckingham Pope to provide the village with a building suitable for the purposes of a first-class Mechanics’ Institute, and fitted up completely with that end in view.
The terms of the offer were, shortly, that Mr. Pope, as managing director of the Denaby Main Colliery, would undertake to erect a suitable building containing every advantage required for the purpose of a perfect workmen’s institute, provided that the men interested gave some definite sign that they desired such a boon and some tangible guarantee of their willingness to contribute to its success.
At the time of the offer, about four years ago, no steps were taken to derive its advantages, but the membership of the existing institute having greatly outgrown the accommodation of the premises now in use, the president, the Rev. R. P. Roseveare, and the vice-president, Mr. W. H. Chambers, taking the initiative, and backed up by the Committee of the Institute, recently issued a prospectus in which they set forth a scheme for dealing with the offer.
The main question for their consideration was the provision of some satisfactory guarantee to Mr. Pope that the workmen of Denaby were sufficiently interested in his offer to make the undertaking, if carried out, successful. The prospectus of the committee proposes that this guarantee shall take the form of a sum of £200 to be raised in 10s. shares, for the purpose of furnishing the library, billiard room, gymnasium, recreation-rooms, &c., of the institute when erected, the understanding being that if this earnest of interest in its welfare be given by the workmen the institute will be built and handed over to a committee of workmen to manage, the Colliery Company charging as rent a moderate interest on their capital.
Mr. Smethurst, the company’s architect, has prepared plans which show a handsome elevation, in the Gothic style, with an octagonal tower, which provides a cosy bay window corner in the billiard room and lecture room; while on the ground floor provision is made for a swimming bath, 60ft. by 20ft., with slipper baths above, a billiard-room to contain two tables, a game room, a refreshment bar, a skittle alley, a quoits ground, a gymnasium, 90ft. by 25ft., with lavatories, caretaker’s apartments, and conveniences.
On the floor above is shown a library and reading room and lecture-room and committee-room, which can be thrown into one, making a room 80ft. by 30ft. Prior to the commencement of the meeting the plans were exhibited on an easel and the prospectus of the committee distributed among those present.
On the motion of Mr. W. H. Chambers, the Rev. R. P. Roseveare took the chair at the meeting on Tuesday night, and at his request the proceedings were opened with a song.
The Chairman, at the outset, expressed his pleasure at presiding, and said that nothing in the world could please him more than to help forward anything of the nature of an institute for working men. He supposed it was because he had held the very honourable position of president of the Denaby Main Institute since the death of Mr. Edward Pope that he had been asked to preside, and the fact that he did hold such a position with regard to the institute enabled him to tell them to a great extent the scheme which they were to consider was due to the efforts of one of the vice-presidents of the institute, a person who had the interests of the workmen of the village sincerely at heart and who had always done his best for their welfare, especially, particularly of Denaby Main.
He alluded to Mr. Chambers, to whom they were principally indebted for the progress already made with this scheme. Mr. Chambers would be able to put forward many practical points connected with the institute which would not occur perhaps to him (the speaker), because it was generally accepted that parsons were profoundly ignorant of matters of business. (Laughter.)
Alluding to the scheme before the meeting, he said that many energetic persons had been working very hard trying to obtain something in the shape of a boon, and something had been done which could be done if this meeting took the matter up enthusiastically. It might be that there were doubts of the advisability of taking up the scheme to establish an institute.
No doubt some had said that there was already plenty of accommodation at Denaby Main—that they had a public-house where men could meet, that there was the pit where men did meet, and the church where men did not meet—but he would like to point out that the sole idea of forming the institute was not to provide a place of meeting. It went far beyond that.
One important feature was that the scheme contained a swimming bath and hot and cold water baths. That was to his mind the best part of the scheme. They all of them wanted to be clean, and they could not be clean with only the canal and the river to bathe in, supplemented as they were by the inconvenience of washing appliances of their own homes. But the baths were not the whole of the scheme.
There was a library and reading room, and there was a billiard room, lecture room, game room, a gymnasium, and a recreation ground. All these things would make the institute such as to be the means of the greatest practical good in Denaby Main and to the people of Denaby Main.
In order to do it funds were wanted. He had no doubt that they could easily raise the money if they went out of Denaby, and that it would be no easy matter to find persons who would regard the shares of the institute as a very profitable investment. But he did not think they wanted to go out of Denaby to get the money. There was some money in Denaby, said some one; it might be very usefully employed in erecting this institute. They had got more than 100 members in the present institute, and had proved that with such a number the institute could be made to pay.
They had a large number of young men who at present delighted in the billiard table and the reading room and it rested with them to say whether they could not make something more practical and more useful to the young and old men of the village than their present institute, limited as its conveniences were, would allow.
They had perhaps a large number of new houses to be built in Denaby to accommodate the workmen that would shortly be employed in the Cadeby Colliery, and it was quite possible that in a year or two they would have a population of quite 9000 people at Denaby.
