Page:Ragged Trousered Philanthropists.djvu/297

 CHAPTER XXVII

the next meeting of the Town Council Mr Wireman's report concerning the Electric Light Works was duly read. The expert's opinion was so favourable—and it was endorsed by the Borough Engineer, Mr Oyley Sweater—that a resolution was unanimously carried in favour of acquiring the Works for the town, and a secret committee was appointed to arrange the preliminaries. Alderman Sweater then suggested that a suitable honorarium be voted to Mr Wireman for his services. This was greeted with a murmur of approval from most of the members, and Mr Didlum rose with the intention of proposing a resolution to that effect when he was interrupted by Alderman Grinder, who said he couldn't see no sense in giving the man a thing like that; why not give him a sum of money?

Several members said 'hear, hear,' to this, but some of the others laughed.

'I can't see nothing to laugh at,' cried Grinder, angrily. 'For my part, I wouldn't give you tuppence for all the honorariums in the country. I move that we pay him a sum of money.'

'I'll second that,' said another member of the band—one of those who had cried 'hear, hear'.

Alderman Sweater said that there seemed to be a little misunderstanding, and explained that an honorarium was a sum of money.

'Oh, well, in that case I'll withdraw my resolution,' said Grinder. 'I thought you wanted to give 'im a 'luminated address or something like that.'

Didlum now moved that a letter of thanks and a fee of fifty guineas be voted to Mr Wireman, and this was also unanimously agreed to. Dr Weakling said that it seemed rather a lot, but he did not go so far as to vote against it.

The next business was the proposal that the Corporation 285