The North Wales Times

SPECIAL BOROUGH POLICE COURT. SERIOUS CHARGE AGAINST AN OLD MAN. At a special police court, held on Wednesday, before the Mayor (Mr. Tumour) and Mr. T. J. Williams, Thomas Jones, stonemason, Charnell's Well, Denbigh, was charged in custody with com- mitting an indecent assault upon Catherine Myfanwy Jones, daughter of Isaac Jones, of 11, Charnell's Well, on Saturday night, the 14th in st. Mr. Moseley (of the firm of Mr. Foulkes- Roberts) appeared to prosecute on behalf of Inspector Thomas, of the N.S.P.C.C., and Mr. A. O. Evans defended. Catherine Myfanwy Jones, the complainant, said she was 13 years of age on the 19th of September last. About 8.30 p.m. on Saturday she saw the prisoner standing in the door of his house. He asked her whether she was going to town again that night, and she replied that she was not. He then asked her whether she would go into the house, to which she replied that her father had told her to make haste home. The prisoner then got hold of her by the hand and dragged her into the house, and then shut the door. He then sat down on a chair, and put his arm round her waist. After describing the assault, complainan t went on to say that prisoner pushed a threepenny bit into her hand, and asked her not to tell anybody. She cried at the time, and then went ho.ue. Cross-examined by Mr. Evans: I was ex- amined by Doctor Jones the same night. I remember my father coming with Sergeant Farrell to prisoner's house, but I did not hear Thomas Jones say that they had better get me examined by a doctor. I have been in the habit of going to the Baptist Chapel, and collecting money for the missionary society. The prisoner promised to give me some money towards the society, and he carried out his promise. Replying to the bench, complainant said he gave her a penny fortnight last Saturday, and also one on the Saturday night the offence was committed. To Mr. Evans: Prisoner did not promise to give me 6d. towards the missionary society, but told rr-e he would give 3d. to make up a sixpence. 1 have not made any complaints of this sort against anyboiy else. People in Charnell's Well do not say that I am an un- truthful girl. v Ann Jane Jones, wife of Isaac Jones, was the next witness called. She said that the girl was sent out on an errand on the night in question, and returned about 8 30 p.m. She was crying ancTmade a complaint to her. Witness then informed her husband. Isaac Jones, father of the complainant, said that in consequence of what his wife told him, he sent for the police. Sergeant Farrell came down and went with him and his daughter to the prisoner's house. In the prisoner's presence his daughter made a statement and accused prisoner of indecently assaulting her. In reply, prisoner said, If I dragged her in, there must be a mark on her arm,'and then suggested that a doctor be called to examine her in his pre- sence He denied having assaulted her. On the Sunday night following, prisoner called at his house and wanted to have a conversation with him with reference to the case, but witness refused to talk it over with him, as the matter was in the hands of the police and the Inspector of the Society. Sergeant Farrell said that, in consequence of information received, he proceeded on Satur- day night to 11, Charnell's Well. He saw Thomas J*nes at his house, and told him that a complaint had been made against him. Pri- soner said that the girl had gone into his house to collect some subscription for the Baptist mission and that he gave her a threepenny piece. Shortly afterwards, Isaac Jones and his daughter followed. The complainant made a statement to the same effect as the one she made in the court that day. Jones said it was n.ot true, and added, 'If I have done anything to her, there would be marks upon her. I will have her examined by a doctor, that's fair enough, isn't it.' Witness then advised the father to have the girl examined by a doctor, which was done. He apprehended the prisoner on the previous night on a warrant. Prisoner denied the charge. He was slightly under the influence of liquor on the night the offence took placj. The complainant was sobbing when lie saw her at the house on Saturday night. Some argument took place here as to the question of calling the doctor. Mr. Moseley argued that it was not necessary to call medical evidence, inasmuch as the charge was only one of indecent assault and not of having carnal knowledge of the complaint. Mr. Evans, on the other hand, contended that it was absolutely necessary to call the doctor, before the charge could be sustained. Cross examined, Sergeant Farrell said that the prisoner, although slightly under the in- fluence of drink, knew perfectly well what he was