The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-09-18 00:00:00

VESTRY MEETING AT WORDSLEY.
ANOTHER COMPLAINT AGAINST THE
OVERSEERS.

A Vestry meetinewns held en Monday, in the Vestry
adjoining Wordsley Church, to consider whether an order
should not be made, under the 4th section of the Poor
Rate Assessment and Collection Act. 1369, that the
owners of all rateable hereditaments to which that sec-
tion applied iu the parish of Kingswinford should be
rated in respect to such rateable hereditaments, instead
of the occupiers thereof.
Mr. It. Plant, who presided, said at the last meeting of
ratepayers in the parish, they passed a resolution calling
upon the Overseers to convene a meefing, to take the
SOW Rating Act into consideration, it being thought that
it would be exceedingly beneficial to the parish, and also
, save those painful clusters of poor creatures who appeared
from time to time about the Magistrates' Room, appeal-
ing for relief from their rates. The Overseers, however,
had thwarted them in this, and had taken a step which
put the Vestry in the background for at least six to nine
months, and what had animated them in the matter he
did not know. The Ratepayere' Committee had endea-
voured to relieve the parish, by aiming at a just and
equitable assessment, and not by putting pressure upon
anybody. The onus must rest upon the Overseers. They
hod made a rate a fortnight :earlier than there was any
need to make it, and had thus inflicted as heavy a penalty
as they could on the poor of the parish. The Act of
Parliament distinctly stated that a rate was in force from
the period when the Magistrates signed it. If the Ma-
gistrates signed the rate a day after their present meet-
ing, the relief was given to small occupiers under the
new Act. This must now stand over till another rate was
made. There was only one thing they could do, and
that was to write to the Board, in London, to know
whether relief could not be given to smell occupiers on
the present rate.
Mr. Gittins (Assistant Overseer) said perhaps the chair-
man was not aware that the Guardians had threatened to
summon the Overseers for the calls which were due.
They said on Friday they must have the money.
Mr. Griffiths, one of the Overseers, at this point en-
tered the room, and the Chairman Said perhaps he would
explain how it was that the new rate had just been made.
It was wanton spoliation of the soot, and reflected great
discredit on the Overseers.
Mr. Griffiths : Read that letter from the Board.
The Chairman read a letter from the Chrk to the
Guardians, addressed to the Overseers, expressing our.
prise that no notice had been taken of the calls due from
them, and that unless the money was paid by the ensuing
, Thursday (September 111), the Board would have no al-
ternative but to proceed against them. 'the Chairiuts
said lie quite understood this letter; he understood the
routine of business. If the Overseers had only laid the
facts of the ease before the Board, the Guardians would
sooner have eaten their finger ends off than dared to
enforce it. This new Act had been passed to relieve the
poor, and the Overseers had done that which had juet
the contrary effect
Mr. Griffiths : What did the Board tell me'
The Chairman said he read it all, but it amounted to I
nothing compared with the gross cruelty it would inflict
on the poor of the parish. The Overseers had no excuse
now, but there was an excuse then. If they had ex.
plained the thing to the Guardians, no one who eat at the
Board would have been such a sinner as to say he did not
care about the poor. The OVerie, mils• t dr, the eredit
to themselves tor havieg I LA' the p ,or of
Kingswinfcrd a great scourge.
Mr. Steward asked the Overseers if they had not read
the resolution passed at the last meeting ot ratepayers,
requesting them not to make a new rate till this Let Was
in force ?
Mr, Griffiths said he did, but the Guardians wanted •
supple of looney.
The i crania asked how winch was outstanding as
the other rifle.