Mexborough and Swinton Times March 8, 1929

Candidates for the Councils
South Yorkshire Urban and Rural Nominations
Urban Councils

CONISBRO’

All Seats Contested This Time.
Five Seats

North: Ruth Donaghue (Lab.) Arthur Harrison (Ind.), Herbert Wray (Ind)
South: *J.Drabble (CIT.), J Jeremy (Lab.)
East: *H.W.Gillott (Cit.), W Linstead (Lab.), L. Lawcock (Ind:).
West:*Mrs A.E. KaYe (Lab.), J. T. Asher (Ind.)
Denaby : *Mrs. E. Levers (Lab.), J. R. Whitlam (Ind.).

Mr. W. L. Worsley, having moved to Mexborough, to take over the stewardship of the new Labour Club there, does not seek re-election in North Ward, and two Independents are fighting a woman Labour nominee.

There is a contest in each ward for the first time since 1925, and the Denaby Ward electors are asked to vote for the first time since 1921, when Mr. Jonas Shelton beat Mr. W. Still. Mr. Whitlam is this time attempting to win the seat from Labour.

Mr. Drabble is defending a seat which he has held since 1923. When he last came out Mr. Drabble polled, four to one. Mr. Linstead is again opposing Mr. Gillott, who won the seat against him in East Ward, three years ago. The contest here, however, is complicated by the advent of an Independent candidate, Mr. Lawcock, a boot and shoe dealer. Labour have their stiffest task in this ward, as they have only once polled more than 200 votes there.

In North Ward, also, there is a three-cornered fight, with two Independent and a Labour candidate. Mr. Wray has contested this seat ever since the Urban Council was formed in 1920, fully appreciating that the ward is a labour stronghold, but wishing to give the electors “a run for their money. Mr. Harrison is a newsagent. He has hitherto taken no part in Public service, but is a member of the executive committee of the Denaby Football Club. Mr. .Terram unsuccessfully contested the South. Ward seat last year. Mr. Asher is a butcher and is making his first attempt to gain a Council seat.

BOLTON.

Labour Unopposed For All Seats.
Four Seats.

*T.H. Barker (Lab.), *T. Swift (Lab.), *T. Vaughan (Lab.), *Ellen Keeton (Lab.).

Mr. N. Fowler, licensee of the Halfway House Hotel at Highgate, is not seeking reelection, and the Labour Party therefore are given a clean sweep, without a contest.

Mrs. Keeton has been for a year a co-opted member of the Public Health Committee, and has taken a keen interest in the social welfare of the town. Mrs. Keeton will be the second woman member of the Council.

THURNSCOE

Three Not Seeking Re-Election.
Five Seats.

*H Garwood (Ind.), *B. Schofield (Ind.) F. A. Agar (Lab). W. J. G. Fawcett (Lab.), E.F. Heal (Ind.), Mrs. Annie Miller (Lab), G. Peace (Lab.), C. R. Turner (Lab.)

Owing to the retirement last year of Mr.H. Marshall, and the fact that the Rev. H. Card did not seek re-election, there are five seats vacant. Messrs. Garwood and Schofield, two independent candidates, are again running, and Labour is hoping to secure each of the five seats. The fifth vacancy is caused by the retirement of Mr. Joseph Stone (Ind.) from the Council a few months ago.

Mr. E. F. Heal, the only new independent candidate, is a school teacher. Of the Labour aspirants, Messrs. Agar, Fawcett, and Peace are miners, and Mr. Turner is a foreman platelayer on the railway.

DARFIELD.

Labour Defending All Vacancies,
Three Seats.

*T. W. Illsley (Lab.), *H. Clarney (Lab ), *T. H. Spooner (Lab.), C .W. Coward (Ind.) , T. Hardman (Ind.) E. Taylor (Ind.).

The independents are making another attempt to win back the seats won from them by Labour, which now has a majority on the Council. Labour is defending each of the three seats, and two of their opponents are former councillors: Messrs. Hardman and Taylor.

Mr. Taylor was a member for a long time, and was chairman of the Finance Committee. He is sales manager at Houghton Main Colliery. Mr. Hardman resigned a few years ago, when he moved to take up business in Grimethorpe, but he is now residing in Darfield pin. Mr. Coward is a miner and a new aspirant.

Wombwell.

Labour “Left Winger ” Contesting , Again.
Five Seats.