doing. It was the prisoner's own sugges- tion that the girl should be examined. Mr. Moseley said that was the case for the prosecution. Mr. A. O. Evans, in addressing the court for the defence, said the charge was a very serious one against a man in the prisoner's position. Hitherto he had borne an irreproachable char- acter, and had reached the advanced age of nearly 70years without any charge of this kind or any other grave charge having been brought against him in a court of law. He had a blame- less character and bore a blameless life. He ventured to say that this was a. trumped-up charge against prisoner, and he could not help commenting upon the fact that the doctor had not beenicalle to sustain that charge. This should not be a persecution against the prisoner but a prosecution conducted in a fair spirit. Whether the doctor's evidence would be against prisoner or in favour of him, the doctor should have been calied to give the court the benefit of the examination which he had made. But it was a significant fact that the doctor had not been ealled. It was the duty of the prosecu- tion to do so, of course, and notfof the deience. Because the theory advanced by the prosecu- tion could not be sustained by the examination of the doctor, they choose to leave the doctor behind, and, consequently, had to leave the charge entirely uncorroborated by a material evidence. The only person who tendered any evidence at all was the little girl herself. But there had not been the slightest tint of evidence to corroborate her evidence. In a charge of that kind, it was necessary, and indeed, essen- tial from a point of law, that there should be corroborative evidence. The law never con- templated to take away a man's character, sim- ply because a little girl, 13 years of age, chose to make such a serious charge against him. The court had now to consider whether any corroborative evidence had been given to prove that there was a prima jacie case against the prisoner—whether it was such a serious charge as a jury would be likely to convict. He (Mr. Evans) contenoed that a prima facie case had not been made out, and that the jury would never convict upon the evidence ten- dered- Prisoner himself had stoutly denied the charge, and denied it the very same even- ing as the alleged offence took place. He denied it not only in the presence of the father and mother of the girl, but also in the presence of the sergeant who arrested him. And another very important fact was, it was prisoner him- self who had suggested that the doctor be called to examine her. He should like to know whe- ther that fact strengthened the theory put for- ward by the prosecution. Nothing of the kind, but on the contrary it showed that Thos. Janes was an innocent man. He not only denied the charge, but this denial of his was supported by the application that the doctor should be called to examine the girl. Another thing, there was no probability of the theory of the prosecution being true. The public thoroughfare was pass- ing close by, and there were four cottages "Jith several children there, and it was not likely that the prisoner would have attempted to commit the offence with which he was charged. If the child was an innocent girl, as the court was asked to believe, it was a very strange thing that she did not scream out when the prisoner attempted to drag her into the house, and was it, he should like to ask, at all probable that he would have dragged her in from a pub- lic thoroughfare, and hold this conversation with her close to the door of a neighbour. The thing was absurd. Be thought such a charge should never have been brought before the court, and especially so as the prosecution could not call a doctor to substantiate their evidence. He ventured to say that Thomas Jones had not assaulted that girl, and hoped that the court would allow him to leave the room without a stain on his character. The prisoner was then foimally charged, and pleaded not guilty. The court was then cleared, and on the re- admission of the public, The Mayor said: Thomas Jones, the court have given this case their fullest consideration, and we have come unanimously to the decision that a prima facie case has not been made out against you, and you are, therefore, discharged for want of corroborative evidence. Mr. Moseley asked that the costs of the pro- secution be allowed, inasmuch as it had been taken by a public society. The Mayor If we have power we will allow the costs. DRUNK AND DISORDERLY. George Ellis, a native of Welshpool, was charged in custody by P.C. Pierce with being drunk and disorderly in Panton Hall the pre- vious night. Defendant pleaded guilty, and was fined 2s. 6d. and 8s. 6d. costs, in defanlt 7 days.

