Llandudno Advertiser and List of Visitors

LLANDUDNO RATES AGAIN II REDUCED. THE RETIREMENT OF MR. JOHN BELLIS. A ESmEKABLE! RECORD. THE OVERSEERS. AND THE PIER COMPANY. The annual meeting of the overseers for the parish of Llandudno-cum-Eglwys- rhos was held at the Parish Offices, Town Hall, on Tuesday afternoon, when there were present Messrs William Williams (chairman), John Roberts. Bryn C'elyn; J. O. Thomas, H. Wilson. John Bellis (assistant overseer), and Walter Wood (assistant overseer for poor rate purposes'). THE OVERSEERS AND THE PIER COMPANY. The principal business was to fix the poor rate for the ensuing twelve months, but before this wa.s entered upon Mr Bellis said that as that was the last occasion for him to have anything to do with the rate he would like to testify to the great trouble the overseers had taken in exam- ining property and fixing the assessment. The overseers for many years had been men who knew the value of property, and no trouble had been too great for them to take. They had tried to deal justly and fairly to all.—(Applause.) He made those remarks because of the many unkind things which had been said about the overseers. Many had come to him with complaint?. If he was unable to satisfy the complainants he asked them to sub- mit their grievance to the overseers in writing, and the matter was discussed at their next meeting. If they were still not satisfied they could appeal to the assess- ment committee at Conway. That room was generally filled with people who wished their assessment reduced, but dur- ing the last few years there had been only two appeals from Llandudno. One of :hose, continued Mr Bellis. was made by the Llandudno Pier Company. About three years ago the overseers arrived it the conclusion that the Pier Compa,ny-a most prosperous concernc- was not paying its proper share of the rates. The matter was very carefully considered and eventually the assessment increased by JBIOOO. T'he Pier Company refused to pay on that basis, and eventually an expert was agreed upon to value the property. The expert decided that £ 300 should be added to the old assessment. The Pier Company refused to pay on that valuation, and maintained that they had been paying too much be- fore. After further negotiations he in- structed Messrs Chamberlain and John- son in the matter, and asked them to get a copy of the Board of Trade Order authorising the erection of the Pier. They failed to get a. copy, but sent two clerks to copy the copy at the Pier. From that Order it was found that the whole of the Pier was to be considered within the parish. The whole of the Pier was then revalued, and the company had to pay in full. The additional- amount of poor rate paid by them was £ 192. and £ 235 urban district rate, or a total of £ 427. A RE MAR:: ABLE RECORD. With regard to the collectorship, Mr Bellis said that he had collected the poor rate for twenty-eight years, and had always considered himself the servant of blic—the servant of the very poor as of the very rich. He had en- ed to treat all equally, but if any .ation was to be given he tried to to the po-r.-(Hear, hear.) He eceved many kindnesses from the yet during his term of office, and ot think he had ever had any un- it words with anyone. On retiring d say that he had never distrained ied a distress warrant on a single —(Applause.) With regard to the icial position he could only say that penny due by the overseers to the inty and guardians had been paid, and that there was a balance in the bank of £ 1163 16s. 10d. on account of the new rates.—Hear, hear.) Nearly the. whole of the rates had been collected, the re- coverable arrears being only about £ 60. During the twenty-eight years the amount to be collected ha.d risen from £,3037 in 1880 to £ 13408 in 1907.—(Applause.) WELL DESERVED TRIBUTES. Mr John Roberts said he considered it his duty to propose a vote of thanks to Mr Bellis for the work he had done. In doing so he thought he voiced the opinion of all the overseers.—(Hear, hear.) Mr Bellis had been one of thejbest servants the ratepayers ha.d ever had. He had treated the rich and the poor with the same courtesy, and he wished Mr Bellis a long life to enjoy the well-earned rest. -(Applause.) Mr J. O. Thomas, in seconding, said although he was unable to say to what ex- tent, he knew that Mr Bellis had paid to rates of poor people out of his own pocket and advanced the money to others until they were in better circumstances.