Galway In Days Gone By

Housing issues 

The new Galway Urban Council, with a proper appreciation of the conditions under which numbers of families are housed in Galway, has been quick to take advantage of the schemes for the housing of the working classes.

At the meeting of the council yesterday, Mr. J. S. Young, Vice Chairman, presiding, a letter was read from the Housing Department of the Ministry for Local Government, approving of the plans for the erection of eighteen more houses in Galway on the condition that the sites were acquired for a reasonable sum.

The chairman said at the last meeting the prices of the selected sites were discussed and it was agreed that they were very reasonable.

Messrs. Golding and McDermot, solicitors, wrote requesting to be informed whether the council was definitely prepared to sell the houses in Southpark.

Mr. Pringle said he thought the council was definitely prepared to sell the houses in Southpark. Mr Pringle said he thought the council should sell to any tenant that was prepared to pay a reasonable price for his house.

Secretary: Would you sell them for £150? – Mr. Pringle: I would not. – Secretary: That is the amount the tenants wanted to pay for the houses.

1950

Council formation

If it is still to be held that the representation of various county electoral divisions on County Councils should be determined according to the comparative strength of the electorate in the divisions, it would appear that the time has come for an amendment to the constitution of some, at least, of these councils.

County Galway, for instance, is divided into five areas for the purpose of the County Council elections. Tuam at one time had the biggest area from the point of view of the number of voters on the register and got a representation of eight councillors on the Council of 31 members.

On a system of proportional representation Galway division was given a representation of seven, Loughrea division was allocated six seats, and Ballinasloe and Oughterard areas were given five seats each.

But the movement from the land and the growth of the larger centres of population has upset the position somewhat. The number of voters in four of the five county electoral divisions has fallen, while in the Galway area, which includes Galway city, there has been a big increase.

The position now is that the Galway electoral division has 24,549 voters on the lists, while the Tuam division is now in second place with 28,891. That would appear to be an argument for increasing the representation of the Galway electoral division at the expense of Tuam.

Pictured: A group of Leaving Certificate students from Loughrea photographed in June 1967.