Was it possible that the present institute could meet the requirements of the population there would be then? They wanted something better; they were growing beyond a village and were becoming a town and must make provision for the population.
Mr. Roseveare then proceeded to refer to the financial proposals made by the committee. He said it could hardly be expected that Mr. Pope would undertake the great cost of putting up a handsome building unless he was sure that the workmen would appreciate his gift, and the requirement that the men of Denaby Main should by taking shares take a proprietary interest in the undertaking was only reasonable, as when once a man had a little at stake in such an undertaking he would have no stone unturned to make it prosper.
Mr. Smethurst, the architect to the Denaby Main Company, then explained the plans to the meeting. He had, he said, put a fire place in the hall, so that if they wished to stand and converse with their friends it would be comfortable for them. There were seats all round the billiard room and a cosy octagonal bay window where they could sit and discuss whether they were “lobsters or peals,” and when they had “potted” the red and swallowed the cue they could go out of the billiard room straight into the bar and wash it down. (Laughter.)
Upstairs there was a library and lecture room to hold a hundred people. Mr. Smethurst said he might inform them that the scheme was causing great jealousy at Conisborough and very likely they would be taking the matter in hand there and endeavouring to build an institute for themselves.
Mr. W. H. Chambers said the most important thing they had to say with regard to the proposal was that they could not very well expect something for nothing. They did not get much of that in this world. The matter was one that rested with them entirely. They remembered the offer that Mr. Pope made some years ago to a deputation that he was prepared, if there was a wish for such a place and any number of men would interest themselves in it so as to ensure its going, to build a place and hand it over to them charging them a reasonable rent for it and give it over to their entire control without interfering in any way so long as it was properly conducted.
He said he would like to make a place that would provide a comfortable home for young men who were in lodgings, and he was very anxious at that time to make it go, and he (Mr. Chambers) believed he was very much surprised that his offer was not taken up. At that time it seemed to fall very flat, and nothing was said to Mr. Pope for some years.
It was no use asking him again until the feeling had been expressed and well supported that it was likely to go on. If they had suggested such a thing to him they would have looked very foolish. However, he was very glad that Mr. Chambers had put themselves forward to revive the scheme with sufficient interest in it to interest others and make sure of the place meeting with proper support.
He thought the proposal of the committee would satisfy them. It was not a large amount of money that was required to be subscribed, but sufficient that all, if so disposed, could contribute towards it by taking up one share. The number of shares that one man could hold was limited so that it could not get into a few hands and be run as a show.
That was not what was wanted. What was wanted was to get a number of men to have some distinct interest in it, and to be able to know that a brick or two in the building belonged to them. He did not want it to be supposed that they intended to build a rival public-house. They wanted to build a home where they could go and enjoy the society of their mates without being compelled to drink something for the good of the house.
He did not promise them that Mr. Pope would build the place for which Mr. Smethurst had prepared plans unless shares were taken up; he would not look at the idea at all. He would naturally say, “If the men care so little about it that they cannot subscribe the little sum required to furnish and fit up the place when I have built it, then I have no reason to suppose that they will go near the place when I have built it, and it looks to me as if it would be a failure.”
On the other hand if three or four hundred men subscribed for the shares then Mr. Pope would be able to say, “Well here are a number of men who have all put a trifle into the undertaking and they at any rate will not let it languish and die away, and if I build it I am certain of that number properly appreciating it.”
He did not know what such a building as that on the plan would cost but he should say at least £3000, and at any rate it would go a long way towards that. He was not certain what rate of interest the directors would charge for the capital expended, but putting it at five per cent the rent of the institute would be about £150. Then there was the interest on furnishings, £50; caretaker, £50; coals, £10; towels, £10; lighting, £20; and sundries, £10. That would make the total annual expenditure £300.
Against that he set 1000 members at 1s. a quarter, £200; use of baths, say 60 a week at 3d., £50; profits on billiard room, £100; and there they had more than the £300 required to keep the place going during the year.
Reference had been made to raising the money in Denaby. Of course they wanted to raise it in Denaby, and unless they did so it would fall through, because if Mr. Pope built the place how would he know that anybody would go near it? Promises were easily made; they might get everybody in Denaby to promise to support without any trouble on their part, but they wanted something more binding than promises.
He was not, of course, promising on Mr. Pope’s behalf that he would build the place at all, but he would assure them of this that if sufficient interest was shown in the scheme, and it was evident it was really wanted, there was a very good chance that he would do so.
Mr. J. Dixon said he believed they had come to the conclusion that an institute of the kind which had been described was greatly needed in Denaby. Mr. Pope had mentioned the matter four years ago, and he said at that time he was anxious to do all he possibly could for the people of Denaby, and since that time there had been many developments in Denaby and the neighbourhood which increased the need for an institute such as the one described.