IMPORTANT TO FLINTSHIRE. GOVERNMENT INQUIRY AT CHESTER. Mr. E. Peers Burd and Colonel J. E. Marsh, R.E., opened an inquiry on behalf of the Local Government Board on Wednesday, in Chester Town Hall, into the application by the Chester Town Council for the extension of the muni- cipal boundary of the borough. The Council wish to incorporate the Hoole urban district, part of the parishes of Great Broughton and Newton-by-Chester, and part of the parishes of Saltney and Sealand, the two latter parishes being in the rural district of Hawarden. Mr. Balfour Browne, Q.C., and Mr. Eldon Bankes appeared for the corporation, and among those opposing the application were Mr. E. Honora- fcus Lloyd, on behalf of the Cheshire County Council, Mr. Collingwood Hope, on behalf of the Flintshire County Council and the London and North-western and GreatWestern Railway Companies, and Mr. Edmund Sutton, on behalf of the Hoole Urban District Council. In opening the case for the petitioners, Mr. Balfour Browne said the total area of Chester was 2,862 acres, and the area it was proposed to add was 1,082 acres. That was, therefore, the most moderate extension that had been submitted to the Local Government Board for tome time, so far as area was concerned. The population of Chester was 37,850, and the population of the five areas it was proposed to add was 7,355. Therefore the total population of Chester, after the addition, would be 45,205. The rateable value of Chester was £ 197,792, and the rateable value of the outside districts was £ 29,944. The sewerage arrangements of the outside districts were deficient, and he conten- ded that if they left those places outside they would become in time of epidemics a very serious menace to the city. The districts it waasought to incorporate had a community of interest with Chester, and it would be an advantage for them all to be governed by the same body. At the present time, the corpora- tion of Chester was not the owner either of the gasworks or of the waterworks, and, although he believed that many people in Chester were perfectly satisfied with the water supply, he believed tha*; in these days the people of Ches- ter would not altogether favour the taking of water for .drinking purposes from a r.rer liable to be impregnated with sewage. He said that not only because of the general trend of public opinion, but because he knew ot the efforts Chester had made already to put that source of supply above suspicion. Some day the water question in Chester would have to be dealt with on the lines abandoning the river, and going to some purer source of supply. If Chester were left as it was, it would have to fight the battle for the outside places. Why should not these districts come in and assist to tight the water question, and, he might alsa say, the gas ques- tion, and the tramway question, which was im- minent. Alderman H. T. Brown, chairman of the Cor- poration Extension Committee, gave evidence at length, stating that the particulars with re- gard to the districts it was proposed to add were as follows:—Great Boughton, area 57 acres, population 500, and ratable value 1,596 Hoole Urban District, area 331 acres, popula- tion 5,000, and ratable value 916,944; Newton by Chester, area 134, population 1,000, and ratable value £5,500; Saltney, area 185 acres, population 800, and ratable value £ 5,250; Sea- land, area 375 acres (which, excepting 70 acres, is the property of the corporation), population 55, and ratable value £ 650. The witness con- tended that the extension of the city boundary would facilitate development and the improve- would facilitate development and the improve- ment of bridges and roads, and also in sanitary matters. Cross-examined by Mr. Collingwood Hope The town council, in their memorial, stated that the outside districts depended upon Ches- ter for fire extinguishing appliances. He was not aware that there were fire engines at Sandy- croft Foundry and the Black Works, Queens- ferry, which were used for public fires. He knew there was Sunday closing in Flintshire, and that in the portion of Saltney and Sealand it was proposed to add to Chester there were nine public houses and beerhouses. He dared say that if the district were incorporated these public houses would be open on Sunday. The corporation suggested that the sewage of the Flintshire part of Saltney was turned crude into the tidal Dee. It was also a fact that the Saltney sewage within the city was turned crude into the Dee. The corporation thought they would be better able to deal with the sewage of Saltney if the whole district was amalgamated under one authority. Mr. E. Noel Humphreys, chartered accountant, a member of the Hoole Urban Council, gave evidence strongly in favour of the amalgama- tion of Hoole with Chester. The inquiry was resumed on Thursday. Evidence in support of the application was given by Mr. David Dickenson, an ex-member of the Hoole District Council; Mr. J. Culli- more, J.P., solicitor; Mr. George Avery, school attendance officer, Chester; and Mr. F. J. Beckett, city accountant. The latter stated that the total income of the city was 97,353, and after making deductions from that, the net balance was £ 3,907. This surplus would not pay the interest on the debt of the corporation, but speaking roughly and including the revenue from the electric light, it would pay about three-fourths of it. The total debt of the city was now over £ 200,000. Evidence was also given by Mr. W. Shone, assistant overseer, and Mr. I. Matthews Jones, city surveyor. Mr. Samuel Smith, town clerk of Chester, also gave evidence, and in cross-examination said he hoped there was no intention