The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1865-01-24 00:00:00

H. tbøugbt.* would IA
the streets lignted than r=s6W

Voiced : "Portland was better then than it ia
now.,,

Mr. &RIVEN : It is the gentry who pays the rates
for the poor.
Voices "Question." " I know gentlemen will
not pay our rates."
Mr. SORIVI3N, finding it impossible to address the
meeting at further length, concluded by proposing
the following resolution :—" That the Act of Perlis.
meet called the Lighting Act, being the 3rd and 4th
William IV., chapter 90, be adopted in that part of
the parish of Portland known as under the
Fortune's Well, Castletown, and Cheseltown."
Order having been again a little restored he said in
his opinion the parish would be well lighted with
25 lamps. He did not wish to be too rapid at first :
be liked improvements to be made gradually. He
contended that neither the meeting nor the Gam
Company had any power to exceed a certain sum
in expenses, and therefore there could be uo trap
work
.in the matter.

Voices: " We don't believe it,"
Mr. JOHN ANOBL, jun., said he was going to
senond the resolution for the purpose of ascertaining
the opinion of the meeting. By this proposi-
tion if three-fourths of the ratepayers mid-
log in this place were in favour of the
distriot being placed under the Lighting Act,
they could vote for its being done, bet if not, of
course this could not be done. The ratepayers had
therefore the only power to vote in the matter, but
if they preferred not having the streets lighted,
because their rates were already very high, they
must say so. (Cheers.) But if they were prepared
to make a little sacrifice far the sake of improving
Portland, now was the time to do so. When he was
at the meeting of Thursday he moved • resolution
that it should, be adjourned, because he thought it
was fair that labouring men should be present, and
give he opinions. They had now that opportunity,
but he did not think there was one present who
would prefer seeing the streets in darkness instead of
being lighted; but of course every man knew his
own position beat. They must blame the past for
being so high rated, but he had no doubt
the time would come when there would
be lower rates than at present. Now was
the time tnconsider wheth9r they would have gas or
not, lie knew there were a few fogies about
who did not care for the improvement of the
place, and never would, lie had heard of the time
that when an umbrella was introduced into Port-
land for the first time there was a perfect storm—
not of rain—but of ridicule levied against it ; but
now almost everyone had one of those useful things.
He should be sorry to be part in any movement
whioh would be at all oppressive to the poor people,
but it rested with the meeting to say whether they
would have the gas or not.
Mr. ILuinsirouri, in the course of a most unin-
telligible speech, endeavoured to argue that Mr.
Burdon wanted to compel persons to have the gas,
which the speaker contended he would not, and set
Acts d Parliament at defiance.

Mr. JOHN STREET said he stood up to support the
resolution, because he believed the streets ought to
be lighted. Although at present there were
many bopponente to that being done, he
thought that at the end of twelve months those
persons would be compelled to acknowledge that
things were better than they were formerly. The
question was who was to pay for it, and it was a
question which had arisen before on some other
matters. The Highway Act caused a great deal of
grumbling at first; but by and by that went off, and
is three years time they would be proud to say that
Portland had as good roads as any place in the
county. They would be sure to grumble about the
expense at first, but they would be satisfied after-
wards. fie thought that at the expiration of twelve
months they would be proud to say we were some
of those who held up our hands in order that we
might have our streets under the hill lighted." He
wished Portland to progress in the same manner as
other plasm% and believed that in the course of five
or six years there would not only be gas to light
the island, but that there would be sewage and
drainage works, which would be a credit to the
' plena. (Cheers, anff counter cheers.)
Mr. C. GIBBS said he considered the time had now
come when this matter should be brought to an
issue. Mr. Angel had stated that is majority of
three-fourths of the ratepayers bad power to have
the streets lighted, but it turned out to be two-
thirds. In order to bring this mattes to a conclu-
sion, he would suggest that two papers should be
provided, on which persons who were for and against
having the streets lighted could append their signa-
tures.

This proposition was about being carried into
effect by those persons who were in favour of having
gas lamps, when a scene of the most indescribable
confusion and uproar ensued, and the chairman lost
all control over the meeting. The majority of the
meeting was composed of working-men, and these
refused either to vote or sign, and it was ultimately
decided that a committee should canvass the rate.
payers, and obtain their sense on the matter.

POOLE. MICHANIOS' INSTITUTION. The 14th
anniversary of the Institution was celebrated on Monday
by a tea and concert, at the Temperance Hall, which
was very prettily decorated for tie occasion. A large
lumber of persons partook of the social cup, but the
principal feature of the evening was the singing of Miss
Annie Cox, of the Exeter Hall Concerts, London,
who was rapturously encored. Mr. Whithread
Smith, organist of Wimborne Minster, presided at the
piano, and E. Lacey and H. B. Sedgfield, &qrs., together
with Messrs. J. Duncan, R. Belben, T. GiLlard, T.
Buckley, and A. Holloway, of the Poole Choral Society,
assisted in the musical part of the evening's proceedings.
&Hoot, —On Wednesday, the 11th inst., the
children of the Hamworthy Sunday Schools were regaled
with a plentiful supply of tea and cake, through the
kindness of the Rev. J. Funsival, at his residence.
After full justice had been done to the good things, some
amusing games were introduced, at the conclusion of
which hearty cheers were given for the rev, gentleman
and his family, and the children separated, having mush
enjoyed themselves.