Llandudno Advertiser and List of Visitors

i OPENING OF LLANDUDNO NEivY ¡ WATER MAIN. Continued from 5. n Travis, etc. The Council officials present were: A. Oonolly (town clerk), Mr E. P. Stephenson (engineer). Mr W. Wood (accountant), Mr Ward (assistant en- gineer), Mr W. T. Longshaw (deputy j clerk), Mr Hugh Davies (outside fore- man), Mr Evans (Surveyor's department), Mr Evan Davies (water inspector). Mr McMaster, in welcoming his lord- ship, said Travellers who use the rail- way to and from Llandudno occasionally hear curious opinions expressed by fellow travellers ahout, Llandudno and Llan- dudno folk. It has been remarked that Llandudno people are proud and pre- sumptive. We cannot deny part of the allegation. We have much to be proud of -we are a young town and community. We have an almost unrivalled geo- graphical position. Seated between two seas we have practically two of the most health giving climates in the land. One of them the fine strong pure bracing mountain air of the Great Orme. The other a soft warm dry air which rising over the Atlantic ocean and St. George's C'hannell sweeping over the Snowdonian hills precipitates its moisture on the heathery fells and comes across Conway Bay upon the West Shore fully charged with health giving ozone—the envy of al our rivals and bringing hope of renewtu n cl strength and vigour to the most despair- ing mortal. We are proud and don't do things by half. We have two grand 18- hole golf links—one on the top of the breezy Great Orme and one on the hazardous Warren—on either of which all sorts and conditions of men and women can exercise themselves with complete satisfaction. To reach these two links we have two tramways by which from the re- motest parts of the districts access is easy. We have also two sources of water supply. One high up amongst the ever- p lasting hills where the Atlantic and Irish winds distil their moisture securing to Llandudno so long as Cambirias Hills shall keep their heads in the clouds, an abundant supply of the purest and strong- est mountain dew of which any people can be proud. The other one which was Llandudno's premier supply rises in a series of wells on the western slope of the Great Or me, above the ruins of the ancient Abbey of the Monks of Gogarth. It was the first dependable supply Llan- dudno as a town possessed. It is a splendid water, pure and cool, springing from the rock, strong and clear as that from the rock upon which Moses of old stumbled and crippled himself so that he was disabled from entering the promised land. We have two lines of Aqueduct from the mountains affording assurance that so I long as they are maintained in efficiency Llandudno will not laick this grand elixir of physical life. The water of these two supplies converge hereabout and mingle together and afford to residents and visi- tors a water of rare preemi-nencei, pro- babily the most valuable in the world. My Lordi, we; have other things by twos of which I will only mention the General Post Office which is the building nearest to hand on the corner there. It was erected only a; few years ago- at a time when it was urgently needed. It was opened by the then Postmaster General, Lord Stanley, now Earl Derby. We also built a new Town Hall some years ago at a, cost of £ 20,000, which was opened by a prominent statesman, Sir Albert Rollit, and already we have accept- ed tenders for its eniargmenf. We have also two magnificent Hydropathic Estab- lishments, but I had better not, say any- thing about private enterprises, or I would detain you too long". I may say, however, hat we have many things and names in Llandudno of which and of whom we are justly proud. We are proud that though we are not on the main line of the gigantic railway undertaking of which your Lordship is the head and braiu, we are worth ynf your considera- tion and find an honoured place in your desire for our prosperity and welfare as a. town. To a considerable extent, we have grown with the railway and the railway with us. We have a roll of pioneer names of which any town may be proud, and they lefti us a possession which we hope to expand with our age. Our Gracious Sovereign, when Prince of Wales, recognised the worthiness of some of your pioneer efforts, and he came 29 yeaTS ago to open the then newly-conv pleted 9 inch pipe line in 1880, which was