The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-04-21 00:00:00

KIDDERMINSTER TOWN COUNCIL,

The monthly mee-ing of the above m a.s held on
Wednesday, under the presidency of the Mayor (Mr.
G. W. Grosvenor). Ile read a conimuniation from
the Worcestershire Vagr,,nt Relief Society describ-
ing its objects and asking for subscriptions, Ti.e
latter were limited to 103 per year.
The repert of the Improvement Committee was
read, recommendire; that £5,000 be borrowed from
the Prudential Assuraee:3 Company at 4.per cent.
per annum, payable in fl ty years, for the purpose
of street improvements.,
This was adopted.
The rei.-ort of the Thainage Committee was also
read and pa-so I.
Mr D. Corbet, Medical Officer of Health, re-
ported that during the past month th,re had been
80 births tn the borough, as against 79 for the cor-
responding period last year. In the same time
there had b en 65 deaths or 33•156 in the 1,000,
against 40 or 2010 in the IWO in the correspond •
ing month last year. Mr. Corbett al-o presented
his annual report. In tlis he stated that as well as
his daily inspection of some part of the disa-ict he
has made a complete inspection of che whole of his
district on three occasions during the year. The
sanitary condition of it was fidrly good. He re-
minded the sanitary Committee that there were no
mains for iselatieg infectious cases. That was a
matter requiring the most serious consideration.
The report of tile sanitary Cothrnittee having been
read and adopted, Alderman Tovey asked the
Medicel Offi er to what he could assign the very
high leath-rate of the borough.
Mr. Corbett said the deaths were amongst the
very old and the young, and they were chiefly due
to the coleweather and east winds,
Mr. Dixon called attention to the sta,fe of some of
the lodging-houses'. 'there was one lodging-house
with a room twelve feet square, in which four men
and four women were sleeping. There was no
screen, and nothing in the way of common decency
and propriety in the place. Above that there was a
smaller room, to which access was gained by a
ladder, and th-re were three beds in it, occupied by
six par e ons of both sexes.
Mr. West, the s taitary inspector, said he knew
the place referred to, and he had o dared the lodg-
ing-house keeuer to 'take one of the beds out. The
place was not suitable for a lodging-house.
Mr. Dixon said if i was not suitable it should be
shut up.,

The -Mayor and other members of the Corpora-
lieu severely censured the Sanitary Inspector for
allowhig su:•11 a state of things to,exist. The rooms
were afterwards measured, aud it was found that
they had only cubic space for half the number of
persons eleepini.:; in them.
The rec.nt tire in Coventry Street was ti.k) re-
ictred to, and Yr. Haigh, Supetiutendeut of
was blamed for DA haVingptaeed a cordon of policQ
at each end of the stre,t totre .distance iron the
fire, so as to prevent the crowd :rom impeding the
operations of the fire brigade.
The tenoning gentlemen were re-elected re.
presentative governors of the Grammar School for
tha next five years :—The Mayor 01r. G. W.
(ir,sv, nor), Messrs. (.). Crowther, E. Shaw, and M.
Tomkinson.