Mexborough & Swinton Times – Saturday 26 March 1904

Doncaster Rural District Council
Mr. Whitfield’s Candidature for Conisboro’
An Outspoken Speech
The Water Question

Mr. Samuel Whitfield, one of the candidates for election to the Doncaster Rural District Council, for the parish of Conisboro’, addressed a meeting of the electors at the Old Board School, Conisboro’, on Tuesday evening.

Mr. H. R. Booth presided, and among the large audience present were Messrs. W. J. Smith, J. Gillott, J. K. Bason, George Kinner, David Robinson, J. Appleyard, H. Baker, W. Jones, F. Appleyard, J. Senior, and R. Laughton.

The Chairman, in opening the meeting, expressed his pleasure at being present to support his old friend. He thought the attendance of so large a gathering indicated the return of Mr. Whitfield at the head of the poll. He had only one thing to ask, which was that Mr. Whitfield should be accorded a patient hearing. He hoped they would keep quiet until he had finished, and they could question him afterwards. He had every confidence in recommending Mr. Whitfield as a candidate worthy of support. He belonged to no party or creed, and as far as he was concerned in this election there was neither party politics or creed.

The thing they wanted to do was to find the best possible man to represent them at Doncaster, and represent them faithfully and well. If they sent Mr. Whitfield to Doncaster he would do both. He had both time and ability to attend to this work. They all knew that when he formerly represented them he was sometimes a little bit cantankerous (laughter), but he had promised faithfully to control himself a little better this time. (Renewed laughter and hear, hear.) He need not remind them that the rate they had just paid amounted to 4s. 1d. in the pound for the half-year, without the water rate. He was sure if they elected Mr. Whitfield he would do his utmost to see that the rates were reduced, or that they got better value for their money. (Hear, hear.) He thought it was high time they had a ratepayers’ association in Conisboro’, and if one was formed he would do what he could to help the object forward. Concluding, the Chairman called upon the candidate.

Mr. S. Whitfield, who was cheered on rising, declared at the outset that he was not adapted to public speaking, but he would do the best he could to explain the position of affairs and his views upon it. He might tell them that he was in a position he never dreamt of occupying a fortnight ago. He never thought he should take a prominent position in parish matters again. He was very sorry, but not surprised, that Mr. Kilner was unable to stand again, because he knew that a gentleman occupied in business as Mr. Kilner was could not afford the time which the work on the Doncaster Rural District Council demanded. He (Mr. Whitfield) had sought no nomination, but he was there at their service if they liked to send him to Doncaster. He thought among the candidates that were out he was the best of the bundle. (Laughter and hear, hear.) That was no reflection upon anybody else. He had no doubt they would elect him. (Hear, hear.) He might have been under a cloud, he did not know, and he did not care either (hear, hear), but he had sufficient confidence in the integrity of the people of Conisboro’ to know they would be able to spot the right man, and he was the right man. (Laughter and applause.)

Knowing how they were suffering from the rates, he contended it was time somebody did take an active part, and try to stem them. (Hear, hear.) They might talk about rich men and poor men, but it was his opinion they were all working-men. He was a working-man, and always had been. (A Voice: I wish I was the same, and laughter.) If he was returned to the Doncaster Rural Council, economy would be his chief study, and he would try to get greater efficiency than they had now. Look at the roads. (Hear, hear.) They had not had the footpaths and roads at the expense for a very long time. He felt inclined to remind them of the state of things when he was on the Council, but if he spoke about himself it would look a bit like swaggering.

However, when he was a member of the Council and a complaint was made about the roads, he did investigate the question, and it was brought out that Conisboro’ was getting 9s. in the £ spent on the roads there. What it might be now he could not tell, and he dared not tell them what he thought, but they should just watch the roller at work, and look at the amount of material consumed, and base a calculation for themselves upon those two points. He was not blaming his successors, but Whitfield did not think it was his fault the roller worked so often and did so little. The truth was they never had a ton of material to go on with. They could not find five tons of material for the roads anywhere in Conisboro’. In the neighbouring Rural District of Rotherham they would see piles of stones on the roadside ready for use (hear, hear), and there, whenever they repaired the roads, they could start on half a mile at once, and get some work done. (Hear, hear.) There were some bits of road in Conisboro’, not many. If they walked to Hill Top they would see it all round the publichouses and halfway up Finny Lane. They would find they had also recently done the road near Mr. Whitfield’s house. (Laughter.) He did not know whether it looked “ogler” or not, but it was there. (Laughter.) He would go on to the sanitary question. They had just been spending, or did not know what on sewers. He told them he would prove where there had been £1,000 wasted. They had just been spending £5,000 taking a deep sewer up to the new hospital. That was for the benefit of all the parishes in the Union, and that charge ought to have been on those parishes, not saddled solely on Conisboro’. (Hear, hear.) If it was not already too late it would be one of his first objects to see that the charge was not paid by Conisboro’.