found some years ago to be quite made- quat-3 for the town's requirements. We have now completed the new 15 ;Lch line of pipes which may meet our require- ments for twenty to thirty" years to cane. Must I plead guilty to the charge of pre- sumption. We have presumed to invite your Lordship to suspend for a few hours the valuable time you have consecrated to the interests of the most stupendous railway undertaking in Great Britain and ctme here to give us your "aid and com- fort" and put the seal of your approval upon our efforts to provide in a courageous manner for the clientele which your railway .brings to our station. We presume to think that we have- .not- yet exhausted our resources for the reception and entertainment of the multitudes of our fellow countrymen and women who, herded in the confined areas of our great busi- ness and manufacturing centres are dur- ing a too brief summer holiday season driven to seek recreation and rest in sea- side resorts. We presume that we have not altogether failed to give satisfaction to our numerous visitors of the past, and trust that the commendations we have received therefrom will be as numerous in the future and if possible much more abundant. PRESENTATION OF ADDRESS. Mr Con-oily then read the following ad- dress which was enclosed in an a.lbum and presented to Lord StalbTidge To the Right Hon. Richard de Aquila, Grosvenor. P.G. Baron Staibridge. j My Lord.—The Urban Dilstrict Coun- cil of Llandudno on behalf of the r, habi-cams of the toavii of Llandudno desire to tender to vour Lordship their heartiest appreciation of the :act that, not-With- standing the great call upon time, you have so readily fallen in with, the-r wish that you should perform the cere- mony of turning on the water through the recently completed duplication e trunk main for the purpose of giving Llandudno an abundant supply of water (Llyn Dulyn from which the water is ob- tained is adjacent tc) he Snowdon Range of Mountains). Your connection with the Ducal House of Westminster, together with your assc- ciation with the London a ii C-i North- Western Railway, an undertaking that is so -closely associated with the prosperi-ty of Llandudno, and which has done so much to hring- North Wales to the front as a health and pleasure resort, lends addi- tional interest to your visit. The inhabitants of the town are proud to possess practically an unlimited and unfailing supply of pure water, equal in quality, according to the late Professor Franklin, to that 'of the famous Loch Katrine. Nature has done much to make Llandudno and District beautiful and at- tractive to health and pleasure seekers, 'but the Council are nevertheless alive to the importance of assisting nature in all matters connected with public health, and it is therefore now and always has been the desire of the Local Governing Body to spare no efforts to add to the comfort of those who favour them by visiting their town. The District Council are very grateful to the Railway Company which you so honourably represent for the arrangements which have hitherto' sbeen made in their system for comfortable ,aind speedy con- veyance of the travelling public to the North Wales Coast the natural beauties and source of amusements at which the Council venture to think compare very favourably with any home or Continental watering place, and they look forward with great pleasure and expectation to the further steps which they understand the Company have decided to. take this year in augmentation of their past efforts to exploit North Wales. The Council trust that your Lordship may long be spared to carry on the im- portant work in which you now take so great an interest. The address was signed on behalf of the Council by Mr James -McMaster, Chair- man, and Mr Alfred Cono-lly, Clerk. TURNING ON THE WATER. After accepting the album his Lord- ship turned on the waiter. The members of the Fire Brigade were present under Capt. Owen. and amidst the plaudits of the large crowd the firemen played the water over the North-Western Gardens. Incidentally some of it, was carried back -by the windi somewhat to the dis- comfiture of the company. THE NORTH-WESTERN RAILWAY AND THE WELSH COAST. 