The new colliery was rapidly developing in their midst, and an institution of that kind would be sure of support from the increasing population they might expect. It would, to his thinking, receive sufficient support from the working classes to make it pay well. If they did their best in patronising it when it was completed, not for the sake of getting drink there, because he believed and hoped, for the credit of the institute, that the amount of intoxicating liquor sold there to any one person would be limited, but for the purposes of recreation and amusement, there was not the least doubt that it would be a triumphant success from the very fact.
It had been said that Mr. Pope would require the working men to take some binding interest in the institute if erected, and he believed they could get a considerable number of shareholders. The committee desired this, not because they wanted men to pay money for the benefit, and not because they were desired to take a pecuniary interest solely, but because they wanted them to give some earnest of their interest in its welfare.
Whatever money was invested in the institute would not be lost; if a man wanted to get his money back, or desired to leave the district, he could at any time get his money out.
Mr. Cliff said, hear, hear, and he had no doubt if they got this institute it would result in further agitation for a similar object at Mexborough. Everything was in their favour. He did not think the company would want an exorbitant rent, but simply come to a reasonable acknowledgment for their capital, and it was quite natural they should want something of the kind.
There was only one point on which he desired a little information. He would like to know whether the company would make any charge for water.
Mr. Chambers replied that bathing would be charged for water.
Mr. Dixon, continuing, said that was certainly satisfactory. It was not necessary for him to go into length into the financial side of the question. Mr. Chambers had done that. His figures showed how the expenditure could be met, and if the inhabitants of Denaby Main would only make an effort, he thought they would never regret it.
Mr. H. W. Campbell, who followed, said he had found from experience in such matters that where the working classes were directly interested, each institution was invariably successful, and he was glad that it was proposed to give the workmen the privilege of taking a share in the management of this undertaking.
For his part he should like a place where, after he had left the pit, he could meet the men working under him and enjoy himself with them. He was glad, too, that it was not proposed to have it entirely managed by officials; he did not believe in officials being at the top of the tree in everything.
Mr. J. Marriott said that a good many men seemed to have got the idea that the company would want an enormous rent, but he did not believe anything of the sort. If, however, they were going to spend £3000 he quite agreed that they would want a little interest on their outlay, and it was only to be expected.
He thought the institute would be a success if it started open. Some people did not agree with it because it was proposed to sell drink there. They had all got their opinions about that, and he for one did not believe that the opinions of any man should be allowed to stand in the way of any reasonable desires of others.
Mr. J. B. Watson also spoke. He said he had intended to make some reference to schemes which Mr. Cliff had advocated very persistently at Mexborough, believing they would be quite successful in doing so in that gentleman’s absence, but it appeared that he was present—as they knew there had been on Mr. Cliff’s part and on the part of others a good deal of agitation in Mexborough for an institute of this sort, and he could assure them that even if there was not, as Mr. Smethurst had assured them, a good deal of jealousy at Conisborough, there was certain to be a very considerable amount provoked at Mexborough, and he was very glad to think that such a thing would happen.
If it could spur them to activity in Mexborough he should personally be very pleased indeed.
Mr. Roseveare had said that Denaby was ceasing to be a village, but was becoming a town. He thought that was behind the mark, for at least 25 years ago Denaby ceased to be a village, and it was now becoming a very important centre indeed, with the large population which they had reason to expect.
In Denaby such an institute as that which was talked about would be a very great boon to the people. It seemed to him that Mr. Chambers had struck the proper key note when he said the idea was to make the place a home, and he thought he was equally near the mark when he said it would be a good thing for every man to be able to say that he owned a brick or two in the building.
In order to be a success, the place must be their own, and must be managed by themselves.
It appeared to him that the workmen were asked to take a very small risk, while the company were prepared to take a very big risk on their part. Mr. Chambers had impressed upon them that the workmen must give some earnest desire that they wanted the institute, and it seemed to him that it would not be good for Mr. Pope, or the Denaby Main Company, to make the thing too easy, or to attempt to carry out the scheme without some guarantee that sufficient interest would be taken in it to make it a success.
He thought they were acting with great propriety when they required a guarantee before they put the spade in the ground to make the foundation.
This institute, if it was to be a success, must be a home for young men, a place to which young men could turn with feelings of pleasure and a feeling of proprietorship, to be able to feel that it was their home—a place from which they could not only derive pleasure and he hoped some little instruction, but in the management of which they had a share and interest.
After some reference to the advantages which the institute would offer and a hope that it would be identified with the purposes of technical instruction, Mr. Watson wished the scheme every success, and congratulated the workmen of Denaby upon their good fortune in having such a boon offered to them.
Mr. Croft then moved, “That this meeting heartily welcomes the prospectus put forward by the committee of the Denaby Main Institute and pledges itself to make the scheme a success.”
Mr. J. Dixon seconded, and the resolution was carried unanimously.
The meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the chairman, and at the conclusion many of those present came forward to subscribe for shares in the undertaking.