WORKHOUSE DIET UNDER SCRUTINY

At the Abingdon Board of Guardians’ meeting last weekend, the cost of provisions at the Workhouse was submitted. The period was for three months, and the amount was £368 4s. 4d., as against £396 13s. 4d. for the corresponding period of last year, at which time there were no vagrants, whereas the amount for the past quarter included over 50 vagrants. The weekly cost of provisions showed a decrease of about 1s. per head.

Mrs. E. C. Reynolds, one of the guardians representing the borough of Abingdon, said the allowance of half an ounce of margarine per inmate per day was low; it was really awful. She would like the members of the Board to try the margarine diet and see what they thought of the allowance. Then she saw that jam at 5d. per lb. was given to the inmates. What could jam at that price be made of, she asked, when sugar cost that amount per pound?

She also complained of the guardians selling the fruit grown in the Workhouse gardens and giving the inmates what any schoolboy would probably call “muck.” The Chairman (Mr. H. Weaving) said they could not make jam unless the fruit was given to them, to which Mrs. Reynolds replied that it cost them nothing, as it was grown in the institution’s own gardens, and protested against the guardians sending the fruit to local tradesmen for them to make a profit. The Chairman thought the Master was acting wisely in selling the fruit. The matter was eventually referred to a committee.

NEW DISPOSAL PLANT.
A new sewage disposal plant has been installed at the Abingdon pumping station, and members of the Corporation attended the formal opening last week. The work has been carried out by Messrs. J. Taylor & Sons Ltd., Deptford, London, and is the latest in dealing with the disposal of sewage. The total pumping capacity of the plant is 3,466,000 gallons per day. It is estimated that during storms the amount of sewage to be pumped will only reach 1,749,000 gallons per day. A plaque has been fixed to the wall, with the inscription: “Borough of Abingdon. Sewage Pumping Station and Sewage Farm Extension, 1922-24.”

OUTING.
On Saturday, the annual outing at Nelson Inn took place, where the party went by charabanc to Wembley, departing at 6:30 a.m. and returning home at 12:15 a.m.

RETIRED RURAL POSTMAN.
Mr. Levi Broughton, of Park Road, Abingdon, who has retired from employment as a rural postman for the district after 40 years of service, was on Wednesday presented with H.M. Imperial Service Medal for long and meritorious service. Mr. Lucas, postmaster of Abingdon, made the presentation and mentioned the respect in which the recipient was held.

HOLIDAY-MAKER’S SUDDEN DEATH
Mr. Goode, of Isleworth, Middlesex (aged 49 years), a commercial artist and illustrator, who was camping out on the “Nag’s Head” island with his wife and children, on Thursday afternoon bathed with his daughter. On getting out of the water, he collapsed, falling forward on his face into the shallow water. Dr. R. H. Scott, M.D., of Abingdon, stated that he was called to the island and found others trying artificial respiration, which was continued for some time, but life was extinct. The cause of death was syncope (a sudden loss of consciousness) from overexertion on a half-empty stomach.

HORTICULTURAL SHOW
The Abingdon Horticultural Show was held in the Abbey House grounds, by permission of the Mayor and Corporation, on the 7th inst. The entries were well up to last year’s, and the attendance was good. Besides the usual show, the committee also organized a rabbit and pigeon show, which proved a great success. The Abingdon Town Band gave selections in the afternoon and supplied the music for the dancing in the evening. The Volunteer Fire Brigade gave a display of fire fighting. In the baby show, the winners in the different classes were Mrs. F. Lewis, Mrs. Turner, and Mrs. A. Tarry. (There then follows a long list of winners in the horticultural show.)

NEW UNIFORM
The Abingdon Town Band has now been supplied with new uniforms of a dark-blue cloth with green and yellow facings.

LOCAL TERRITORIALS
The local Territorials of the 4th Batt. Royal Berkshire Regiment returned from camp on Sunday, having been at Salisbury Plain for the past fortnight.

CHARGE OF ABDUCTION
At the County Police Court on Monday, Harold Milligan, alias Jock Martin, aged 23, a variety artist of no fixed abode, was charged with taking a girl of 16 out of the custody of her parents. The girl, a domestic servant employed at Cumnor, met Milligan last May, but her parents objected to them keeping company due to her age. Milligan persuaded the girl to leave her employment, and on the 7th August, they walked to Henley and then on to Aylesbury en route to London, sleeping at night in fields. Milligan sang in the streets for money to support them. The prisoner was sent for trial at the Berks Assizes.

ABINGDON TOWN BAND APPLICATION
The Abingdon Town Band has made application to the Town Council for permission to play in the Abbey House Grounds on Thursday evenings, and will also play on the ‘Nag’s Head’ meadow on Sunday if permission can be obtained.

COUNTY POLICE COURT
On Monday, a farm labourer named John Lambourne was accused of attacking a 14-year-old girl on August Bank Holiday. The girl was walking home from Cumnor along a lane when he grabbed her and assaulted her. A man named George Neadwell heard the girl screaming and went to help her, and Lambourne ran away. The judge sentenced Lambourne to 14 days hard labour.
Leslie Berry, was fined for riding his bike without a light.

RICK FIRE
On Saturday afternoon, a rick belonging to Mr. W. E. Long, farmer, Marcham, was found to be on fire. The Abingdon Fire Brigade was called and saved a portion of the rick. The cause of the fire was over-heating.

CHILDREN’S TREAT
The Church Sunday School children had their annual treat on Saturday, but as the weather prevented it from being held in a meadow, the proprietors of the Cinema in Stert Street kindly gave an extra performance in the afternoon.

GOLDEN WEDDING
Last week, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Townsend celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They were married at St. Michael’s Church in Abingdon in 1874. They used to own a bakery and grocery store in the Vineyard, but they retired in 1914. They are both in good health, even though they are very old.

Thanks to the Oxford Chronicle and Reading Gazette, North Wilts Herald and Reading Standard on the British Newspaper Archive. Thanks to the Oxford Chronicle for the Summertown Baby Competition and jam advert. Ebay for the 1st Edition Mrs Beeton’s Jam Making book and the 1920s bicycle lamp.