— (Applause.) He felt certain that it would be impossible to find a, man who would do his work in a more satisfactory manner than Mr Bellis had done. Mr Henry Wilson added his tribute to the retiring collector, which was supported by Mr William Williams, who for the last eight years has been one of the overseers. He trusted that Mr Wood would follow on the same lines and extend the same sympathy to those who at the time were unable to meet the calls on their purse.— (Hear, hear.) Mr Bellis, in a brief reply, said he had done nothing but his duty. For many years he had regarded the ratepayers as if they were his own brothers and sisters, and felt it, to 'be his bounden duty to act accordingly.—(Applause.) THE NEW RATE. After the inspection of rate books dat- ing back to 1873 the new rate was con- sidered. Mr Walter Wood prefacing the estimate made by himeelf with; Mr Bellis, by stating that he was pleased to follow as far as he was able on the same lines as his predecessor.—(Applause.) Having regard to the new rate a sum of 213,200 was required, towards which there was a balance in the bank of £ 1163. A rate of 2s. 7d. in the £ would be sufficient to pro- vide the balance or a penny in £ less than last year .(Applause.) During the discussion which ensued, it was elicited that the demands of .the County Council amounted to Is. 8d. in the £ but as the County rate basis made no allowance for empty houses the demand would really amount, to Is. lOd. in the C. It will thus be seen that out of every pound collected the County takes 12s. 6d. The proposed rate was unanimausly agreed I

A LIBERAL REPLY TO SOCIALIST. To the Editor Sir,—I ask your indulgence again, as I think "Have K ot'sn diatribe should not pass unnoticed. Had he been at the Town Hall last Friday he would have heard Mr Wm. Jones, M.P. give a very fair ex- planation of his action in Parliament on the unemployed question. In addition he gave his audience a most comprehensive statement of the Liberal Government's practical proposals for alleviating the present distress amongst the working- zn c class. He told us that the Government intended as soon as ever possible to com- mence operations in afforestation, arrest- ing erosion of the coast line, the rapid ex- tension of the small holdings principle, thereby retaining the agricultural popula- zn tion in their own sphere, thus effectually checking the inflow of the. rural labourer into the town's already overstocked with labour, as well as giving to thousands of workers the opportunity and incentive to i return to the land. Then again he in- stanced as the result of the Poor Law* Commission that a great saving in ad- ministration would result so that the pro- vision of old age pensions would be great- ly facilitated. These and other channels are purer and more practical methods toward the solu- tion of present-day difficulties than any of the protagonists of socialism can offer us. Liberals admit the urgency of legisla- tion in the direction of social reform, but as Mr Jones said legislation is not the alpha and omega, of Parliament's func- tions. Administration wise and well timed is the thing most essential; we have too many laws but very few capable ad- ministrators, and I claim that the Liberal Party has almost a monopoly of these. I should advise "Have Not" to sheath his sword and throw in his lot with the real party of social reform, and not try to re- tard" the efforts of this, the most energetic and democratic government, of modern times. Liberalism moribund, forsooth It is just the sort of thing we must expect to hear from the equality mongers, who can- not for the life of them show anything like a commonsense programme. Every socialist one meets has a different panacea, no two in agreement. Let them alone, and surely enough at no distant date, they will wake up from their dreams, to find that chaos has given place to order, and that Lberalism rejuvenated, has placed in our midst an equitable code of life founded on justice and reason. Liberalism is far removed from the moribund state. It is perhaps a case of the wish being father to the thought. I for one, and others whose name is legion, would not lift a finger in favour of Liberalism were we not conscious of the sincerity, and active progress being made by it. I hope the local stalwarts will accept "Have Not,s" challenge, and see the urgency for doing all in their power to arrest the forces of disintegration now at work. Thanking you for the promin- ence you have given this subject. -j I am, your faithfully, J. F.

