If the pace of Corporate business continues as slow as it has been, weekly meetings will be necessary for some time to come. Comparing the agenda of the meeting on January 23 with last night’s agenda, we find that over the course of three sittings, lasting approximately seven hours, only seven items were addressed. Last night’s agenda had eight items and four notices of motion. The Council sat from 7:30 to 10:15 and left some items, along with all the notices of motion, unresolved. The method used to elect members of the Free Library Committee was incredibly primitive. Instead of employing a more efficient process such as writing down the names on slips and having them examined by scrutineers, each member simply shouted out their nominees, causing a loud buzz of conversation and wasting half an hour. The behavior of some individuals beyond the barrier, who hooted and jeered during the proceedings, was unacceptable. In response, the Mayor expressed his intention to exercise discretion in admitting people to the Council Chamber. The Mayor’s decision to keep out rowdy individuals, who have no one but themselves to blame for their exclusion, is commendable.

Northants Evening Telegraph – Saturday 08 February 1902