Central: V.E.Burrows (Ind.),*T.R.Newsome (Lab.)
Hemingfield: *H.Hallsworth (Lab.)
North: *Hatswell (Ind.), T. Wolseley (Lab.)
South East: C Callaghan (Ind.), Emma Mellor (Lab.),*J. Wright (Ind.),
South West:  F. Collindridge (Lab), Canon S.T. G. Smith. (Ind.) D. Cookson (Ind.). W.H. Parkin (Lab.). ‘

The extra vacancy in South-west Ward is due to the death of Mr. Wm Thompson, an Independent member, and his term has a year to run. Labour is fighting to retain three seats and to gain three from the Independents. Perhaps the most interesting nomination is that of the rector, who is already a Guardian, and had previous experience of Guardians’ work at Sheffield.

Mrs Woolley made an unsuccessful attempt last year in the same ward, to get a seat.

Mr. Callagan, who is a dentist, also makes his second attempt. All the others are               making their first essays.

Mrs. Mellor is regarded as a “surprise’ nomination. She is the wife of Mr. J. W. Mellor, already a Labour member of the Council. Mr. Burrows is a senior member of the firm, Burrows and Sons, motor ‘bus proprietors.

Mr. Cookson succeeded Mr. Thompson as general manager of the Wombwell Main Collieries.

Mr. Park is a leader of the National Minority movement in Wombwell, and has been associated for some time with the Unemployed Workers’ Committee movement. He is the only representative of “the extreme left” of the Labour movement engaged in the elections       .

WATH.

Labour Fighting All Seats
Six Seats.

East: *M. R. Swift (Ind.), F. Bailey (Lab.).
Wharncliffe: *R. Cutts (Lab.), G. Price (Ind.);
Central: *G. Cook (Ind.), T. Bramham (Ind.), H. Dyer (Lab.), J. T. Mills (Lab.).
Winterwell: *O. A. Hollingworth, (Lab); Mrs. .C. Jacques (Ind.).
West Melton *P. B. Nicholson (Ind.), V. Sturman (Lab.).

The extra vacancy is due to the death of Mr. A. Bramham, the oldest member of the Council, and the seat will be held for one year. Owing to the family’s long connection with public work. Mr. Irving Bramham, son of the late councillor, has considered it incumbent upon, him to contest. Labour is contesting for each of the four seats it does not already hold.

Mr. Bailey and Mrs. Jacques are Guardians’. Mr. Mills is an insurance agent, and unsuccessfully fought Mr. A. Bramham in 1927. He was a founder of the Wath I.L.P.

The other opponents of the retiring members this are all new aspirants to public office.

Mr. Price is manager of No. 1 pit at Manvers Main, and a well-known local cricketer and president of the Swinton Athletic Club.

Mr. Dyer is a platelayer on the L.N.E.R. line, and a keen trade unionist.

Mr V Sturman is another railwayman, and his views are already well known through the extensive correspondence he has carried on through the columns of this paper from time to time. He is a member of Wath N.U.R.

Mrs. Jacques is wife of Mr. T. Jacques, an undermanager at Manvers Main collieries. Mr Bailey is the third of the “Railway group” is the Labour nominee.

MEXBOROUGH

Chamber of Trade’s Intervention.
Five Seats.

*S. Silverwood  *B. G. Caddick (Lab.), *W. Winstanley (Ind.),*G. W. Bramhan (Lab.), *T. Chambers (Ind.), Dr. J. F. Hamilton (Ind.), J. Wragg, (Lab.), E. Phillips (Lab.), J. Guest (Ind.), A. Jackson (Ind.), F. Long (Ind.), J. Green (Ind.), and J. Walton (Lab.).

The Mexborough Labour Party are defending two seats, those of Mr. Caddick and Mr. Bramhan, and. for the remaining seats are putting forward Mr. Joseph Wragg, chairman of the Mexborough Labour Party, who has, made two previous unsuccessful attempts Mr. Jesse Walton, secretary of the local Labour Party, and Mr. Ernest Phillips, who is a nominee of the Cadeby branch of the Yorkshire Miners’ Association, has sat on the Executive of the local Labour Party, and with Mr. Wragg is a prominent member of the Mexborough Trades Council.