A STRIKING WINDOW DISPLAY. A novel and very interesting window display is being made this week by Mr T. W. Jones, at The Lounge, Mostyn Street. The display is devoted entirly to "Onoto" Self-filling Safety Fountain Pens, a great variety of which are shown in connection with some splendid examples of coloured show cards. The window arrangements is highly artistic, and reflects great credit upon the business enterprise of Mr T. W. Jones. Of course the idea is to advertise and popularise "Onoto" Pens. From a per- sonal examination of the pen and a glance through one of the clever little booklets describing it, it appears that here is an article well worth owning, especially as nowadays everyone should have a fountain pen. To begin with, the "Onoto" is self-fill- ing, a feature which will commend it to all who have had experience of the ordin- ary method of re-charging a fountain pen with ink. If one does not happen to have the special filler at hands, the most copious supply of ink is merely tantalis- ing, or its use is ventured upon only at the risk of a catastrophe. No trouble is experienced with the "Onoto," which is filled almost instantly with just the right quantity, and without any possibility of soiling the fingers or spilling ink on the desk or floor. The nib is gold, pointed with iridium, and cannot wear out. Another point in favour of the "Onoto" Pen is that it does not leak, and the flow of ink can be regulated to the exact re- quirements of the el writer. No doubt it will be a good while yet before the old style of pen and the open ink-pot finally dis- appear, but the makers of the "Onoto" have gone far in removing the objections which are commonly put forward against the use of the fountain pen. "Onoto" pens I sell for 10s. 6d. upwards, according to size and finish. 1

AN ANTICIPATED SCENE AT THE PIER PAVILION THIS EASTERTIDE (By our Special Artist).

<£\j THE HIPPODROME SKATING RINK. Skating, everyone knows, is far and away the most popular outdoor pastime ever introduced into Great Britain, and whilst we, in this small corner of the globe are able to indulge freely in the pastime about once in every twenty years or thereabouts- we learn through our daily papers when skating is in full swing in the Fen district for the championship, or are more painfully reminded of "King Frost's'' visit by the sensational headings on the posters, or the still more, sensational paper boys cry of "Shocking Ice Acci- dents," so perhaps it is just as well that ice-skating in and about Llandudno is limited. A wave of roller skating is sweeping- over England, and so ideal are the condi- tion in the, rinks under the management of Mr C. P. Crawford, that it is not sur- prising how quickly the public responded to the fascination of rinking at Llan- 1 clu dii o. The ladies—both visitors and residents —in our midst have taken full advantage of the free admission tickets, judging from the crowded state of the "Grand Stand," both afternoon and night. It is true that, the humorous sights attending' the opening night are somewhat few and far between, but now and again an ice skater haps along, and his attempts to begin on rollers where he left off on ice skates are full of painfully sudden awak- enings to himself-unless he is of the pneumatic order—and a source of the keenest enjoyment to the gallery. It is astonishing at what, ages of life skaters can and do enjoy the pastime. The youngest, so far, that has attempted at the Hippo Rink is a, bonnie wee maid of four and a half, the oldest, undoubted- ly an expert ice skater in his day, admits to being seventy-five, and can hold his own with the best. The resident manager, Mr Barnes and his wife, are responsible for the intro- duction as a duett, of the two step time skating, and just now all skaters are striv- ing to follow in their steps. Many ladies there are, who have with surprising facility "caught on" to it, and their skat- ing is followed by envious eyes, and whilst the mere man is also anxious to follow .suit, he is, as a rule, more anxious to learn the mysteries of skating back- ward and other fancy skating, examples of which Mr David Bennett, two- nights per week, Wednesday and Saturday, de- lights the onlookers. Roller skating is somewhat like danc- ing, only more so, that is to say, in a ball-room there are certain formal regu- lations understood and followed—in the roller rink the proceedings -are regulated by a signal board which alternately signals skaters to "Clear Floor," "Skate Slow," "Reverse," "Ladies and Gentle- men Partners," "Ladies Only," etc., etc., according to the will of the Floor Direc- tor. Some printed hints as to the proper construction to. be placed upon these sig- nals might with advantage be posted up. For instance, there are many skaters who on hearing the bell look towards the signal board and read "Clean" for "Clear," and immediately flop down and proceed to carry out the mandate; this has been described by the non-skating on- lookers as unconscious humor. Then again the "Reverse" signal is read by some to mean to go backwards, with