It was an unfair thing, and ought not to be submitted to. There was another case; he could find shops running down the streets of Conisboro’ to-day, why had not the owners of the property where these happened been compelled to connect with the sewers? (Hear, hear.) He could not tell them whose fault it was, but if they were passing opposite the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, and would look about them, he had no doubt they could find it for themselves. (Laughter and hear, hear.) Now what about the water question? There had been about £1,000 spent, every penny of which was wasted. There was no necessity for water between the Brickyards and Hill Top, and if there was, rather than submit the parish to the expense of taking it right along, he defied them to give the water. (A Voice: Your water is rotten.) (Laughter.)

Mr. Whitfield: That is a dirty remark to make, and it was a dirty man who made it. Proceeding, he said the money spent in carrying water to Hill Top had been spent needlessly; there was a supply there already. (A Voice: What about Mount Pleasant?) Speak the truth.

The Chairman: I don’t allow these interruptions.

Mr. Whitfield: I am prepared to tackle that man if he will come up here. (Laughter.) Proceeding, he said the water had been taken to Hill Top, and he was sorry to find that Mr. Charles Holmes was a strong supporter of it. If he had any regard for Conisboro’ he did not know why he did not inquire into it. Why should Conisboro’ pay for water to accommodate Lord Yarborough?

A Voice: They are not doing.

Mr. Whitfield: Who says that?

A Voice: Me.

Mr. Whitfield: Who are you?

The Chairman: Mr. Appleyard you shall have your word after, but you must not interrupt now.

Mr. Whitfield: He has not a vote, and has no business in the house. (Laughter.) Continuing, he asked if it was a reasonable thing Conisboro’ should provide water for Lord Yarborough? He had opposed it before the Sanitary Committee. They insisted on charging Mr. Ogley if he wanted it, as well as Lord Yarborough, the initial cost, and they demanded in acting it, thereby saving Conisboro’ a considerable sum of money. Mr. Ogley before the Commissioner begged and prayed for the water supply. He said he had no water, and he wanted water, and he did the same before the Sanitary Committee, but when the charge was put on he did not want the water, and he did not take the water. He was not trying to throw stones, and all the cost of taking it to Hill Top was falling either on Mr. Holmes or Mr. Appleyard’s brother or Lord Yarborough. As to the Poor-Law Guardianship, it was a mere flea-bite of the work which had to be done. He would abolish the Guardians altogether, because the deserving poor ought not to go into the Workhouse, and the others ought to go where they liked. He could not explain a long yarn, but he was ready to answer any questions if he had not made his views plain.

A Voice: Can you raise rents?

Mr. Proctor: Is it a fact that Conisboro’ parish has to pay for the drains to the Fever Hospital?

Mr. Whitfield: So far as I can get information it is.

Mr. Proctor: It is a shame.

Mr. Whitfield: I quite agree with you.

Mr. J. Appleyard: Is it a fact that the whole charge for water up to Hill Top is on the parish of Conisboro’?

Mr. Whitfield: It is not.

Mr. Appleyard: You said so.

Mr. Whitfield: I did not.

Mr. Appleyard: I say you did.

Mr. Whitfield: Well, I repeat I didn’t; I distinctly said the opposite, and if you didn’t hear me I can’t help it.

The Chairman: The meeting will remember that Mr. Whitfield said Lord Yarborough would have to contribute. (Hear, hear.)

A Voice: Ask him if he knows out about t’ building laws. (Laughter.)

Mr. W. J. Smith then proposed: “That this meeting, having heard Mr. Samuel Whitfield, endorses his candidature, regarding him as well qualified to represent the village of Conisboro’ upon the Doncaster Rural District Council, and pledges itself to do all in its power to secure his triumphant return.” (Applause.)

Mr. Whitfield was so old a friend of his and in supporting him he had not a word to say against the other candidates. Mr. Whitfield’s speech, however, indicated that he was well qualified, and they knew from experience that he had always conscientiously performed his public duties, and had never shirked them. (Applause.)

Mr. Bason seconded, stating that he had known Mr. Whitfield for over 30 years. He had watched him, and had always found him to be a man who spoke his mind. (Hear, hear.) They were all sorry that Mr. Kilner could not keep the position (hear, hear), and nobody was more sorry than himself, although it took him from the works when the late Mr. Bason would have liked him to be there. The thing to do now was to get the next best man, and he thought Mr. Whitfield was the next best man. (Hear, hear.)

The resolution was put to the meeting, and only one hand was held up against it.

The Chairman: Carried unanimously, except for Mr. J. Appleyard.

Mr. Whitfield: He has no vote, so he doesn’t count. (Laughter.)

The candidate having acknowledged the vote, the meeting concluded with the customary compliment to the chairman.