Mr. Ald. PHILIPSON had considerable doubt as to whether this motion, as it stood, was regular. The Town Clerk would say whether it was so or not, but he (Mr. Philipson) thought that such a step as closing Nun Street and those other streets for the purposes of a market could only be taken by bye-law. He should like to hear what the Town Clerk said on the subject. The TOWN CLERK was of opinion that there was an express enactment by which the contemplated change could be made, but he would like to inquire into it. Mr. BENSON hoped this matter was not going to go off on a quibble. They surely would not, at the eleventh hour, stultify themselves by subverting the deliberately-formed resolution of the Council. Their deliberations in the Finance Committee and in the Council had repeatedly had reference to providing a place to which the traffic of these streets might be transferred. Mr. Ald. HODGSON: I deny that statement in toto. Mr. HAMOND: We cannot discuss the question now. Mr. G. FORSTER: There is another irregularity. There are several motions on the paper. (Laughter.) I did not wish to press my own motion, not thinking that any discussion would arise on this question. Mr. Ald. BELL: You are too late now. Mr. BENSON said all parties were unanimous in deciding that the market in these streets was a nuisance, and he trusted they would now resolve to remove it. Mr. Ald. KEENLYSIDE rose to inquire whether the Town Clerk was of opinion that there must be a bye-law to close a market, and open a new market. On the first point he thought there could be no doubt they must have a bye-law, and therefore that put an end to all the discussion that they had held upon it. He was in favour of closing this market, but he felt they could not, in the present state of affairs, take action in the matter. The TOWN CLERK: I think under an express Parliamentary enactment contained in one of your own Acts, it does not require twothirds of the Council to acquiesce in it. Amid this confliction of opinion the subject dropped, and the motion was not put to the meeting. FORMATION OF NEW STREETS. Mr. Ald. WILSON moved the application of the provisions of the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Improvement Act, 1865, relating to the formation of New Streets to the streets undermentioned:-That such streets be sewered, paved, and flagged with the materials, according to the manner and levels specified by the Town Surveyor in his estimate of the costs attending the several works, within one calendar month, from the 12th day of March next. That such estimates be adopted and confirmed by the Council, and that the requisite notices be forthwith given to the respective owners as required by the Act. Grove-street 1 in 36 12-in. Pipe Caithness 6 0 wide 28 wide 246 13 11 ... Gloucester-road (high end). 1 in 36 12-in. Pipe Caithness 6 0 wide 38 wide 972 2 1 6-inch Branch Drains to each case. The Council then adjourned till the 7th of March. 1218 16 이 ADJOURNED MEETING. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 1866. AN Adjourned Meeting was held to-day in the Council Chamber, Town Hall Buildings-the Mayor (Mr. Ald. Dodds) presiding. ST. JOHN'S NATIONAL SCHOOLS. The TOWN CLERK read the following letter from the Rev. H. W. Wright, incumbent of St. John's, in reference to the schools of the parish : Westgate Street, Newcastle, February 23, 1866. Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen, - From the incessant migration of the wealthier inhabitants from the centre of the town to the outskirts and the country, we, of St. John's, are from time to time perplexed for means to supply in full efficiency all the wants of our schools. I believe that many, if not all, of you gentlemen holding official positions, although not intimately connected with the working of parochial schools, will sympathise with us in our frequent perplexities. This year affords an illustration. Under the "Revised Code" of the Committee of Council on Education, we are exposed to a deduction of £40 (which will be annual if the "Revised Code" continue in force, as we have reason to expect it will do) of the Government Grant, while at the same time we are called on for an extra payment of £23 to the Corporation on account of the flagging or paving around our schools in Sunderland Street. We shall thus have additional claims on us amounting, this year, to £63. Our children in different schools amount to about 500. They are placed under week-day and Sunday-school instruction, although the attendance of Dissenters at our Sunday-schools is not required. Will the Corporation kindly give us an annual subscription, as they do to other schools, some of which do not supply both week-day and Sunday-school instruction, and some are less numerous than ours? I find that the Corporation are giving the following annual subscriptions, viz. :- £10 10 0 10 10 0 .... 