results that are not always a success from their point of view, however enter- taining it may be to the spectators. T'he skating for "Ladies and Gentle- men" only is productive of some pretty examples of the advanced, and advancing art of skating, and induces the backward youth to sum up courage to invite a lady friend to try her luck with him, and once having become acquainted with the pleasures of double skating in ordinary, the advancement to the two-step is only a matter of time. Skating for, ladies only, is, I have no doubt, appreciated by those who may be classed amongst the competent skaters, but the new 'beginners hardly dare ven- ture to run the gauntlet of the admiring gaze. Why, some of them ask, do they not have "Gentlemen Only," and. then we should get our own back. This is hardly worth further consideration. I am afraid it would not be popular, especially as time rolls on, and they all become experts. No, ladies, you have obtained the Suffrage of the Skating Rink, and should most jealously guard it as your own particular right. Rinklets for the Rink should be inter- esting, and amongst them might be in- C) cluded:—"Go Slow," Discourage "Brac- ing," "Horse Play," "Tip," etc., etc. One fact is certain, that if the skater is seen by any of the management indulging against the rules, he, or she, will be kindly but firmly pulled up. It is somewhat difficult to advise gentle- men what to do in the case of a lady who has suddenly been seized with a desire to I sit down in the skating track. Should he assist her to her feet? Certainly, if he is capable of doing so, but how many really are. The best advice to such who desire to be gallant is to' watch the attendants closely and see how it is done. How many rash youths have made the attempt without due consideration. They ap- proach the lady in distress as they would had she fallen down in a ball-room, with their feet in the ordinary position, with the result that in nine cases out of ten both the helper and the helped find them- selves once more floundering on the floor, and possibly they have also forced others to join in what appears to be a game of "hunt the slipper" to the uninitiated who may arrive. upon the scene just* as they are all seated. The correct positition of the feet of the gentleman who is attempting to raise a, lady is, the heel of the left foot should be placed in the ball of the right, or vice versa, this gives the helper a safe pur- chase without the fear of being himself pulled over. By way of experiment, and with a view to becoming perfect in the are of gallantry, it would be as well if lessons were taken by gentlemen with one of their own sex. Meanwhile the natural instincts of a gentleman will impel him to assist the first lady he sees in distress, with possibly dire results. In self-de- fence the ladies would be perfectly justi- fied in declining the proferred assistance (unless assurred from previous exper- ience that the gentleman so offering his services was an adept) and waiting until they wereofficiaHy raised to their feet; the wait is never long, and the manage- ment might 'with equal truth add to their statement, "If you would be graceful learn to skate," the equally truthful remark. If you would be treated with the utmost courtesy patronise the Hippodrome Skat- ing Rink. Some rumours have been freely cir- culated that the prices for rinking are shortly to be raised; this is not so. On Good Friday, Saturday and Easter Mon- day the ladies free admission tickets will be suspended, but in return for this, free admission will be extended to them until the first of June or thereabouts, and there is some talk of a Cinderella, on May 13th, when an extra charge will be made for both ladies and gentlemen, but be- yond that there is absolutely no intention of altering the existing rates for admis- sion or skating; and this statment is on the authority of Mr Barnes, the resident manageir. Mr Robert Twiddell is the genial pro- prietor of the Hippodrome Tea and Re- freshment Rooms, and his catering is in every way of the highest excellence. During the coming season Mr Twiddell contemplates! making extensive alterations and addding up-to-date attractions by Whitsuntide, amongst them being tea. gardens.

MAY-DAY FESTIVITIES. The arrangements for this very "hardy annual" are now well in hand, and one of the most successful May-Day Celebra- tions may be expected. Mr Taylor, the chairman of the Pavilion Committee, has his -,ritii full of new and I novel ideas for the pretty Crowning Cere- mony. Vocal music is to be introduced this year, Mr Wm. Williams' children's choir undertaking this. The Misses Booth, whose work last year gave such satisfaction, have again under- taken the training of the children, and the rehearsals are now in full swing. The horse races started last year were such an attraction to the Sports that this year the Committee ihave decided to in- crease the items in this class to four in- stead of two. Mr T. J. Jones, the Chair- man of this Committee, and his colleagues believe that a record crowd will be drawn together.

