arrow The Cumberland Pacquet arrow January 30th 1902 arrow Conservative Association
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       WHITEHAVEN CONSERVATIVE
                   ASSOCIATION.
                                                        ____

     The annual general meeting of the members
of the Whitehaven Conservative Association was
held in the Reading Room on Monday evening.
Mr. J. G. DEES presided, and amongst the large
number of members present were  Mr. R. W.
MOORE, Mr. J. J. HANNAH, Mr. T. ELLWOOD,
Mr. W. MOORE, Mr. T. BROWNE, Mr. BLADES,
Mr. A. REED, Mr. H. BURNS, Mr. W. HASTWELL,
Mr. T. K. JOHNSTON, Mr. T. ATKINSON, Mr. T.
BRAKENRIDGE,  Mr. J. JOHNSTON,  Mr. G.
MITCHELL,  Mr. H. BIRD,  Mr. J. BARR,  Mr. J.
ELLWOOD, Mr. J. ORANGE (secretary), etc.
      The Secretary read a letter from Mr. HELDER,
M.P., stating that he was unable to attend the
meeting owing to his Parliamentary duties, and
hoping the meeting would go off well.

      The Secretary read a  statement of accounts
and the following report (the twenty-second) of the
Committee:--
      "In accordance with the rules, your Committee
beg to report upon the affairs of the Association for
the past year, the twenty-second of its existence.  
The  statement of  accounts made up to  the 31st
December, 1901, shows the total receipts to be £355
10s 1d, and the expenditure  £322 16s 1d,  leaving
the very  satisfactory credit  balance of  £22 12s, as
against £6 6s 2d at the beginning of the year.  The
subscriptions  show a decrease of  £7 11s, and the
hire of chairs £1 13s 5d; on the other hand the billiard
receipts are £25 8s 4d, and the rents derived from the
letting of the  Primrose Hall  £22 3s 3d  more than in
1900.  During the year two of the billiard tables have
been re-covered, the billiard room thoroughly cleaned
and decorated, and the rooms generally kept in an ex-
cellent condition.  The Committee have to deplore the
loss of one of their  members by the  death of the late
Mr. J. T. ANDERSON, a very old member of the Assoc-
iation.  Although local politics have been a dead letter
during the year, our member, Mr. HELDER, has paid
the most unremitting  attention to his  Parliamentary
duties. Your Committee are pleased to learn that at the
invitation of the Earl of Lonsdale to the Marquis of Lon-
donderry, President of the Northern Union of Conserv-
ative Associations, that body will hold its annual meet-
ing here in the autumn of this year.  One of the princi-
pal features of the past year was the successful voyage
round the Empire of T.R.H. The Duke and Duchess of
York (now the Prince and Princess of Wales) which has
been the means of demonstrating, not only to His Maj-
esty's subjects, but to the whole world, the solid found-
ation of the British Empire. The war in South Africa has
not been concluded, but everything points to an early
termination.  Although there is no really serious fighting,
several guerilla bands are infesting the country, render-
ing it insecure.  The registration of Unionist voters in the
Borough has, as always, been carefully attended to during
the year by  Mr. R. W. MOORE,  and your Committee are
glad to report that at the last revision another large major-
ity was scored for the Unionist Party. 

      The Chairman, in moving the adoption of the
report and statement of accounts, said he thought
it was unfortunate their meeting was held at this
date because as a rule it was one that did not suit
their Member.  Generally Parliament was sitting,
and, therefore, as Boyle ROCHE said: "Not being a
bird he can't be in two places at a time." (Laughter.)  
Mr. HELDER could not be doing his duty at West-
minster and here. He was sure it would be a pleasure
to their Member and to themselves to met him and
to give him an opportunity of giving them an address
on the political situation generally.  (Hear, hear) He
hoped they would not expect him to give them any
oration on political events. (Laughter.)  As the report
said,  there was  very little  now-a-days to be said on
politics.  There was only one subject, and that was
the War,  and they  were all of them,  he was sure
heartily  sick of that and  wished they had not even
that to talk about.  He thought, as the report said,
the War was  drawing to a close.  Slowly but  surely
Lord KITCHENER seemed to be getting the wandering
Generals  into his meshes,  and he hoped that before
very long he would have the notorious  DE  WET and
when they got him into the web there would be very
little afterwards.  The newspapers that morning ann-
ounced the  capture of  VILJOEN, one of the  famous
Generals, which showed that the War was drawing to
a close slowly but surely.  Taking the report seriatim
the first item that called for remark was the expression
of regret on the part of the Committee,  which, he was
sure, was shared by every member of the Association,
in the death of the late Mr. ANDERSON.  (Hear, hear.)  
Mr. ANDERSON was, he should think, probably one of
the original members of the Association.  He served on
the  committee  and he was not only a  member of the
Association but also a useful member of the conservative
Party.  (Hear, hear.)  If over  there was a nything to do,
any work to be done, whether it was legal or in connection
with an election or whatever it was, Mr. ANDERSON was
one of the few who was always  willing to come forward
and do his best.  (Applause.)  He thought it would not
be out of place if this Association, though late, were to
express to those Mr. ANDERSON left behind him a sense
of the loss the Association and the Party in Whitehaven
had sustained by his death.  (Applause.)  With their
permission, the Secretary would convey such a message
from this meeting.