10 10 0 Infants' School Society I think you, gentlemen, will say that it is doubtful if any of the above has a stronger claim on your kind aid than the schools of the old parish of St. John. I beg to remain, dear Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen, yours faithfully, H. W. WRIGHT. The Right Worshipful the Mayor and the Corporation of Newcastle, &c., &c. Mr. GREGSON begged to observe that there was no parish that had half the claims upon the Corporation that St. John's had. They must recollect that the Charity Commissioners had robbed the school of about £70 a-year; and he had no hesitation in saying that it was a downright robbery and spoliation, and everything that was infamous. (Hear, and laughter.) At the same time, he thought that the parish had certainly an undoubted claim to the favourable consideration of the Council. The MAYOR: What do you recommend? Mr. GREGSON: I move that we give them £20. Mr. BROWN: Say ten. Mr. Ald. BELL: I think the doctor said the parish had only half the claim. Mr. GREGSON: More than half the claim. Mr. PARKER begged to second Mr. Gregson's motion. Mr. HAMOND said the parish had been rather unfortunate with respect to Ord's Bequest, to which, he assumed, Mr. Gregson referred. The school at all events lost the money in a very peculiar manner. It was a case of very peculiar hardship; and as the school was a very large one, was well attended, and did a great deal of good in that locality, he had much pleasure in supporting Mr. Gregson's recommendation for £20. He hoped the Council would adopt it. Mr. JONATHAN ANGUS did not see what claims St. John's had more than the other parishes of the town. He thought they had been wrong in giving public money to those other schools, and he did not think they should repeat it in this case. The parish of St. John's would do a great deal better to rely on the voluntary principle, and go to those parties for subscriptions who had removed to the outskirts of the town. He was sorry to say he could not support this proposition. Mr. HAMOND: The school is open to all denominations. Mr. BROWN: If I heard correctly, the subscription to St. Nicholas' school is £10. The parish of St. John's is not much larger than St. Nicholas'. Mr. PARKER: I should think the population is very different. Mr. Ald. BELL said that without pledging himself to vote one way or the other, it was an undoubted fact that these schools connected with the church were instituted at a time when there was considerable difficulty in supporting a school of any kind; but now, thanks to the benevolent exertions of all denominations of religion, they did not find a single chapel almost of any character they could conceive which had not attached to it a school of some kind. one or two occasions these schools had come to the Council for pecuniary assistance. His own distinct opinion was this-if they On had to support these schools, it ought to be without respect to any religious denomination whatever. (Hear, hear.) The Council, for reasons best known to themselves, had refused to comply with some of those applications which had been made to them for support. Therefore, he was at a loss now how to proceed-whether to recall all the subscriptions they had granted, and place every school upon the same footing-(hear, hear)-or let bygones be bygones, and let those who enjoyed their benevolence retain it, on the distinct understanding that neither the Church of England nor schools of any other denomination could receive any support from them in future. He felt much inclined to support the latter view of the question. He remembered on one occasion, in the case of a school on behalf of which Mr. Harle pleaded, they refused to afford any assistance. The MAYOR: What school was that? Mr. MAWSON: It was in Shieldfield. Mr. Ald. BELL did not see how, if they refused to support Mr. Rutherford's school, they should give it to any other. They could not possibly draw any line of distinction. Unless the Council entertained favourably all these applications, he should vote against this. Mr. MAWSON agreed with the remarks made by Mr. Ald. Bell. Unless they were prepared to make all these schools alike, he did not see why they should give to this one. They should manifest no preference. Mr. HAMOND: You increased the subscription to the Ragged School the other day. Mr. GREGSON did not think there was any man fool-hardy enough to propose any such resolution as to take away the grants which the Council at present made to various schools. He hoped this proposition would be put on a like footing. Mr. MAWSON: Mr. Ald. Bell made a motion--I seconded it. Mr. Ald. BELL said he had made no motion. Mr. STEWART seconded Mr. Brown's amendment. He thought £10 was quite enough, when they gave only £10 to St. Nicholas'. Mr. GREGSON: That's not Mr. Brown's amendment at all. (A Voice: Yes£10. Mr. Ald. BELL, having his attention called to the matter, read from the Treasurer's accounts the subscriptions to the various schools, as follows:-Royal Jubilee School for Boys, £26 5s. ; All Saints' Sunday School, £10 10s.; St. Nicholas' Charity School, £10 10s.; St. Andrew's Catholic School, £10 10s.-(he was glad to see that)-Ragged and Industrial Schools, £10 10s.; Under Day School for Girls, £5 5s.; Infant School Society, £5 5s. That was all. Under these circumstances, he begged to support a subscription of £10 10s. in this case. |