The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-07-12 00:00:00

THE INCORPORATION SCHEME.:

. PRELIMINARY ENQUIRY. -
A pr: liminary enquiry was held on Tuesday mor
in t.ha Commissioners' Room, the principal
4j- et being to arrange a (Ltte for the full invest i-
s:,-tion of the' subject at a later date The Hon. J.
IT. P.Antan, f tha Privy Gamcil Office, atterded
to meet tl!e gentlemen interested in the petitions
for and against the prop sal, and it bad been under-
stood befc•rehan I that counsel would net appear on
this occasion,' Mr. J. B. Shepherd appeared for the
petitioners for a charter The following appeared
for those opposing the (barter; Mr T. Wall, the
Rural Sanitary Anthori!y ; Mr. Elcock. for Wollas-
ton ; Colonel Fletcher for the Stourbridge Canal
Navigaxion Company; Mr. J. L. Holberten, for
Wordriley ; Mr. W. H. King. for Mr, R.W. Foley,
the trustees of Lord Stamford, and PedEnore ; Mr.
Walker (of CorEer and Walker), for Amblecote and
Upper Swi-nford ; Mr. G. King Harrison, for the
Lye ; Mr. Parish, for WollescOte ; Mr. Tryon, for
Earl of Dudley; Mr, Smith, for the Great Western
Railway Company.; Ur. G. Perry for certain rate-
payers, at Stourbridge. There were also present
Messrs. W. J. Turney, 11. Mills, P. Parceter, J. E.
Swindell, Job Taytor, G. Hill (The Hayes), H.
Smith, and C. W. Collis.
Mr. Pelham said he had thought it desirable to
hold that prelunireary meeting, because there would
be come difficulty in fixing a convenient slay for the
enquiry by letter, there being such a large number
of authorities intere.ited. it Would probably save
time, trouble, and cxpense to have that prehminary
enquiry. One.importAnt consideration was the proof
of the signature to the various petitions'. It was
not a thing which couldibe done then, and it would
be very much better if one or two clerks were
deputed by the patties interested to go through the
rate-books, and find the nurr ber of inhalited-house-
holders who signed the petition,- and the amount of
their rateable value. He thought it would be well
now to go through the petitions, and see if each was
represented. He would take them in the order of
dates.

The substance of the petitions for a charter of
i..e ••ei,rati,n have already been fully given.
M . ti -4-sc-lutiful pus.,:ed Lytbe Rural
sanitary A.utho it:.,. tint it was undr s'ra'.le
that anr townships un.r,r. their control sbeu'd be
included in the pro,W,sed scheme of incorporation.
Thi petition from iVollaston against the scheme
stated there were 457 acres of land thr re, chiefly
agricultural. The rates in .1883 were 3s 4d, com-
pared with 5s 8d at Stodrbridge. The present sani-
tary and other arrangements were mentioned, and
the petitioners said the change would only increaie
the rates. By the Stom•bridge Improvement Act of
1866 they might have joined Stourbridge, but pre-
ferred remaining independent. Stourbridge hd a
stationary p;pulation, that of Wollaston was in-
creasing. There, were 300 :signatures ;against its
ineorportion. .
The Stourbridge Canal Navigation Compasy, who
had 363 acres in the district proposed to be ineor-
prated, petitioned against the s hemo on some of
the grounds urged in other petitions, and expressed
a fear that rates Would be increascd by a clthrge.
There were two petiti3us from Wordsley Pgainst
the scheme. They pointed out that Wordeey was
in another county an t diocese to Stourbridge, and
that its 2,000 acres was iirincipally agriultural
land. There were glass and other works, and
Wordsley was a rising part of the parish of King-
swinford. It was without any debt, and well
drained; whi:e Stourbridge had a heavy debt and
was highly rated. Wordsley was not connected
with Stourbridg,e, but with Brierley Hill. and was
supplied with wa'er and gas from Amblecote. Th 6
signatures agriost the scheme were very numer-
ous.