Rushden Research Group: Trades Council 1919

Rushden Echo, Friday, August 15th, 1919, transcribed by Kay Collins.

Rushden and Higham Trades Council

The Monthly Meeting

Co-operative Society and Conscientious Objectors

The monthly meeting of the Rushden and District Trades and Labour Council was held last night at the Trade Union Club, Rushden. Mr. W. H. Marriott (chairman) presided, supported by the secretary (Mr. J. Jackson), and there was a good attendance of members.

Conscience

Arising out of the minutes. Mr. G. Hunt protested against the Council making the grant of 10s. to conscientious objectors. The funds of the Council, he said, came from many different societies, and if any members wished to make a grant a collection should have been made amongst them.

Coal Shortage

Mr. E. Coleman objected to certain people in the town being allowed to buy large quantities of coal while most poor people were without and could not get any. He gave an instance of where a Rushden boot manufacturer had bought several tons and had distributed it amongst his employees.

The Secretary read a letter from the Fuel Overseer stating that the Committee Lad no statutory power to use up stocks of coal on hand.

Mr. Bazeley said there was a great idea of muddling in enforcing regulations. The Rushden Urban Council had done their utmost to get supplies. A large quantity was promised to the town, and when it arrived he suggested that the authorities call a parade headed by the band to welcome the coal. (Laughter)

Mr. W. W. Rial said it was unexplained why Rushden had suffered so much more than neighbouring towns. He was certain that Higham Ferrers had not sufferecd so badly as Rushden.

Mr. J. Mould corroborated, and said that as far as he knew no one in Higham had suffered to any great extent through shortage of coal.

The Chairman said that as the local authorities were doing all they could in the matter he thought nothing could be done by the Trades Council.

Cottage Hospital

Mr. C. Lingard introduced the subject of the proposed Cottage Hospital as a war memorial for Rushden, and moved that the Council support the scheme.

Mr. L. Baxter seconded.

The Chairman said he was sorry the matter had cropped up. He did not think it advisable for them to tie their hands a there was such a volume of detail on both the Cottage Hospital and alternative schemes. The town would have to find the money and consequently all the residents of Rushden were entitled to have voice in stating what the memorial should be. It would be quite possible for supporters of either scheme to fill any hall in and carry their own particular scheme. Therefore, the Council would not be helping matters a great deal by voting on one scheme until the whole facts of alternative schemes are known.

Mr. Hunt moved as an amendment that the matter be adjourned.

Mr. Rial seconded.

By seven votes to six it was resolved to support the hospital scheme.

Mr. Weal’s Motion

With reference to Mr. A. F. Weale's notice of motion at a recent meeting of the Rushden Co-operative Society, to the effect that the Society sever its connection with the Trades Council on account of the latter making a grant to conscientious objectors, it was decided to have a full discussion at the next meeting of the Council.

Various

The Northants Federation of Trades and Labour Councils wrote enclosing a resolution protesting against the Government compelling unemployed people to go away from home for employment when local work could be given to them.

The Council unanimously supported the resolution.

The Land Nationalisation Society asked for the support of the Council in the Society's propaganda in advocating the Nationalisation of Land.—It was decided to ask the Society to send down a speaker to address a meeting at Rushden.

The question of amalgamation with the local Labour Party was left for discussion by a joint meeting of the committees of the Rushden and Higham Labour Parties and the Trades Council.

A resolution protesting against the inequalities of payment of school teachers in the county was passed, and the Secretary was instructed to forward a copy of the same, to the Education Authority asking that equal pay for equal work be given, irrespective of the date of appointment.

The Rushden Echo and Argus, 23rd April 1948, transcribed by Jim Hollis

Sunday Pictures for Rushden?
Trades Council Seeks Opinions

Having started a campaign for Sunday cinemas in Rushden the Trades Council feel that it is up to the young people to get things moving.

Mr. Harry Bailey, the secretary, however, told the “Echo and Argus” yesterday that he is willing to receive comments for and against.

He explained: “The Rushden Trades Council was unanimously for it, but I have not received any outside representation in support or against the scheme. As secretary I have a completely open mind and I am willing to receive comments.

“As far as the Trades Council is concerned, it is not our particular pigeon; we were just willing to start the ball rolling.”

Here are a few comments gathered by “Echo and Argus” reporters.

Staff View

Said a cinema employee: I don’t know what it is to do with the Trades Council, it’s all right for them; they have not got to work. I don’t think it will keep young people off the streets, they go on the streets because they enjoy it.”