on the part oi the corporation to purchase the Chester waterworks. He thought the same might be said with regard to the gasworks. The tram- ways question would shortly exercise their serious consideration, as the first 25 years'lease of the tramways company expired Diiis year. With regard to "he water supply of the part of Sealand the corporation wished to annex, the greater portion of the district was agricultural land and except for the purposes of the infec- tious diseases hospital, in course of erection, a water supply had never been considered to be wanted there. A water supply had been taken to the hospital, and it was, of course, available if required. Mr. Collingwood Hope, barrister, represen- ting Flintshire, asked why Chester went into Wales at all. Mr. Smith replied that the reason was simply because they were obliged to buy a block of land. They bought it tor £63 an acre, and they considered it an advantageous purchase. There was nobody interested in that portion of Sealand., except Mr. VLtgars, the own-r of about 70 acres. I' he (the witness) was in Mr. Viggars' position he shouid feel h,s toes trod upon a bit. He had already intimated that he thought some c«>n-i i ration should be "hewn Mr. Viggars. H di 1 not think there was any occasion for the sau e considprtion tobe shown to the railway companies. o'onsileral)le rating difficulties existed at present on account of the ill-defined boundary between Cheshire and Flintshire. Mr. Hope: Have you hid any d ffioulf v with regard to Sunday closing? Well, I am not clerk of the magistrates, but I have heard of it. Do you think the difficulty wi I lie lessened if the nine public houses in this part of Flintshire are incorporated in England ? I think there will be considerably less difficulty. Less difficulty, and more drinking, is that it (laughter). I think rather the contrary. These nine public houses are shut at present on Sundays. If this place is brought int Che- shire they will be open, I presume, on Sundays! Yes, during proper hours. Mr. Hope: Very well; we will draw our own inference. Replying to a question concerning the purity of Chester water, Mr. Smith said he was per- fectly satisfied with Chester water as it was, after all the expert andengineeringevidencehe had had and he could not hein thinking that, pending the inquiry, at all events, whether Thamos water as to be allowed to continue, they might certainly leave the Chester water alone. This closed the case for thp corpoiation. Dr. Vacher, medical officer of health for Cheshire, gave it as his opinion that the affairs of Hoole were exceptionally well mnaged. Mr. S. M. Howard, from the rating depart- ment of the London and North-western Rail- way Company at Euston, said if the incorpora- tion were sanctioned it would increase the contributions of the Great Western Riilway and the London and North western Railway Company by jE350 a year. After other evidence, the inquiry was ad- journed.

ST. ASAPH. ,r-r-r- LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY. The members of the above society whicti is in connection with the Church Institute, held a musical evening on Thuislay la-t. ani it was both well attended, and thoroughly enjoyed by those present WOMEN'S LIBERAL ASSOCIATION. The Committee of the above invited the mem- bers to the Annual Social meeting and tea, on Thursday evening last, at 6 o'clock, when a very large attendance was the result. After tea the members enjoyed themselves with songs, speeches and games, whilst the eatables were excellent. HOCKEY MATCH. The above game, whioh is practically un- known in the city, was played at Elwy G) ove Park on Saturday last, between the Oolwyn Bay and Mold teams, and resulted in a draw of two goals each. Being, as hitherto stated, an unknown game here, it evoked great interest, especially among our football players, and a good number of spectators assembled. DEBATING SOCIETY. At the above societ,, which is held at the C.M. schoolroom, under the presidency of the Rev. Jonathan Jones, the subject under discus- sion was, Is the confessional dangerous,' Mr. R. Griffiths, Arsylifa, in an able paper cham- pioned the affirmative side, whilst his opponent who is also a strong debater was Mr. Owen Hughes, station. The other members that spoke were Messrs. Henry Thomas, David Hughes, W. H. Jeffreys, John George, R. Hughes, &c. STEAM ROLLER. The above which is the property of the Flint Urban District Council is at present employed on High street Some time ago we mentioned that it would work upon this hill Oft the com- mencement of the new year. It arrived here on Wednesday morning, and dragged the street up; on Thursday the Flintshire County Coun- cil steam roller arrived together with the above, for the purpose of rolling the stones put on the street. No doubt it will be a work that will greatly improve ic, and other places in the city will undergo the same process. MIRACULOUS ESCAPE. On Sunday last, during the storm that broke over the district, Mr. William Hughes and his wife, Pant Evan, had gone to the shippon to milk the cows, when they heard a peculiar noise. Although the building to all appear- ance was as soiind as a bell,' Mr. Hughes' wife thought of going out to see the cause, when Mr. Hughes thought of waiting to try and find the cause. Had Mrs. Hughes gone, no doubt it would have been a fat it step as the roof came bodily down just as she thought of leaving. A heavy oak beam fell right between the two cows that Mrs. Hughes had just moved from. But the corner that both husband and wife were standing was not touched. A house in Luke street of this city is also severely damaged by the late storm.

