The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-06-06 00:00:00

A CHURCH DESTROYED BY FIRE.

St. Paul's Church, an ivy-clad structure, situated
on a hill, in the picturesque neighbourhood of Woodford
Bridge, Essex, was totally destroyed by fire on Mon-
day, nothing now remaining intact but the spire of
the sacred edifice. The church was entered at about
a quarter-past nine o'clock on Monday morning, and
as soon as the door leading to the gallery was opened
dense volumes of smoke poured out of the building,
and soon a burst of flame was observed. Information
was at once despatched by a mounted messenger to
the Woodford Fire Brigade, whose station is
about two miles from Woodford Bridge. The
Brigade expeditiously set out to the scene of the
fire ; but by the time they arrived, notwith-
standing all that had been done by volunteers
in the meantime: St. Paul's Church was fully
alight, and it was at once seen that it was doomed to
destruction. The Superintendent of the Woodford
Brigade had sent for assistance to Buckhurst-hill,
and a Brigade from that place and two engines of the
Leyton and Leytonstone Volunteer Fire Brigade
-under Captain Miller, rendered good service; but
in a very short time the roof of the church fell
in, about a couple of hours' hard work being gone
through before the fire was subdued. Throughout
there was an excellent supply of water. An in-
spection of the ruins showed how thoroughly
the fire got hold of the building. Presumably
originating in the gallery, the fire seems to have
passed along the aisle, burning each side as it
went, and up to the chancel, which is totally des-
troyed. The flooring and seats in the church are
now nothing more than a mass of charred wood;
only the joists of the floor of the gallery remains,
while not a trace of the organ can be found
amongst the debris. On the north side of the church
there are two stout columns, and these have suffered
from the heat so much that flakes of stone have fallen
off, leaving the columns but skeletons of what they
were. The whole of the windows of the church have
also been destroyed, four of them being stained glass,
of great value one being placed in the church by the
late Mr. King, in memory of his wife, at a cost of
160 guineas. The walls and the spire of the sacred
edifice now stand, but both have been damaged, the
former so seriously that they will have to be replaced.
St. Paul's was opened on July 18, 1854, the Rev. C.
B. Waller being the first incumbent. The living,
which is in the gift of the rector, is of the annual value
•of £250. The building is insured for about £3OOO,
but it is not expected that it can be re-erected for this
amount.

"How do you sell the strawberries, misiis?'"asked
an impecunious-looking ureitin of a female fruiterer,
at a season when "fruit was up." Though dieporl
to cuff him out, she told him; whereupon he sad.
"Oh, well; give uR a 'apenny turnip, missis ;
beggar for frttit,".
_ ,
,


THE BEER AND SPIRIT DUTIES.

Under the auspices of the Country Brewers' So-
ciety a meeting was held on Tuesday afternoon in
her Majesty's Theatre, Haymarket, London, to pro-
test against the increase in the beer and spirit duties.
The spacious building was filled in every part, and SO
many people were unable to gain admission that a
supplementary demonstration was made at Willis's
Rooms. Mr. H. Simonds, chairman of the society,
presided, and among those present were Mr. Bulwer,
Q.C., M.P., Mr. Pickering Phipps M.P., Mr. Halsey,
M.P., Mr. Hicks, M.P., Mr. Orreil Lever, MP., Mr.
Wharton, M.P., the Earl of Longford, Sir W. St.
John Wkeelhouse, and J. Whitaker, Esq. (Richard
Whitaker and Co., Halifax). _ _

The Chairman explained that the society was one
of the largest connected with the trade in the king-
dom, for while 500 brewers belonged to it, no less
than twenty-eight associations were affiliated to it,
and nearly all the retail societies throughout the
country were more or less identified with it. They
had not embarked upon that agitation of their own
free will, but had been dragged into it by foolish and
iniquitously unjust legislation. (Cheers.) It might
be supposed by some that, because they were attack-
ing the Government, they were departing from their
principles and mixing up with party politics. But,
although it was a political question, it was not
necessarily one of a party character, and the aim of
the society was particularly to avoid party politics.
(Hear, hear.) For many years the malt tax stood at
a sum equivalent to 225. Bd. per quarter, but in 1881
a duty on beer was substituted, and the Chancellor of
the Exchequer stated at the time that the increase
was only just sufficient to ensure the turn of the scale
being in favour of the Government. An outcry was
raised that the so-called turn in the scale was heavily
loaded against the trade, and events had more than
amply justified the outcry. The oppressive increase
in the license duty on public-houses had led to a large
augmentation of revenue, but it had been the means
of crushing 5000 houses out of existence. (Cries of
"Shame.") It was no uncommon thing in country
districts for the spirit duty to exceed, not the profit
alone, but the gross value of the spirits sold. (Re-
newed cries.) The audacity of the present financial
arrangements was further proved by the circumstance
that, while the tax on what he would designate public
brewers had been increased, that on private brewers
had been decreased, thereby producing a large amount
of illicit brewing. Now the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer wanted to create a still greater augmentation
of their burdens, and it was this last step that im-
pelled them to raise their voices. They felt that a
grievous wrong was being done them by the Govern-
ment, who, while proposing to levy an enhanced
tax upon beer and spirits, intended to leave wines
practically untouched. (Cries of "Shame.") Was
it, he asked, proper or just that a poor man at a
public-house should pay 34d. tax on his quartern of
gin while the rich man at his club only paid 2.3 d. on
a bottle of champagne, costing probably 10s. ? (Re-
newed cries.) It had been urged that it was only
right that the poor consumer of beer and spirits
should be made to bear the extra demands of the
empire; but if that were so, what reasonable objec-
tion could be taken to the doctrine recently promul-
gated that every kind of property should pay a
ransom for its existence? (Cheers.) In fine, be pro-
tested against the proposal of the Government as un-
fair to trade, as unjust to the public, especially the
working classes, and as being as ridiculous a financial
operation as could possibly be conceived. He moved:
"That this meeting, while ready cordially to sup-
port any fair measure for raising the increased
revenue necessary to maintain efficiently the security
of the empire, earnestly protests against the one-sided
scheme of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which it is
of opinion is in violation of every principle of equit-
able adjustment, and would impose upon the poorer
section of one class of the community the wlmie
burden of the additional expenditure; and it is f ur-
thor of opinion that the increased duty on beer and
spirits is unduly onerous on the agricultural class and
combines a maximum restriction on trade with a
minimum of financial result." (Cheers.)
Mr. Halsey, M.P., seconded the resolution.
A person in the body of the theatre rose to move
an amendment, but he was assailed with loud cries of
"Turn him out.* He persisted in endeavouring to
make himself heard, and was forcibly ejected amid
considerable uproar. The resolution was then sub-
mitted to the meeting, and carried by an overwhelm-
ing majority. •
On the motion of Mr. Hodgson (Kingston-on-
Thames), seconded by Mr. Steward (Norwich), it was
decided to send copies of the foregoing resolution to
the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the leaders of
both political parties.
The huge meeting was then dissolved.