      The next item in the report was in connection
with a more pleasant subject and that was with re-
ference to the acceptance of Lord  Lonsdale's invit-
ation by the Northern Union of Conservative Asso-
ciations to hold their next meeting at Whitehaven.  
He was not possessed of much information beyond
what was  contained in the report.  He only knew
that at the last meeting held at West Harlepool the
Earl of Lonsdale was present and he then gave an
invitation to the Association to hold their next ann-
ual meeting at Whitehaven.  It was one of the largest
gatherings of Conservatives held in the North of En-
gland.  They should then,  no doubt,  have someone
of high rank, probably a Cabinet Minister, to address
the meeting, and he had no doubt whatever it would
do some good in this neighbourhood----not that the
Conservative cause in this neighbourhood was in need
of very much stimulation.  (Hear, hear.)  Happily they
were, he thought, in an assured position.  (Applause.)  
In the Borough, at all events, they were in an assured
position, but the gathering would extend not only to
the  Borough but also to the  Egremont  Division, and
he hoped and thought the effect of it would be to stre-
ngthen the position of the Conservative Members and,
if possible--of course, it was possible, because there were
some Radicals left----(laughter)----convert the remaining
Radicals and so enhance the numbers of Conservatives
in the Egremont Division as well as in the Borough.  
(Laughter and applause.) 

    With regard to the reference to the voyage of the Price
and  Princess of Wales,  a great deal had been said on it
and all  that had been said  came to but one  thing, one
tone of congratulation that the British Empire was so far
spread over the face of the globe, that, as the German Em-
peror said only yesterday in welcoming the Prince to Ger-
many, that it was a  marvelous thing  His Royal  Highness
should have traveled 40,000 miles without setting foot on
any territory that was not British.  (Applause.)  Even the
German Emperor expressed his admiration at the existence
of such an Empire.  As  Englishmen they could only be
proud that it was so and they were determined, everyone
of the, to do their level best to make it even greater, to
spread it further and to make it more secure.  (Applause.) 

      There was a slight inaccuracy in the last para-
graph of the report.  Mr. MOORE had not "always"
attended to the registration but he had for a very
great number of years very carefully attended to it.  
(Mr. ORANGE  said what was meant was during Mr.
MOORE'S reign.)  However, it was only a slight lapse
and  he did not mean to say anything  degrogatory
of the registration work  or of Mr. MOORE because
nobody for a moment would seek to contribute any-
thing  except what  Mr. MOORE  deserved and that
was the highest credit, because since ever he took
charge of the registration the tendency had always
been in one direction and that was the right one,
and he could tell them, perhaps knowing more about
it than any of them except  Mr. MOORE,  intimately
acquainted as he was with him, and knowing what
the work was, that the work was most efficiently done
and he did not think there was another person in this
part of the world who could do it as well as Mr. MOORE.  
(Applause.)  His long experience, patience, and perse-
verance was an assurance that the Unionist registration
so long as it was in the hands of Mr. MOORE, would be
conducted in the most satisfactory manner, and he had
no doubt before the end of the meeting they would give
expression to their sentiments in that regard.  (Applause).

    Mr. BROWNE seconded the motion, and it was agreed
to.
    ~to be continued.

Transcribed by Diane Moore, 03/11/2006
 
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