TEMPERANCE MISSION AT RUTHIN. During the present week, a series of meetings are being held at the Town Hall, under the auspices of the Nonconformist Temperance Union, which some years ago was formed in the town, and which since its inception, had done an immense amount of good. The arrangements were carried out very successfully by a committee, compri- sing representatives of all the Nonconfor- mist denominations. The members of the committee arcs as follows:—Revs. Dafydd Jones, J. James, Evan Stephens, and R. Lewis, Messrs. D. Jones, Mount Pleasant; William Williams, St. Peter's Square Joseph Pritchard, Mill, Ruthin R. Goodman Jones, Porth y dref; R. Roberts, Clwyd Street; Henry Wiiliams, Well Street; L. G. Thomas, North and South Wales Bank John Williams, Well Street; Peter Williams, Well Street; Mrs. J. Clarke Jones, Mount Street; Mrs. Ed- wards, Bronwylfa Mrs. Lewis, Misses M. Thomas, Well Street; M. A. Williams, Grammar School House: M. E. Owen, Mount Street; J. Davies, Clwyd Street; Tuckerman, St. Peter's Square; M. Jones, Park Road, and Williams, Park Cottage. The other officials were, Mr. Henry Hughes, treasurer, and Messrs. Henry Roberts and W. S. Williams (joint secretaries). Mr. E. Davies acted as conductor of the singing throughout the meetings, and Misses Lizzie Owen, Lewis, Amy Gee, and Jenny Jones as accompanist. The first meeting was held on Monday evening, when the room was almost crowd- ed. The Rev. Evan Stephens presided, and addresses were given by the Rev. J. D. Owen and the Rev. Evan Jones (W.), Den- bigh. On Tuesday, Mr. Thomas Griffiths, Stanley House presided, and the speakers were the Revs. E. R. Jones, Brymbo and R. Roberts, Rhos. On Wednesday, a Women's meeting was held, presided over by Miss Hughes, Corwen, the speakers being Mrs. Lias Davies, Llangollen, and Mrs. Davies, Clwt y bont. On Thursday, the Rev. Isaac James was in the chair, the speakers being the Revs. J. Charles, Denbigh, and Dafydd Jones, Ruthin. It is calculated that 21,000 people sleep

l nightly aboard the steamers on the Thames.

possibly not have taken place (laughter). He thought this a concession that the workingme* of the town should ha,ve from the Council. He had, therefore, great pleasure in staving that the lamps should be lit next season as suggested by the Borough Surveyor. The Mayor said that the Committee felt when discussing this matter that the winter had gone so far that it would be almost unnecessary to keep the lamps lit this season. Mr. Lloyd Jones seconded Me. Pryce's motion. Mr. Howel Gee suggested that fcfae matter should be left over until the beginning of next season without passing any resolution. Mr. Keepfer contended that the lamps should be kept lit throughout the town, if they were to be lit at all. The Mayor said the Surveyor had very care- fully gone into the matter, and had selected certain points where it would be desirable to keep the lamps lit over night for the protection of the ratepayers. To keep them lit throughout the town was another matter. Mr..folia Davies proposed, and Mr. Boaz Jones steonded, that i;he matter be kft over llntil next session, and this was ultimately car- ried. METALLING THE ROADS. GWYDDELWERN STONE TO BE Having taken into consideration the question of the metalling of High Street and Vale Street in consequence of the Surveyor bavins- reported 'that there was no stone raised or broken in any quantity at the Graig Quarry, and that he was in immediate want of the same, the High way Committee recommended to the Council that 230 tons of Gwyddelwern stone, 2-inch handbroken, be purchased, and that she Town. Clerk make inquiries as to the terms, and in what quantities the stone can be delivered also, that the Gas and Water Companies be re- quested to carry out any necessary repairs in their piping, requiring the cutting up of streets before the metalling was done. The Mayor, in the absence of Mr. R. Hum- phreys Roberts, Chairman of the Committee, •proposed the adoption of the repot, The Town Clerk, replying to a question, said that he had been in communication with the Gwyddelwern Company, and found that the stone would be delivered at Denbigh Station for 6s. 6d. a ton nett. Mr. R. Henry Roberts asked the price of the Graig stone, which was at present used. The Surveyor said that the handbroken stone cost them 4s. per ton. Mr. Wynne Edwards thought the recom- mendation of the Committee a step in the right direction. Some other stone should certainly be tried on the roads, and he believed it was the unanimous wish of the ratepayers that they should do so. Yet it was, in his opinion, a mis- take to try only the Gwyddelwern stone. There were other stones quite as good to be had quite as cheap. The county of Flint were using Bwlchgwyn stone, and found it doing better than any other. They were now bring- ing this stone to Bodfary-a. short distance from Denbigh. It was also possible to get Pen- maenmawr stone as < heap as the