Making Up Army Pay – Conisborough Councillors Differ

June 1941

Mexborough & Swinton Times  June 14, 1941

Making Up Army Pay

Conisborough Councillors Differ

Councillor J. T. E. Collins was ruled out of order twice during Conisborough Urban Council meeting on Wednesday by the chairman, Coun. Ben Roberts, when he expressed views on the Council’s ruling that only men who were employed by the Council on the outbreak of war should be eligible to have their wages made up when they joined H.M. Forces.

Coun. Collins referred to a temporary employee, who had been called up and was not entitled to grant because he was not a council employee at the outbreak of the war.

Coun. Collins, after being told that the man in question was only a temporary employee, said he thought it was unfair that one of the Council’s workmen should be getting his wages made up, and another, who had not been employed as long as the other man, should not.  He moved reference back of a minute which stated that the employee to whom he had referred, was not entitled to grant, but the chairman would not accept the proposal, pointing out that the Council passed resolutions last year which made clear the fact that only men who were Council employees at the outbreak of war should be entitled to the concession.

A letter was read by the Clerk from the secretary of the Denaby Hospital Demonstration Committee, inviting the Council to take part in the hospital parade to Denaby Parish Church on Sunday.

Reference to communal feeding was made by the chairman of the Housing and Town Planning Committee, Coun. I. Hughton, who read minute two of that committee, which stated that the surveyor had prepared schemes for a communal kitchen and feeding centre at Church Street and that proposals had been submitted to the Divisional Food Office at Leeds for approval.  Coun. Houghton added that nothing could be done in this matter until they had got a reply from Leeds, but he assured the public that the matter would be dealt with immediately on receipt of a reply.

Coun. Collins again brought up the matter of grants to serving Council employees after the minutes of the Finance Committee meeting, but Coun. D. Sheldon, chairman of the Finance Committee, said the Council’s decision was already made and Coun. Collins was out of order.