The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-07-08 00:00:00

C LIORAL FESTIVAL AT KIDDERMINSTER

0:1 Tuesday tiurrterlv meeting of the lib ire Com-tc
was held in the Cam-liter ; the Mayor (Ur. J. Stokes'
in the cliai
A di putaton, consisting of Messrs. J. Dolman, W.
Fl i and Lewis, waited upon the C uncil, and Larked
fdr the patronage of the Mayor and Corporation in coo
oection with a pr..posed religious service at which the
friendly sod( ties were to subscribe towards the funds of
the Guest llopitrl and the Dispensary.
'I he. Mayer said that in the past the Council as a
body had decided to decline patronising any charity or
entertainment, and determined to keep to its legitimate
lymir.ess of carrying on the governrot at of the ti we.
There was not the slightest objection to members of the
CGIIII4II. attending in their private capacity.
Several rue:, hers of the Council agree I with the
Mayor's I en ark:%, and the subject dropped.
'1 lie Mayor then alluded to the report, which has been
published, relating to the interview with Lord Duette)
as to :11..t extensive dilapidations of woiking men's dwell-
ings at Nethe; tin and Woodside The result of that
interview was very disappointing, hut as the success of
the matter cli.l not lie with the dei u'ation they lid
nothit.g wherewith to la ',roach them,elves—(liesr, he a.
lie was glad to know, however, that the In autiful sit
in the PI 101 y could be opened for villa residet c..s, and it
tin se were er ct many wealthy tradesmen and others
would b a de in the town instead of going ti Edgbastor,
i,eain.rgton, and other p)aces. He had been met by th
agents Nvith the argument that previous p'arts to sell .11,
111.41 m the Pricry had not been succesAul. It now lay
wi ii the moneyed men of the town to take up the lots.;
if th, y did not receive the 10 pr cent. they were
always locking for, they would have the sat,sfaction ot
itnow.ng that they posses,-td a handsome property, and
haul help tat to make the town mere attraztive. lle
inovt d that the Board be sent to the Local Government
11.,ard. in in der to show that the Council and the town
had beets doing all it could to remedy the existing un-
sati,Lct iy condition of dwellings in tbe town.
Mr. Jelin Dunn wanted to have the report read.
'1 he 11 ayer daprecated at y discussion on the leport,
as a third lerson, who was absent, was so much
interested.
Mr ;ft b Garratt said the t!ouncil would make a mis-
take if they cent word to the Local Government hoard
that there wits no land for building purposes a xeept
Lord Dudley's. There were bun lie is of aer, s belonging
to other parties where the mines were not reserved.
Alderman Eulge denied that the Council had the
matter is their hands, for the meeting wn not of the
Council, and the report was not the Co inc;.'s
The. Mayor said the Council• were invited to the
meeting.
Aldernetn J. 11. Smith said the report should go up to
London, to show the Government that the complaints
of Ps officials had been considered, and an effort made
to remedy the dilapidations which made Netherton and
Woodside ahnost uninhabitable. He seconded the
motion propose.: by the Mayor.
Mr. Crew trusted Lord Dudley would soon alter his
mind.
Mr. John Dawes thought the Council had not gone
far enough in the matter. There was other land in the
neighbourhood which could be sold, sod there . were
other cottages thrown down than Lord Dudley's. Each
should attend to the re-erection, and it would show the
Council's weakness to send up a report of one owner
only.
The Mayor said the report ought to go up to show how
peculiarly the town authorities were situated, and that
something had been done to carry out the recommenda-
tions of Drs. Thorne and Ballard.
Alderman J. H. Smith followed in a similar strain ;
and the motion was then carried with but one dissentient
voice, that of Mr. John Dunn.
The Town Clerk read a letter from Messrs Underhill
(Wolverhampton) in answer to one of his, in which the
firm asked that the matter of the deep drainage should
not come on until September, which would give the
Council plenty of time, and would accommodate Mr. H.
Underhill, who was likely to be from home during
August. With reference to the Russell's Hall Estate,
they would do all they could to prevent the land being
an incubus on the Corporation—(hear, hear.)
The Mayor said he should be glad to see an alternative
scheme, and was not so wedded to the present one as to
throw over all others—(applause.) Mr. Marten, the
'engineer engaged on the plan, had had all the assist-
ance the borough surveyor could give him
It was then agreed that the letter should be entered
on the minutes.
The r,port of the Public Works Committee showed
that Mr. John Bent had carried out his promise in ob-
taining for the Corporation £2,000 at 41 per cent. The
report also alluded to the proposal to light the town
with petroleum.
Mr. C. F. G. Clark said the proposal was a childish
one. Suppose, he said, the plan was adopted; and sup-
pose the Gas Company turned stupid, as no doubt they
would; and Suppose—(laughter)—an American war
broke out ?—(loud laughter.) The 'town would suffer,
and the ratepayers would have to pay more for the 'gas
in their houses.
'Thd report was then adopted.
The Sanitary- • ,Committee's report showed, the. work
'done iil the various departments; .and the. Medical
,Officer. (Dr. Timmins) reported that the deaths num-
bered 58, and this gave a death-rate of 16:1. 'The births
exceddnd the deaths by 99. Measles had carried off 22,
whooping-cough 4, and fever 1.
This report was also adopted.
Several other committees' reports were received and
agreed to.
The Railway Committee reported that the Great
Western Railway Company had sent in a plan showing
what they proposed to do at the railway station. It was
agreed to send the plan to the London and North-
Western Railway Company, in order that it might be
considered, with an expressed regret that the booking
offices should be allowel to remain upstairs.
Alderrn at J. H. Smith, in moving the adoption of the
report, said he felt that the aation.of the Corporation
would he attended with great success, the London and
N9rth-Western Railway Company offering to make im-
p atant al e oatiomi.
The r‘loort was then adopted.
The Mayor reported that the engineer appointed by
the judge to make a report on the water supply of
Dudley, had been unable to attend in consequence of
ilness. In a short time he would open a court, and
take evidence as to the unwholesomeness of the South
Staffordshire Waterworks Company's water, its deficient
)pply, and th 3 general dissatisfaction which pr.vale 1
throughout the borough.
The remainder of the business was formal, Mr. Dunn
deferring his motion as to the non-paynient. by
Netherton and. Woodside of any rates towards the deep
drainage of the borough.

