The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-01-05 00:00:00

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C 0 M MISSIONERS' MEETING:

The usual monthly,meeting of this body wag
held in the Board Room, on Monday; Mr. C. Evers
in the chair. There were also present Messrs.
Hughes, Itelley, Mills, Hill, Allsop, Edwards,
Ick, Woolley, Perkin, Paget% Hicklin, and Wake-

field.
The minutes of the last meeting were read and
confirmed.

FINANCE COMMITTEES' REPORT.
The Clerk read the Finance Committee' report

which showed the-following balances : Highway
Account due from Treasurer to this. date,
£l6 18s id; Improvement Account balance due
from Treasurer £214 is 8d; Urban Sanitary Au-
thority AcTunt balance due to Treasurer £282

9s Bd. v • '
Your committee have examined a number of
accounts and recommend that the following ac-
counts be paid :—llighWay Account, £llB 7s 6d;
Improvement Account, £367 is 2d, being £2Ol
17s lid for Gas Account; Urban Sanitary
Account, .269 11s Od. •

REPORT OF THE GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEE.
MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH'S REPORT.—
Fifteen deaths have occurred during the month
viz., 8 males and 7 females. - The death-rate is
19.1 per 1,000, three deaths from scarlatina.
Thirty-six births have occurred in the same period
viz., 8 male and 28 .females. The birth-rate is
32.2. per 1,000. The officer reports the death-rate
this month similar to what it was last month
and scarlet fever seems to have been on the de-
crease.
YEARLY REPORT FOR 1877.—The. number of
deaths during the whole year is 169. The death-
rate is 16.9. Last year the number was 183
which shows most favourably for the health of'
the town. During the past year there was not
one death from typhoid fever which shows well
for the water supply. There have been several
inspections made by me of places where the water
was not fit for drinking purposes and in each case
my recommendation was carried
,out, Scarlet
fever caused 17 deaths and in each instance I
dissected the Inspector to disinfect the house and
the clothes. This was done as far as possible.
No death oecurred from measles and only one
from whooping cough. Forty-eight deaths
occurred under one year of age which is a large
proportion, being nearly one-third of the whole
mortality and 50 over the age of sixty. Of this
number 41 died in - the coldest months .of tie
year, showing the effect thatuold has upon aged
people.
The Medical . Officer's Journal was laid before
your committee. Premises in Bowling Green
Lane and Union Street have been visited and
instructions given .for the removal of nuisances
found there have been carried out.
TOWN Orrimues REPORT.—NUifirtIIOO9 from last
month, 11; reported during the month, 82; total,
93 ; removed old, 10 ; new, 53 ; total, 63;
remaining, 30. Removal of Night Soil, 90 privies,
73 ashpits, and the cesspools belonging to 170
houses have been emptied and cleans.xland the
contents removed.
CLEANING OP STREETS.—The Inspector laid
before your committee a detailed account of
expenses incurred during the month for the extra
cleaning of the streets (formerly Turnpike roads)
which was approved of by your committee, and
they recommend that the costs, viz., .41 17s 9cl
be paid to Mr. Iforseley.
Your committee recommends that the present
system of cleaning the streets be continued for
another month.

------ --
SWEEPING MACHINE.—Your committee have
adjourned the further consideration of this busi-
ness to the next meeting.
A letter has been written to Mr. Wilson, post-

master, on the subject referred to at your last
meeting from whom a reply has been received
which will be laid before you.
DISINFECTING APPARATllS.—Particulars have
been rece_ved from Messrs. Nelson and Sons
which have been passed to the Medical Officer of
Health for inspection and report. The required
quantity of canvas hose for use in case of fire
has been purchased bringing up the total quantity
to 400 feet. The question of a reel and fire
escape has been referred to a sub-committee con-
sisting of Messrs. C. Evers, H. Hicklin, C. Mills,
and the Clerk to consider and report.
On the motion of Mr. Hicklin, seconded by Mr.
Kelley, the report was received.
The Clerk stated that he had given notice that
during the ensuing financial year the Commis-
sioners might require to borrow £lO,OOO from the
Public Works Loan Commissioners to meet
drainage expenses.
Mr. Kelley : We're not obliged to have it and
we don't want it?
The Clerk: Oh dear, no. The Clerk laid before
the Board some notices he had received from the
Great Western Railway Company respecting
applications they intended to make at the nest •
Session of Parliament, one of them being for an
extension of time for the filling up of the viaduct
at Stamber Mill.
In' regard to the statements Made of pieces
of wood falling ft,oin the viaduct, ' Messrs.
Hughes and Kelley thought, there, should be
an investigation such as would. satisfy . the
public.
, The Clerk read a letter ha had received fr9m
Mr. T. Addison saying that his son was constantly
passing under the viaduct, and pieces of timber
were frequently falling. One, a piece of planking
six feet long, fell into the road, and was so rotten
that it could be rubbed into powder. A copy of
this-letter has been sent to Mr. Grierson, and, the
Clerk had received no reply.
There was some conversation' relating to the
alterations the Railway Company proposed
making in the streets with which the branch line
interfered. .
The Clerk said Mr. Shaw, one of the compkny's
engineers, had seen him, and said that owing to
the level .of the branch line having bean raised
(above the plans) in FoSter-Street, a foot-bridge
crossing it there would be impracticable; anda
was suggested that there should be instead a
"sub-way," either at Foster Street or George
Walk. He (the Clerk) urged upon the ergineer
that a sub-way at Foster Street would be most
desirable.

Mr. Mills said a number of;the inhabitants of the
town were very much dissatistiad with the way
in which the company were interfering with the
streets. If the company had only raised the line
six feet more at the bottom of the town he
thought they might have been able to have
made the line without altering the Birmingham
and Fostor Streets nearly so much as they now
proposed..
Eventually Mr. Kelley moved a resolution
" Thlt amittee of five should have the
mann- - . of the railway r," ..irs", and this was
agret. the members o ae committee bting
Mess . Hughes, Mills, Pagett, Billingham,
Wool.ey, and the Clerk, with power to act. -
Mr. Kelley remarked that he never heard so
much grumbling in his life as about roster
Street.
The Boundary Committee presented a report
referring to their investigations as to the
boundary of the township near and about Mr.
Turney's worke, and also as to an interview they
had hal with the highway surveyors of Upper
Swinford. The former matter was referred back
to the committee, and will be again brought on.
With the highway surveyors the committee had
agreed that the Commissions should repair the
road from Pepper Hill to the place where the
turnpike gate formerly stood; and the highway
surveyors repair the road from the gate to the
boundary of the township-viz., Aso brook from
the Heath Pool. Also that so much of tho
road leading from the White Horse as had
been hitherto repaired by the surveyors of
Upper Swinford should be repaired by thpm in the
future.

REPORT OF TEE IMPROVEISEkTT COMMITTEE.