7 Returning thanks for the welcome accorded him Lord Staibridge, who was accorded a hearty reception, said he felt that the interests of the Railway Com- pany and the town were identical. From Chester to Llandudno the line wa.s now nearly quadrupled all the way, and the 7 facilities of communication were very great, not only between Chester and Llan- dudno, but up into the beautiful moun- tains on either side. That showed that the Railway- Company appreciated the efforts which had been made by the in- habitants of Llandudno generally to bring n zn before the world the advantages of living in that beautiful place. Llandudno had now to compete not only with watering- places in England, but also with place.s all over the world, but they had not the disadvantage of having an evil-smelling spring, as some places had, where only those who were invalids went. Llandudno took in good, healthy people who wanted to get still more health—-(applau.se),—and who wanted to do nothing for a little time and work hard at it.—(Laughter.) For the first two clays, when a busy man came down to a, lovely place like that, with beautiful sands, he was quite content to sit on the shore and throw pebbles into the sea. But after a time that amuse- ment palled, and he wanted something else. Very wisely Llancluclno had found other amusements for him. and everything they hacl got in the way o-f amusements he (Lord Staibridge) agreed with most cor- dially—(applause)—as being what visitors wanted as a change from the usual course of drives, though it must be difficult to. find any monotony in the varied and beau- tiful drives which visitors to Llandudno- might, find in every direction. FACILITIES FOR, RECREATION. Every facility was given for driving, I walking, and motoring, and Llandudno, he believed, had got every means of loco- motion except the aeroplane.—(Laugh- zn ter.) He supposed as soon a,s that was a commercial success they would have one taking passengers to the top of Penmaen- mawr and Snowdon, and even the Alps, there and back in a cla,v-it would be a fine advertisement for theIll.-(La,ughter.) He observed that in the interesting de- scription of the town and its water supply prepared by the engineer (Mr Stephen- son) it was stated that there were min- strels in the Happy Valley "and else- where." He did not know what that word "elsewhere" meant.-(L,aughter.) He thought they would be careful where they placed their minstrels, as it might be em- barrassing if at. an inopportune moment one of them suddenly appeared to the young people who had sought for them- selves some secluded spot on the Great Orn-ie,(L-q,uo,hter.) THE TRAMWAY SERVICE. He noticed there were electric trams to C'olwvn Bay, and he hoped that the trams only ran one way, so that the visitors would have the advantage of coming back by railway .-(Laughber:) He did not look upon that enterprise with a jaundiced eye. because he knew that every inducement to move about and travel tended to [ benefit the best means of conveyance in the ww id—the London and North-Wes- tern Railway.—(Applause.; With regard to the railway company, the Llandudno Council might rest assured that they would continue to do what they could for the prosperity of that beauti- ful town.—(Applause.) He felt it a great -to follow the present King in performing that ceremony.—(Applause.) He happened to be present with King Eclward when, 29 years ago., he came- clown to ti first section of the works.—(Applause.) ENGLISH TOWNS- AND WELSH WATER. Lord Staibridge went on to say that of late years the adjacent country of Eng- land had been in the harbic of going to Wales to get its water. First Liverpool zn went to Lake Vyrnwy, and then Bir- mingham instituted he supposed the most magnificent reservoirs in the world, near Rhayadr. He was glad to see that Welsh- men were determined to have their own water, but he must remind them that England was not altogether ungrateful, n Z!1 and that it reciprocated to a certain ex- tent, at a certain price, the abstraction of water, and it returned a ayeat-cleal of water in a, form much appreciated by a great many Welshmen—some people thought it was too much appreciated by them—.(laughter)—at a certain price, and he believed it, was called in Wales "Cwrw da" (good ale).—(Laughter.) In that way England attempted to pay for the robbery which it, committed of water from Wales. RAILWAY COMPANY AND WELSH INTERESTS IDENTICAL, He might, assure the people of North Wales that the, London and North-Western Company had the interests of North Wales strongly at heart, both from senti- ment and from pocket, and when North Wales prospered the London and North- western prospered too.