Spending their afternoon walking up the High Street two 17 years-olds, one a mechanic, the other a hairdresser’s apprentice.

Said the first: “There is very little to do on a Sunday night. Of course there is always the Christian Youth Association, you can go there. But the majority of chaps don’t want to listen to somebody spouting all night.”

Said his pal: I always go to Wellingborough, but the buses are always crammed full. It would ease the situation there.

Youth Leader

“If people don’t want to go to church they still won’t go anyway. It won’t make any difference there.”

Miss Margaret Neal, the Rushden Youth Organiser, commented: “They have got six evenings a week to go to the cinema. Why bother with Sunday?

“The keen members of the Christian Youth Organisation will still attend their meetings, and the committee will know that they have the support of those who are really interested.”

Mr. J. A. Brawn (chairman of the Young Conservatives) said: “In so far as they would take the youth off the streets and provide them with something to do, they would not be so bad but I would not personally wish them to take young people from pursuits of a religious nature. I don’t think it would normally affect people who go to a place of worship.”

Fought On Sunday

An ex-R.A.F. warrant officer said: “If people want to go to the cinema facilities should be provided for them to do so. If cinemas open after church hours then it cannot possibly affect church attendances. After all people fought on Sunday.”

“Well it would keep the folk off the streets,” an 18 year-old typist: “It would save a lot of Rushden people who now have to go to Wellingborough quite a bit of money, and it would not affect the churches.

“People who want to go to church would go there in any case, whether there were Sunday cinemas or not.”

The Rushden Echo and Argus, 21st May 1948, transcribed by Jim Hollis

Sunday Cinema Talk Dropped

As the public have not come forward to express their views on Sunday cinemas, Rushden Trades Council have decided to drop the matter.

“There does not seem to be much enthusiasm or we should have been swamped with letters,” said a member on Wednesday.

At last month’s meeting, the Trades Council invited members of the town’s organisations to give opinions, but the secretary, Mr. Harry Bailey, had to report: “I have had no representations either one way or the other. We don’t know whether people are interested or not.”

The chairman (Mr. C. T. Smith) said that the matter had now been put before the public and there was nothing more that the Trades Council could do.

Mr. H. Wills, agreeing, said that the question was now up to the cinema proprietors.

Mr. Rowthorne: “There does not seem to be much enthusiasm, or we should have been swamped with letters.”

Rushden Urban District Council will receive a copy of the Press report of one of their meetings as a result of another discussion over representation on the Food Control Committee.

The Trades Council claimed that Mr. W. Ainge was elected as a Trades Council delegate, and the Council maintained that he was on the committee as a consumer. Mr. Ainge has now ceased to be a member of the Trades Council.

Said Mr. E. Tagg: “I propose that we appoint another delegate.”

“No you see,” said the secretary, “no one has resigned.”

“I propose that we point out the appropriate minute and demand that our delegate be reappointed,” said Mr. Tagg.

Holiday plans for 1949 were talked of, and it was decided that the matter should be dealt with as an area problem and that the County Trades Union Committee, representing all the Trades Councils in Northamptonshire, should be asked to take the responsibility of organising a stagger plan.

The Rushden Echo and Argus, 21st April, 1950, transcribed by Gill Hollis

Woman Calls for 6 p.m. Shop Closing

Grievances of a shop assistant were aired at Rushden Trades Council meeting on Wednesday evening, when, after a question relating to shops closing had been raised, a member stated that if the shops stayed open until 9 p.m. there would still be people who arrived “breathless and in a hurry” at five minutes to nine.

The matter arose when Miss Doris Tassell pointed out to her colleagues that many shops in the town closed at 5.30, making it very difficult for women at work to do their shopping.

“They have either to leave their factory early, or go shopping on Saturday morning, when most of them want to get on with their housework,” she said.

Miss Tassell emphasised that as the women were being urged to go to work, shops should co-operate with them and help them by staying open until 6 p.m.

Answering Miss Tassell, a representative of the union concerned said that people were given every facility. “There is nothing to prevent them dropping their order in the door, so that it can be prepared, and collected, or delivered, later,” he said, “With the present rationing system they can be assured of a fair distribution, with nothing under the counter.”

He added that there were always people who could not find time to do their shopping. “Women work on an average 37 hours a week and there should be enough time over to get it done,” he said.

It was agreed that a move should be made to organise shop assistants in the town into a union, although two previous efforts had failed.