Gwyddelwern stone. There was al o a very good atone at Glyn Arthur, in the parish of Llangynhafal, which the Ruthin District Council was rising. Again, there was the blue stone from Sylchau, which he should like to see tried on the roads. It was not as hard as the Gwyddel wern. stone, but was a good stone to put on the roads, and was less likely than the limestone so create mud in winter, and dust in summer. His pro- position was, that the Council should buy a certain quantity of each stone as sample, and give them a trial. It they intended to go out of Denbigh for stone, they should give a. trial to stones of different quality. He would make an offer to the Council. A good stone was now excavated from the Bryntrillyn tunnel, and if the Council would get the permission of the Asylum authorities, he (Mr. Edwards) would undertake to deliver the stone in any part of the town at Is. 6d. a ton. He did not say that it would pay him, but he would do it for the borough in order to give the stone a trial. The Mayor paid that all the quarries men- tioned by'Mr.Wynne Edwards were also men- tioned at the Committee. It was then stated that-permission to cart the Bryntrillyn stone would not be given by the authority having jurisdiction in the matter. Mr. Boaz Jones said the Committee arrived at the recommendation contained in the re- port; because the Graig Quarry could not supply the quantity of stone required. The steam roller would, therefore, have no work to do. Mr. Howel Gee pointed out that it might suit Mr. Wynne Edwards to bring down the Bryntrillyn stone at Is. 6d. per ton just now, but he should like to know what it would cost them to get it from there in the ordinary course of trade. Mr. Wynne Edwards replied that atones were now carried from Graig Ddewart, Illtewl, to the top of Llanrhaiadr for 4s. a. ton. That was uphill, and he thought they could be brought down from Bylchau for 3a. Mr. Lloyd Jones moved that Mr Wynne Edwards' kind offer be referred to the Highway Committee for consideration. Mr. Howel Gee seconded. Mr. John Davies said he should like to coil- -line all the trade to Denbigh. When a. Sur- veyor, he had always endeavoured So keep the trade in Denbigh as much as ever he could —in the Foundry, for instance, and the same with ironmongery, printing, &c. He should like to see the stone for the roads got from Denbigh also. He did not want to go oo Bryn- trillyn or anywhere else Mr. Wynne Edwards: What about Nor- wegian joinery, Mr. Davies? (Laughter). Mr. Boaz Jones: Order, order. Mr. Davies said he had an idea which he thoughtshould be tried. There was in Glas Meadows as good a stone as any in the neigh- bourhood. Mr. Wynne Edwards: Didn't you threaten us when we proposed to get that stone ?. Mr. Davies Wait 9. minute Mr. Wynne Edwards I told you you would have a warm time of it when yea came here. Mr. John Davies, having produced a sample of stone for the inspection of the Council, said it was the quality found at Glas Meadows. There was a capioal road there, and the stone could be easily carted away. The atone could either be broken in Panton Hall or in the quarry. The Surveyor and Mr. J. Simon Ro- berts knew that this stone was of a ve?v good quality. Mr. J. Simon Roberts: But the quality you have now shown is very deep. Mr. John Davies replied that the quarry could be opened from a direction which v.-ould soon bring them to the stone. Failing 'is quarry, there were other quarries close to >. town which could be utilised, one of thfci. being on the other side of Lon Llewelyn, anu belonging to Mr. Burton. At present, no stone could be got from the Graig, and what lie should I like to know was, what were they going to do for stone to cover all the roads in the The 230 tons of Gwyddelwern stone would only cover a portion of High Street and Vale Street, and were they going 10 leave all she other roads as they were ? The Mayor said that the Committee recom- mended ithe,purch -ise of 230 tons of Gwyddel- wern stone as an experiment, and if it answered the purpose, they could purchase more. Mr. Roger Pryce said it was now a case of emergency. It would not pay the Corporation to keep the steam roller idle. On the question I of breaking the stone he was glad to see the Council coming round to his way of thinking (laughter), viz., that the stone should be hand 'broken and not crushed. If the stone were to come from Gwyddelwern and Bryntrillyn, he would like to see it brought here in the rough, and broken in the town, and proper money paid for it. It was monstrous tka.fi Ubourers should break stones at the wnges hitherto given by the Corporation. To break a hard black- stone for Is. 4d. a load was simply starvation wages. The day for that was gone. It was now the principle of a fair day's work for a fair day's wage. Mr. John Davies explained that he did not object to the purchase of the 230 tons from Gwyddelwern under the present circumstances. But if they were