Digest of stories from The Luton News: Thursday, February 2nd, 1918.

Yesterday, the gratifying report was made at the annual licensing meeting for Luton borough that last year's total was the lowest on record for drunkenness.

In his first annual report, Chief Constable Mr Charles Griffin stated that there are in the borough 94 fully licensed houses, 13 beer houses (on), 25 beer houses (off) and seven other off-licensed houses, making a total of 139, according to the latest census (49,978) there was one licensed house for every 362 persons and one public house where intoxicating liquors are allowed to be consumed for every 457 persons.

The number of proceedings for drunkenness last year was 16 against 46 the previous year, although two of the 16 were proceeded against twice. There were 10 charges of simple drunkenness, three of drunk and disorderly, two of drunk on licensed premises and one of being drunk in charge of a child. Proceedings were instituted against three licensees, including one for allowing a child in the bar.

In the last ten years the number of licence holders had been reduced from 144 to 139 (the Duke of Cambridge closed on December 25th, 1917). Proceedings for drunkenness had steadily decreased since 1911 (126). Proceedings in 1912 were 116; 1913, 92; 1914, 70; 1915, 65; 1916, 46; 1917, 16.

• We learn that Messrs Douglas Stratford & Co have successfully negotiated a big number of property sales by private treaty. The latest, and perhaps the most interesting of the lot, is the announcement that the central and valuable block in George Street, embracing Nos 41, 43 and 45 and the extensive building site at the rear known as Adelaide Terrace, has been disposed of. It will be remembered that this was the popular selection as the ideal site for Luton's new Post Office, but the Government let the opportunity slip. The valuable site has been secured by a well known local tradesman, whose name we are not at liberty to disclose, with a view to improvement and development at the conclusion of the war.

• The question of the increase of illegitimate children in the Union Workhouse was remarked upon at a meeting of the Luton Board of Guardians on Monday. During a discussion regarding a girl with an illegitimate child, it was reported that an American lady was forming committees in this country to help such girls. She was at present in Luton, and hoped to form a committee through the Guild of Help. The Chairman remarked that the number of children having to be cared for by the Guardians was getting very serious. There were at present 16 in the infirmary besides those in the infant portion. There had never been so many, and they were mostly illegitimate.

• The fame evangelist and present President of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland, the Rev William Young Fullerton, of Leicester, paid Luton a visit on Saturday. He took part in several services which had been arranged over the weekend, including a conference at the Union Chapel on Saturday evening, at Park Street Church on Sunday morning, at Wellington Street Church on Sunday evening, and at a united public meeting held on Monday evening.

• On Monday, while leading a number of horses at Beech Hill, Driver Samuel Birchall, of the Army Service Corps, was knocked down by a horse which broke loose. His left leg was broken and he was conveyed to the Bute Hospital.

• At the Town Hall last night, a lecture was given by Mr W. G. Northwood, of behalf of the Food Ministry, to Luton bakers on the used of potatoes in bread. The meeting passed a resolution agreeing to use potato mash in bread at the earliest possible opportunity.

• The Luton Town Council meeting on Tuesday was of a very protracted character. The meeting lasted from 6pm to 9pm. Fully half of this time was spent in discussing that unfortunate Food Committee muddle which produced the Labour demonstration of last week and resulted in an undertaking from the committee itself to give Labour a direct representation of three in addition to the Co-operative nominee - four out of 12 seats. Various attempts were made by certain members of the Council to run away from the arrangement, and we cannot congratulate them upon their attitude. Our own view is that the bargain having been struck it should have been honoured with good grace; that instead of heating the air for an hour and a half, a quarter of an hour should easily have sufficed to being about the necessary reconstruction. We have no sympathy with the excuses put forward and the ignoring of the reasonable requests of the Trades and Labour Council which led up to the contretemps, and we those members who unsuccessfully tried to find some other way out are very short-sighted indeed if they do not realise that they are doing the very thing they desired not to do - playing the Labour Party's game.

• Luton Town Council on Tuesday night accepted a Finance Committee recommendation that under existing circumstances further consideration of the municipal control of the water undertaking should be adjourned until a more favourable time.

• Mrs Northover, of 24 Malvern Road, Luton, has received the official notification that her husband, Pte J. Northover (Royal Fusiliers), was wounded while in a shell hole on January 20th. He has three shrapnel wounds - in the right leg, foot and left thumb. He is now in hospital at Aberdeen, where he is making satisfactory progress. Pte Northover was formerly employed as manager of Mr A. J. Plummer's mineral water factory, Luton, for 12 years.

• The funeral took place on Monday at the Luton General Cemetery of the late Mr Cyril Burberry Gibbons, aged 23, second son of Mr and Mrs Henry Gibbons, of One Ash, Crescent Road, Luton, whose death occurred at noon on Wednesday of last week, after he was taken suddenly ill at home the previous Sunday and developed pneumonia. Mr Gibbons was engaged as a draughtsman in the Seaplane Section of the Royal Naval Air Service at the Hotel Cecil and was able to get home for weekends. Mr Gibbons, who had previously assisted in the family drapery business in Park Square, had at first served as a mechanic with the R.N.A.S. at Lincoln.

• Official news has been received by Mr George Lawson, of Chaul End, of the death of his son, Pte Harold Stewart Lawson, in Palestine. He landed in Egypt in April 1916 with the Norfolk Regiment and was wounded in the left leg by gunshot in April 1917. A letter has now been received from a friend saying that he was killed by a stray bullet, death being instantaneous.

• Many will hear with regret of the loss sustained by Mr and Mrs A.T. Dunmill in the death from wounds of their only son, Gunner John Barrow Dunmill (163556, Royal Garrison Artillery), a frequent visitor to Luton during the seven years in which his father has filled the important position of manager of the London County and Westminster Bank.

• A miraculous escape from death was the experience of Mrs Ashby, daughter of Luton's Councillor C. W. Escott, during the air raid on London on Monday night, January 28th. Mrs Ashby, with one of her little ones and an old lady, was sitting by the fire when a shell suddenly crashed through the roof. It passed through three floors to the basement and as it went through the room in which the little party were sitting, it actually struck and tore the left arm of the older lady. It came to a stop in the basement but, fortunately, did not explode, and the occupants of the house were speedily removed from danger, both ladies suffering from shock and the little boy bruised and cut by falling fragments of the ceiling. The military authorities removed the shell.