RENT OF A FOOTPATH.—A letter was read at a meeting of the Llandudno Works Committee from Mr Humphreys with regard to the suggested payment of a nominal rent of Is. per annum, in respect of the footpath between Adelphi Street and Mostyn Broadway, and stating that the suggestion was made for the sake of uniformity, and in order that matters might the kept perfectly clear. The Com- mittee decided to recommend1 the Council to agree to pay the nominal rent. I

LIST OF VISITORS. YORK VILLA, Craigydon—J. Norrie. Lady Hanmer, Bettisfield Park, Whit- church. Miss Hanmer, do Miss Daisy Hanmer, do Master Johnnie Hanmer and maid, do Selby Lounds, do Miss Sandback, Cherry Hill, Cheshire Mr and Mrs Lees, family and maids, Prestbury, Cheshire Mr and Mrs Lang, Netherly, John- stone, N.B. Master G. Lang, do. Mr and Mrs Pilkington, Alderley Edge Misses Pilkington, do Hora,ce Lovett, Fernhill, Oswestry E. Newman, Handswor-th Wood Mrs and Newman and family, dio THE CRAIGYDON—Misses Midclleton and Wood. Mrs Rees, resident Mrs Collister, do Mrs Hall, Cambridge Mr and Mrs Thompson, United States Mrs Fayle, London Miss Gornall, Warrington Miss Strenhouse, Berkhampstead Mr Ross, do Mr and Mrs Sykes and children (3), Huddersfield Mr Fisher and friends (2), Birkenhead Mr and Mrs Clarke, Hale Misses Shovelton, Ecoles M and Mrs Allen, Leicester Miss Lory, do Mrs Hawkins and party (5), Walsall Mr and Mrs Stuart Knowles, Stockport Miss Shaw, Halifax ,Miss Ainley, do Mrand Mrs ,stockdale and friends (4), Manchester Mr and Mrs Hoyle, Oldhani Mr Hoyle (junr), do Mrand lVnrs Forreste, Wilmslow Misses Forreste, do Mr and Mtrs Lewi's, Bilston Miss Lewis, do Misses Lambert, West Didsbury Mr and Mrs Uttley, Bolton Mr White, Liverpool1 Mr and Mrs Howarth, Halifax Mr Howarth, junr., do Mr and Mrs Tildesley, Wolverhampton Misses Thorp, Manchester Messrs and Misses Lee Wood, do Mr and Mrs Gibbins andl child, Burley Wood. Mr Holden, do Mr and Mrs Wood and children (2),. Four Oaks Mr and Mrs Hufoball, Streetly Mr and Mrs C. Richards, Bournville Miss Maysmor, Bromfoorough Mr and Mrs Henderson, Birkenhead Messrs Meredith, Manchester Mr Brockbank and party, Birmingham) Mr H. Tildesley, Wolverhampton Misses Smyth, Liscard Mr, Mrs and Miss Cotton^ Hinckley Messrs Griffiths., Dudley Misses Tomlinson, West Hartlepool Messrs Grierson, Liverpool Mr and Mr Reynolds, Sutton Coldfield Mrs Prosser -andl friend, Nottingham Mr and Miss Whitlock, Leamington Mr and Mrs Jessop, Lincoln Mr Bradwell, London Misses Armitage, Huddersfield Miss RowleYl Aston Manor Mr and Msses Kelsall, Ashton-under- Lyne Mr and Mrs Hill, Sheffield Mr Hill, junr., do Misses Collins, Stockton Heath Mr and Mrs Truscoft, Stockport Mr and Miss Bailey, Acocks Green Mr, Mrs and Master Hessey, Whalley Range Mr and Miss Kershaw, Huddersfield Mr and Mrs Llewelyn,, Carnforth Mr Llewellyn, junr., do Mrs and Misses James (4), Wolver- hampton Messrs James (4), do Miss Sumimerfield, do Messrs Howell, do Messrs Gill,and;Halt, Hanley Mrs and Miss Wright, Liverpool Messrs Higgins, Withington Mr and Mrs Ohadwick; Bolton Misses and Mr Ohadwick, junr., do' Misses Jephson and Armstrong, Chester. Miss Adams, do Misses Baker, Selly Oak Mr Yeoman, Wisley Mrs Fogg and friend, West Didsbury Mr, Mrs and Miss Snowdon, Manchester Mr H. E. Jor Idgfoaston Mr and iafr, l' Manchester Pr and by the Proprietors, Frank sc. O. Moy, at the "Advei Works, Llandudno.