going in for foreign stone at ail, he would favour the Penmaeniiiawr atone. Ultimately, the recommendation of the Com mittee was adopted, and the otter of Mr. Wynne Edwards referred to the Committee. NEW MUD CART. The Highway Committee recommended that the tender of Mr. John Jones, blacksmith— fl9 15s. Od., f-vr the supply of a new sanitary tumbler cart, be accepted, subject to the cart being of the capacity named by the surveyor, viz. 160 gallons. The recommendation was confirmed. THE DRAINAGE OF HENLLAN. The Sanitary Committee reported that the question of providing a system of drainage for Henllan had been discussed by them, and as it appeared that the only matter now requiring attention was the drainage of the house pro- posed to be built upon the site of the Chapel, they recommended- "That application be made to Mr. W. D. W. Griffith for his permission for the drain from such house to be connected with the drain frnm the Henllan Police Station, which now discharges into a tank in his field, it being understood that such connec- tion is not to alter the legal staSus of the said drain.' The report was adopted without discussion. THE APPOINTMENT OF MEDICAL OFFICER AND INSPECTOR. The S;i.nit-iry Committee recommended that the Local Government Board be asked to sanc- tion the appointments for three years instead of one as before, of the Medical Officer and Inspector of Nuisances, whose term of office expire on the 28th February, and 31st March respectively, also the amount of the Inspectors' salary be referred to the Council. The Mayor having proposed the adoption of the report. Mr. A. Lloyd Jones moved that the question of the salary of the Inspector be referred to a committee of the whole Council. The Council that day had not full information of the question, nor of what took place in the com- mittee He believed that the salary proposed to be given to the Inspector was named at the committee, but was not named in the report, and the whole question was sprung upon them very suddenly. Mr. Royer Pryce, seconded. Mr. Howel Gee: Why not have it out now, there are plenty of us here to decide the ques- tion. The Mayor to Mr. Lloyd Jones: Will you withdraw your amendment for that purpose. Mr. Lloyd Jones: No. The amendment was carried. SMITHFIELD RECEIPTS. The accountant reported that the amount of tolls received at the Smithfield last fair day was £ 6 9s. 7d. as against £6 lis. 5d., the cor- responding fair in 1898, a decrease of Is. lOd. INADEQUATE ACCOMMODATION AT THE RAILWAY STATION. SEVERE STRICTURES UPON THE RAILWAY COMPANY. Mr. Boaz Jones, called the attention of the Council to the inadequate accommodation at the Railway Station, for passengers and goods, and said that the station at Denbigh was out of all proportion to the traffic, he also felt very strongly that the people of Denbigh could not get what they ought to receive from the Lon- don and North Western Railway Company. The traffic in Denbigh was increasing very much, bnt the station was small, and inconven- ient and even dangerous, owing to the plat- forms being so small. At present the trains had to be shunted backwards and forwards, and there had been no enlargement of the premises for the last 38 years. Denbigh did not get the privileges of several towns, not so important, and especially so in the matters of cheap tickets. For instance people going to Llanrwst fair could not book cheap tickets from Den- bigh, but could do so from St. Asaph, but St Asaph was of course a City (laughter). As to I the accommodation for goods, everybody knew that it was totally inadequate. They had only a small warehouse, 20 yards long, and only sufficient to accommodate three waggons. It was most inconvenient, and caused the trades- men no end of worry. His goods for instance were continually being put out in the dirt and rain. Temporary accommodation was pro vided by putting sleepers together, and then piling the goods upon them. Taking all into consideration the people of Denbigh were very badly treated. He would move that a com- mittee of members representing the Town Council and others outside should be appointed, to take this matter in hand. Mr. Wynne Edwards seconded, and said that, it was impossible for anyone to exaggerate the inadequacy of the accommodationof the station. He thought that the whole management of the station-it was a serious charge to make, but he did make it nevertheless—was a disgrace to the town. Every word that Mr. Boaz Jones had said was correct. He himself had loaded I trucks in the station, and often before he had notice of their arrival, the stuff had been thrown into the mud. Trucks containing pig-iron had come there, for him, and although it would have been rather a difficult work to remove these from the trucks to carts, it was ten times more so when the iron had been thrown out of the truck into the mud. That was the kind of thing that was continually going on at the Denbigh Railway Station. The