The choral festivals established in the archdeaconry,
Norcester some years ago are kept up with unabated
success ; and on Tuesday there was a pleasant re-union
of the Church choirs of the district, in St. Mary's,
Kelderrninster. There was morning service, with sermon
by the Rev. D. Bickersteth, Dean of Lichfield, and even-
song later in the lay. The number of voices in the
tufted choirs was 313, and of the fifteen choirs present
t.n were surpliced and five unsnridiced. The former
were St. Mary's, St George's St. John's, and Barnabas's
iiidelerrninster, Chaddesley, HalesoWen, Lower Mitten
lagley, Wollaston, arid St. Thomas's, Stourbridge ; the
itiaurpliced chirsters being those of Wribbenhail Rib-
iesford, Bewdley, Wolverley, and Quinton Churches.
rite surpliced choirs entered the church in procession,
e irryiug banners, aeul chanting as their processional
'Let God arise, and let ms enemies be scattered
t'he pieces and espouses were snug to the music of
the Venite was Macfarren's in C. and the Psaltus
of the day to chant of Ousley's. The To Deurn was
lanai's in F. mid was rendered with very tine etle,t.
-104 noticeable, also, was the aethetu, " Send out Thy
Light, arranged to mu ie of C./outliers, and most telling
and impressive in its execution. The hymns before and
ifter the sermon, and the processional hymn, were each
;iven with crispness and balance ; and the service, as a
vhole, was one of the try,st pleasing we remember Mr.
diilwood, vicar-choral of Worcester Cathedral, conducted
ii .rd Mr. '1 icloe was at the organ. The Dean of Lichfield
creached front Psalm xxii , 3, " But Thou tut holy, 0
fit ;u that inh ibitest . the praises of Israel." In the
,urse of his remarks he referred to the object of such
Lstivals ii the improvement in church inutic, so that it
might be suited to the place in which it was performed,
.d io the ohj, et to which it was directed. _Ube great
o.j !et in this, and in verything .which concerued the
iv irship of G .d, should he the mire to edify those who
rshype 1, that the e iegrugato.l might regularty and
uaturally join iii the pia se of God. kur,th regard to the
.alms and C tt.ticles, a great sleal depended up in the
right of divis:on of ;he words, and many of them must be
teuoyed and distressed at times by the different divisi ins
watch weie made. A u lay of practice was desirable,
Asa the division was desirable, and the division should
f flow the sense of the words, regulating them as far as
~,ossible by their natur,il emphasis. The dean coucauled
with an exhortation to the choristers to make their
singing of the praises of God a hearty and sincere one,
remembering that He to whom they were offered would
:eept no mere lip service.—ln the afte.rnood the choris-
ters and visitors dined at the Music Hall, where Mr.
L tee catered for their entertainment. The Mayor (Mr.
T.Rad(ord) presided, in the absence of the vicar, and
several toasts were honoured, in the speeches relating
to which some proinineucs was given to the maintenance
of the tie between Church and State.