Mountbellew Rural District Council: Minute Book (June 1920-Nov 1923)
Proceeding of Mountbellew Rural District Council meetings. The minutes record attendance at the meetings, generally held twice a month, together with proceedings of Council business conducted under various legalisation, covering general, financial, sanitary (such as management of burial grounds, inspection of cow sheds, and human living conditions, water supply and sewers), and labourers’ housing (such as building and maintenance of cottages and rent collection) issues. The minutes record resolutions proposed and resolved or rejected by the Council. They also include details of correspondence received, generally from the Local Government Board and actions required thereafter. The proceedings of the Council acting as the ‘Sanitary Authority’ relate to health and sanitary conditions, such as the prevention of disease and the care and management of burial grounds, sewerage systems, and water supply. The proceedings under the ‘Labourers Acts’ relate to the provision and maintenance of labourers’ cottages.
Minutes are generally signed by the Chairman and witnessed by the Secretary. Includes Index to main resolution topics.
- Extract from the Medical Officer’s of Health Report stated ‘there are no systems of sewerage in the Rural District, but merely drains for the conveyance of surface water. The existing drain in Ballygar, which is situated at the rear of houses on the Chapel side of the town, was in a very bad state on the occasion of my inspection, and surface water contaminated with fluid manure, was lying stagnant in this locality. It would be necessary to extend this drain and put it in proper working order, as at preset its condition constitutes a dangerous and unsightly nuisance’ (13 July, 1920, p13).
- Letter from the Local Government Board ‘I am directed by the Local Government Board for Ireland to state that their attention has been called to the series of resolutions passed by certain local authorities in Ireland repudiating the authority of the Imperial Parliament and declaring their intention to place very obstacle in the way of the existing administration under His Majesty’s Government.
In view of the possible effect of this policy upon the responsibilities of the Departments acting under the control of Parliament, which regulate the issue of loans and subsidies to public bodies in Ireland, the Government have given the Board explicit instructions that no loans or grants from public funds for authority without a definite assurance that they will submit their accounts to audit and be prepared to conform to the rules and orders of the Local Government Board as heretofore……
In this connection, the Board desire to point out that the new Councils seem to be under a misconception as to the purport of the regulations and orders of the Local Government Board. These orders were not framed with a view of restricting the authority of the Councils, their sole object and intention is to secure efficiency and uniformity in the system of administration, and to safeguard the interests of ratepayers throughout the country.
ORDER: That above communication be consigned to the waste paper basket’ (10 August 1920, p1).
- ‘It was ordered that Pat Killelea of Bohill, who was wounded by gun fire, be removed to a Dublin Hospital, as recommended by Dr Callaghan’ (14 December 1920, p11).
- ‘Read letter from Dail Eireann dated 13th Dec. 1920, relative to the absolute necessity for all Public Bodies to safeguard their financial interests against “inequitable seizure” and suggesting that if each member of Council set himself to secure the lodging of say £50 to a dozen or twenty people, the sums so lodged to be deemed collateral security against an overdraft to the Council’s Representatives while each individual acting in this way as security would have as his security against loss the rates of the County’ (11 January 1921, p1).
- ‘…we the Members of the Mountbellew R. District Council condemn in the strongest possible manner the dastardly outrage committed in our midst, namely the burning of Mr Hession’s farm produce, on the night of 26th or the morning of 27th of September, we ask the co-operation of all patriotic Irishmen in our condemnation, and furthermore we are of the opinion that the perpretators (sic) of such acts are enemies to Ireland (sic) cause’ (4 October 1921, p1).
- ‘We the members of the Mountbellew R.D. Council extend our heartiest welcome to our colleague Mr Thos. Collins, on his release after prolonged internment & we take this opportunity to thank himself and the other internees from this district for the noble service they have rendered to Irelands cause’ (17 January 1922, p1).
- ‘That we the Members of the Rural District Council present at this meeting dissociate ourselves from the action of the Chairman of the late Board of Guardians in organising opposition to rate paying in this District. That we think the County Galway Branch of the Farmers Association should have some better Agricultural Policy to put before the Farmers than trying to get them organised against paying rates which are used for the upkeep of the aged and inform and otherwise afflicted persons in the County….’(12 June 1922, p1).
- ‘Read letter from the Ministry for Local Government stating that they have observed that at the close of the last half year, there were large rent arrears outstanding in the District. The Ministry are prepared to make allowances for the exceptional period through (which) our Country is passing, but they are confident that if the Collectors are energetic in the pursuit of their duties, thee arrears can be reduced…..(12 December 1922, p15