accommodation was out of all proportion to the traffic, and no effort was being made by the company to meet the convenience of the public. He believed there was some desire on the part of the officials to keep down the expense, but that should cer tainly not be the object in view, but the con- venience of the public at large. There was nobody sitting round that table that had not at some time or other, to wait in the train for ten minutes, or so, on the bridge on the Ruthin side, of the station, simply because the line could not be cleared of other trains. Denbigh was a terminus, and this kind of thing should not be allowed to continue. The present con- dition of things must be altered, and the only way that could be done was by a committee representing the whole town. Mr. Boaz Jones and Mr. Gee and himself had done everything they could privately to attain this end, but that was impossible, and the only way to do it was by means of a public authority. They should"also agitate in order to get the line from Denbigh to Rhyl doubled. Mr. Nealr, had admitted that the Vale of Clwyd line was the best paying branch they had in North Wales. During the season the company had to run late trains, simply because they were unable to carry on the traffic otherwise. The Mayor: I am sure that we are all in favour of this proposition. Mr. A. Lloyd Jones said he wished to endorse the remarks made by Mr. Boaz Jones and .,r. Wynne Edwards. The tradesmen of Den -,Ii were very seriously handicapped by the i ivy rates charged by the Railway Company. Ti y not only charged the actual rates, but vei often charged excessive rates, and on many occa. ions, he had returned bills owing to their being over charged. He thought it was high time th t, something should be done. The said that if this joint committee were appointed, they could meet and get evid- ence in support of their grievances, to Mr. Chambers, late of Llysmeirchion, who was one of the directors who came to Denbigh the first Saturday in each month, and the committee could lay their grievance before him with a view of getting him to place them before his co-directors at Euston. Mr. Boaz Jones then proposed that the fol- lowing should compose the committee :—The Mayor, Mr Howell Gee, Mr. Robert Owen, Mr. A. 1..1. Jones, Mr. WynneEdwards, Mr. R. Henry Roberts, and himself, on behalf of the Council, and from outside the Council, Mr. T, J. Williams, Mr. T. Pierce Hughes, Mr. T. W. Salisbury, and Mr. Jones, Gwynfa This proposition was agreed to, and the f ol- lowing-names werealsoadded to thecomhlittee Col. Hughes, Ystrad; Mr. Hugh Roberts, Trefna-nt; Mr. W. Barker, the Asylum, and Mr. George Jones, coal merchant. It is also understood that the committee will have power to add to their number. INTERNATIONAL PEACE. Mr-A. Lloyd Jones said he should like to pass a resolution in favour of the effort of the Czar of Russia, on behalf of International Peace. The Town Clerk pointed out that the stand- ing orders should be suspended before this motion could be put After that was done, a member of the Council suggested that the resolution had better be proposed by the Mayor The Mayor then proposed it, and Mr. A. Lloyd Jones seconded. Mr. Keepfer said he could not agree with it, as he could not believe in a man who was increasing his army while at the same time wishing for peace. The resolution was, however, carried. THE L\TE MR. E. T. JONES. A letter was read from the family of the late Alderman E. T. Jones, acknowledging the kind vote of condolence passed by the Council. CUTTING UP STREETS. A letter was read from Mr. Vaughan Jones, Secretary of the Gas and Water Companies informing the Council that there was no work required to be done in connection with the Gas and Water pipes ab present, which necessitated the cutting up of streets. Mr. Wynne Edwards pointed out the damage caused in Crown Square by one of the companies. After the steam roller had rolled down the stones, and put the square in excell- ent order, one of the companies had gone there to get up the place, and left it in a shocking condition. He would propose that whenever the streets were cut up, after being roiled by the steam roller, the persons responsible should pay for the use of the roller to put the place again in order. Mr. Boaz Jones seconded, and it was car- ried. THE CASTLE WATER SUPPLY. Mr. Howel Gee asked whether anything had been done as regards the supply of water to the Castle. The Mayor said that the Water Company had agreed to supply the area stipulated by the Council, and had left the matter in the hands of their engineer, Mr. Storr. THE TOWNSEND FOOTPATH. A lettbr was read from Mr. Neele, superin- tendent of the London and North Western Railway (Cheater and Holyhead Branch), in which he stated that it was the duty of the Corporation, and not the Railway Company to provide lamps in the footpath leading from Park street, to Vale streets, close by the Railway Bridge.