Page 307 - Reading Mercury

THE PROPOSED DRAINAGE OF THE TOWN
GOVERNMENT INQUIRY
On Thursday an enquiry as to the desirability of excluding certain outlying parts of
the parish of Wokingham from the district proposed to be formed under the Local
Government Act, was held at the Town Hall, before Major Cox, Inspector appointed
by the Local Government Board. Amongst those present were the Rev. J. Brown, the
Rev. E. Sturges, John Walter Esq., M.P., Messrs. W. Goodchild, W.W. Wheeler, W.
Lane, sen., Dunning, Heelas, Frankum, Cook, Brown, Baker, Carrington &c.
The inspector said he attended there for the purpose of conducting an enquiry with
reference to a Petition presented to the Local Government Board, by ratepayers
residing in a part of the parish of Wokingham, situated beyond the boundary of the
town, asking that they may be excluded from the operation of the Act. He had no
doubt that most of those present were familiar with what had taken place in the town
on this matter.
It appeared that in 1864, a petition was presented to the Secretary of State to settle
the boundaries of the district for the adoption of the Local Government Act. That
petition was acted upon and finally settled as shown upon the plan produced. A
meeting was afterwards held, to take the sense of the ratepayers as to whether they
would adopt the Act or not, and they refused to adopt it. Then the matter appeared to
have remained in abeyance for some years, and after the passing of the Public Health
Act, 1872, a disposition was evinced by the ratepayers to avail themselves of the
powers of the Act. Some little doubt was expressed in a letter in reply to the position
to the Local Government Board as to whether or not the order made in 1864 or 1865
was then in force, and whether that doubt was finally cleared up, he did not know. He
believed that if it was found that it would be necessary to settle the district again, and
in the meantime it was observed that inasmuch as the district as settled by the
Secretary of State in 1865 was included in the parish of Wokingham, it was not
competent for a small district to declare for the adoption of the Act until the larger
district had refused to adopt it. The sense of the ratepayers in the larger district was
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then taken—this was on the 26 June 1873, and there was a majority of 227 in favour
of adopting the Act. The numbers were-for the adoption of the Act, 516, against it
289. A resolution in favour of the adoption of the Act was declared to have been
carried. Having got so far, a petition was presented to the Local Government Board,
duly signed and enclosing a map showing the area and praying that that area should be
excluded from the operation of the Act. It was at this stage of the proceedings that
they had arrived that day. He would be glad to hear a statement by any gentleman
present.
A discussion then followed. Most present, mainly the owners of land outside
Wokingham were against people living outside the town having to contribute to the
drainage of the town.

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Sat 8 Nov
POST OFFICE
This week some alterations have been made in our postal service, which will be
found of much importance to the public. The dispatch of the midnight mail has been
discontinued, and in lieu thereof letters of London are dispatched at 10.15 a.m., and
another mail to London and all parts is made up at 1.30 p.m. An inward mail is
delivered in the town at 6.40 in the evening, which will be found a great convenience,
although it would have been much more so if it could have been arranged one hour

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