—(Applause.) It was their duty to induce as well as they could their fellow-countrymen to stop at home and learn the, beauties of their, own country.—(Applause.) There were, many parts of the country that were not known and people went, to foreign countries and did not see the beauties to. be seen in their own land, and the antiquities, too, for every hilltop almost had a his- tory of its own. The Railway Company would do all they could to endeavour to induce the English to go to Llandudno. —Applause.) PRESENTATION OF SILVER, VALVE KEY. A model in silver of the valve key used by Lord Stalibridge to turn on the water was presented to him by the chairman of the Council, and the ceremony concluded with three cheers for the distinguished visitor. This presentation terminated this portion of the ceremony, and the company adjourned to the Imperial Hotel for lunch, being conveyed thither in a number of motor cars, and landaus, which had been placed at the disposal of the Council by private owners, the Motor Garage Co., Mr Deacon, and the Llandudno Coaching Company. THE LUNCHEON. There were a large number of guests at the luncheon, which was served in the long clining room in t,he usual high-class manner for which the hotel enjoys a world-wide reputation. The company in- cluded, in addition to the Right Hon. Lord Staibridge, Mr William Jones, M.P., Cbl. the Hon. Henry Lloyd Mos- tyn, the Rector of Llandudno, the Rev. Llewelyn R. Hughes, Messrs Frank Ree, F. T. Kinsman, A. Feiron (E-uston), L. A. P. Warner, Councillors J. MeMaster, E. E. Bone, S. Chantrey, D. Davies, H, Edwards, T. W. Griffith, P. Jones, W. H. Jones, J. J. Marks, R. Roberts, F. J. iSarson, T. Simith, J. O. Thomas, W. Thomas, G. Wloodyatt, W. Beaumont, Messrs E. P. Stephenson, A. Conolly, W. T. Ward, Hugh Davies, W. Wood, j Dr. Travisi, Alderman John Owen, C.C., the Chief Constable of CaTnarvonshirei, Col. Ruck, Mr J. Acley Wells, J.P., Dr. Dalton, Dr. Prit chard, Chairman of County Council; Dr. M. J. Morgan, Mayor of Conway; Mr D. Gamble, Chair- man of the Colwvn Bay Urban Council; Mr J. Dickin, the Chairman of the Gow- lyd Water Board; Mr T. B. Far- rington, Messrs Samuel Hughes, A. Hill, J. Smith, Thomas Foster, W. A. Brookes, Elrnest Deacon, H. Mor- ton, A. J. Oldman, Ephraim Wood, W. R. Moorhouse, H. Sutcliffe, C. A. Hut- ton, Bulpiot, Oh as. Reicl, Harris, Roberts, Arundell, W. T. Brocklehurst, C. Griffith, A. R. Hughes, O. Llwyfo Roberts, A. G. Moy, Dr. Simpson, Messrs J. Higginbottom, Alex Taylor, John Bellis, W. D. Longshaw, D. R. Evans, J. Humphreys. MENU. Scotch Salmon. Mayonnaise Sauce. Lobsters. Roast Welsh Lamb. Roast Turkey. York Ham. Pressed Beef. Pigeon Pie. O'x Tongue Roast Ribs of Beef. Veal and Ham Pie. Green Salad. New Potatoes. Potato Salad. Devonshire Junket with Whipped Cream. Stewed Fruits. Charlotte Russe. French Pastry. Fruit Jelly. Cheese. Oheshire Gorgonzola Cheddar. Coffee. Mr MeMaster, who presided, proposed (after the. health of His Majesty the King had been duly honoured) the health of Lord Staibridge, who in a humorous and genial speech expressed the pleasure afforded him to come to Llandudno. THE; GUESTS. Mr T. W. Griffith, last year's Chair- man of the Gas and Water Committee, proposed "The Guest," eoupl-ed with the names of Mr Frank Ree, general manager of the London and North-Western Railway Company, and Mr Wm. Jones, M.P., and in doing so said the work of laying the main had been carried out without any serious mishap of any kind. He congratulated the, engineer (Mr Ei. P. Stephenson) and his assistants upon the [ completion of their grand water scheme. —(Applause.) He felt that t,he town owed much to the London and North-Western Company for the way in which they catered for the holiday making public, and he believed he was right in stating that the Company had a scheme on foot to establish a method of advertising which would henefit. the company and also Llancluclno and holiday resorts on the North Wales Coast generally-.—'(Ap- plause.) COMPETITION WITH THE CONTINENT. Mr Reei, in responding, remarked that it was rather unusual for a railway com- pany to be feted by an urban district council. The directors often met the re- presentatives of public bodies, but there was no banquet.