Mr. Caddick and Mr. Bramban, the former a representative of the Manvers Main miners, and the latter of the Mexborough railwaymen, are old members of the Council, and both have passed through the chair. Mr. Tom Chambers and Mr. Winstanley, two of the three retiring independent members, are still older members of the Council, having each sat for over twenty years.  For the greater part of that time Mr. Chambers has been specially interested in the electricity undertaking, and has been chairman of the Electricity ‘Committee; but he was displaced last year by Mr. Wragg when the Labour party secured a majority on- the Council.

Mr. Winstanley has for some years been chairman of the Finance Committee, and both parties agreed to maintain him in that “key’ position.

The Chamber of Trade are putting forward candidates for the first time, Mr. James Guest, now in business as a confectioner and formerly proprietor of the “Blue Bus” motor service, and Mr. Joseph Green, pork butcher, of High Street, Mexborough. Mr. Guest has previously contested in the Swinton urban district against Mr C. Winstanley two years ago, when he was defeated. Mr. Green is an entirely new aspirant for municipal service.

Mr. Sam Silverwood, the present ‘chairman of the Council is seeking re-election after six years service. He also is an independent. He was the first candidate to poll four figures in Mexborough, which he did on first putting up six years ago. Three years ago be was returned with 997, votes.

Mr. Albert Jackson is an ex-councillor who was defeated last year. He has been put forward by the Property Owners’ Association, but is essentially an independent.

So also, is Dr. J. Forrest Hamilton. Dr. Hamilton is associated with many movements in the town, particularly the Operatic Society of which he is president. He was also president of the Mexborough Rotary  Club for two years. He and Mr. Fred Long are members of the Mexborough Rotary Club, who are not officially promoting their candidature, but entirely approve and support it. Mr. Walton is son of the late Mr. Jaynes-Walton, the former Member’ of Parliament for the Don Valley.

SWINTON.

Independents Return To The Fight.

Five Seats.

Bridge.- Edward Dobson (Ind.), Fred Latham (Ind.), * Cyril Winstanley (Lab.).
Roman Terrace. – F. R. Oliver (Ind.), F Phillips (Ind.), B. Swann (Lab.)
Central.-H. Rigby (Ind.), *H. A. Stubbs (Lab.).
Park.- Jane Jagger (Ind.),’ Fred J. Wilkinson (Ind.), Robert Woods (Ind.), A. A. Nicklin (Lab.). .’
Kilnhurst.-*W. H. Rix (Lab.).

Mr. Angus MacLachlan, who was due to retire, died last week. The retiring candidate in Park Ward is Mr. James Sharpley, an independent member who is not seeking re-election.

Mr. .Rix, one of the Kilnhurst Labour representatives, has a walk-over.

In the Roman Terrace, Bridge, and Central Wards there will be straight fights between Labour and independent. In Park Ward the situation is complicated by the nomination of Mrs. Jagger, wife of a Labour member of the Council, who has come out as an independent candidate.

The nominations of two independent candidates in each of the Bridge, Roman Terrace and Park ward does not mean that they will all fight; by previous arrangement one will withdraw.

Mr. Stubbs is secretary of the local Labour party, and made his entry into public service with it flourish by defeating the most formidable of the anti-Labour representatives, Mr. Colin Ward, in 1926.

Mr. Cyril Winstanley, chairman of the local Labour party, is seeking election for his third term. He was chairman of the Council two years ago.

Mr. Harry Rigby represented Central Ward from 1922 until last year.

Mrs. Jagger is already a Guardian, and the object behind her nomination is her desire to carry on the work she has had to do as a Guardian when the essentials of the Poor Law are absorbed by the County Council.

Mr. Nicklin is chairman of the Rotherham Board of Guardians, and it is a similar impulse that leads him to seek a seat on the Urban Council; but he has experience of urban council elections, as he was an unsuccessful contestant on several occasions some years ago.

Mr. Wilkinson and Mr. Phillips were both unsuccessful candidates last year.

Messrs. Wood and Swann hare not contested before, Mr. Wood is a member of the British Legion. Mr. Swann is associated with Roman Terrace Athletic Club.

Mr. Oliver was a Swinton councillor nearly a score of years ago. He left the district for a long period and returned two years ago.

The anti-Labour forces have been very quiet for a year or two, and Labour has been steadily increasing its hold on local administration since the sweep they made of the 1926 elections. This year the Independents are taking up the fight in earnest again, and a much keener election is expected than occurred last year. Amalgamation will be the leading issue, and the Labour Party are beginning to take it up in earnest, though there are still critics of the plan of Union with Mexborough in both camps.