Category Archives: Schools

1924 Comedy of vacancy at Lower Mitcham School

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SHY AND SILENT APPLICANTS.
COMEDY OF SCHOOL VACANCY.
Five men replied to an advertisement for assistant master at Lower Mitcham School, and were invited to interview the managers. None appeared.

Further invitations were sent – three of them. There was no response. The Clerk, Mr. W. J. Dickisson, then sent postcards to the three asking them attend an adjourned meeting, but all replied that they could not so.

In desperation Mr. Dickisson wrote to one man inquiring at which hour of the day he could attend. There was no reply till Tuesday morning, when the man wrote to say that he could not leave his present job.

This little comedy was recited at a meeting of the managers on Tuesday. The Clerk said that a candidate from Odiham wrote say that the train did not start in time for him to catch it (loud laughter)
A member: There is no station there.
The Clerk: That is probably the reason (loud laughter).

Source: Gloucestershire Echo – Wednesday 03 December 1924 from the British Newspaper Archive (subscription required)

1970 Rutted footpath of Moffat Gardens

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From the Mitcham News & Mercury
16th January, 1970

A RUTTED footpath fronting properties in Moffat Gardens, Mitcham, badly needs repairing – but no one has yet been able to agree who should finance the work.

The trustees of five of the eight houses in Moffat Gardens recently suggested that Merton Council might improve the foot-path which runs from Church Road.

“We would be willing to contribute £10 per property towards the cost of such work,” the trustees have told the council. Interested departments of the council ought to finance the rest of the work, the trustees thought.

It was felt the education committee might have an interest in seeing the path put in order as it led on to a side entrance way to Benedict Junior School.

And the housing committee should have an interest in making good the path as they managed three properties which had been acquired in Moffat Gardens by Merton Council.

Merton Borough surveyor, Mr. C. H. French, had indicated that work to this footpath could not be undertaken by the council as highway authority. But he suggested improvements mights be carried out if the trustees, the housing committee and the education committee — in respect of schoolchildren using the footpath — contributed on a proportionate basis.

Chief Education Officer, Mr, Ronald Greenwood, reported, however, that it appeared that only children actually residing in Moffat Gardens would need to use this footpath.

And so the education committee have backed a resolution by their general purposes
sub-committee that “in view of the comparatively small use made of this footpath by schoolchildren, the sub-committee feel unable to contribute towards the cost of improvement works.”

The housing committee views on the matter are expected next week.