—.(Laughter.) It was often thought that where a railway had a monopoly they starved the district and ex- pended all their energy in fighting for competitive traffic. Now that had never been the policy of the London and North- Western Railway Company-.—(Hear, hear.) They would not be so foolish as to starve a district committed to their charge when it was remembered that every .passenger they could attract by the facilities which they afforded put money in their pockets, and they also competed against other seaside resorts in other parts of the United Kingdom which their Com- pany did not serve. They were also com- peting with the Continent, whither thousands of people went every year with pockets full of money and came back with their pockets empty,. (Clh,eers .) The Railway Company wanted to bring those people to North Wales.-(Hear, hear.) He therefore advised the Llandudno authorities to make known to everybody the advantaigels and beauties of the dis- trict, and to keep their attractions and amusements up to the two-power standard -(laughter and cheers),-and they might then venture to welcome an invasion as long as the invaders filled the pockets of the townspeople.—(Laughter.) From the fact that so many railway men spent their holidays in North Wales thgy might be sure that it was the right place.«O'høers.) [SPEECH BY MR. WM. JONES, M.P. Mr William Jones, M.P., who was cordially received, also: responded. He said there were many non-political func- tions in Wales in which they could all participate. Slpeaking for himself, he had as many friends on the opposite side of the House of Commons as on his own side, though at the present moment they were not quite so numerous as usual.— (Laughter.) Referring to the presence of Lord Staibridge, he said they could not be quite sure that he was not down there for the purpose of reconnoitering fresh territory to be conquered by the London and North-Western Railway.—(Laughter ancl applause.) Howevetr, what was good for Llandudno was good for the whole of North Wales.—'(Hear, hear.) At Llan- dudno they had a good deal to thank the London and North- Western Railway Com- pany for—(hear, hear),espe-cially for the way in which the Company had ad- vertised that part of the country. He had seen in many parts of the world men and women who had been to Llandudno in order to regain health. The only excep- tion was Germany. But even there he had found! scholars who had spent, time in the remote village of Rihyd Ddu and other places in the heart of the Snow- donian mountains for the purpose of learn- ing Welsh.—(Applause.) Lately too, he hacl been much struck with the increased advertising of Welsh watering places, notably- those of Carnarvonshire, at Euston Station.—(Hear^ hear.) Llan- dudno was undoubtedly the key to some of the finest scenery in the world—(hear, hear),—and there were no' two seats in the House of Commons more envied than the one for the Lake district of Westmorland and that for the Arvon division of Carnarvonshire. Both of those beauty spots, were at present re- presented by members rejoicing in the un- common ancl unfamiliar names of Jones. —(Laughter and .applause.) In conclusion Mr Jones related an in- cident during one of his tours in America. He was conversing with the Manager of Baldwin's Engineering Works, Phil- adelphia, as to the life of an engine, and was surprised to learn that, they were j scrapped after about six -or seven years7 j wear, the manager remarking that under such circumstances they were not likely to make Crewe engines, which were admitted to be the best in the world.—(Applause.) Dr. Prichard proposed a vote of thanks to the Chairman, which was seconded by Dr. Morgan, and heartily ale-corded. After lunch, members of the party took part in motor drives round the Great and Little Ormes andi visits to the Pier and the Great Orme Tramway in motors and carriages, kindly lent by the Llandudno Motor and Garage Company, Messrs Deacon, the Llandudno Coach and Car- riage Company, Messrs Jarvis and Wo-odyatt, and others. A largo party assembled at, the Rail- way Station to give Lord Stal,bridge, and party a hearty send-off in their special train, which left Llandudno for Eiuston, and was expected to reach the latter place without a, stop.