The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-01-27 00:00:00

KIDDERMINSTER TOWN COUNCIL.

Tip Mayor (Mr. G. W. Grosvenor) preeided at
the monthly mecti.,g of the Council, held yester-
day. lie read a communication from Mr. Grierson,
of tlio Great Western Railway Company, in reply
to a memorial from the Corporation calling attention
to the dangerous state of the level crossing at th 4
Ha.rtlebury Station. Mr. Crtierson stated that the
subjects set forth in the memorial had been fully
crnsidered by the directors oF the company. With
regard to the aycident at the crossing referred to
in the rnemori 3, they had ascertained that a man ,
in charge of the horse was warned by the company's
set vants not to cross the line, and yet in the face of
tha, he dirt so, and thus contributed to the accident.
With regard to the making of a subway, as suggested
by toe memordists, there would be great Oiffi-naty
in construeting oile owing to the steepness of the
road. - They had g yen directions for mechanka.l
apparat is to be affiAed to the gates for the purpose,
of on -sing thee. The d,r,etors had also decided
to construct a footb-irig, over the line for the use
of p-rsons travelling alorg the high road. As re-
garded the smai ness of the staff employed at the
-tation, Mr Gri-rson wro,e thti it was considered
by the officers acquainted with the working. of the
place •.hat th• pr sin, staff wry; amply sufficient.
They intended to replace th present rape oil lamps
at the station with ethers that would give itiu&t
better ligitt. Toe Mayor s ticl the r•ply was very
satislactory, and it was resolved that it should b.:
entered upon ti,e minutes.
In rept- to a lett-r flotu J. Brinton, M P.,
the company said shoul I d their best to
for xard the NO. kut construetin4 a iiew viaduct at
Iloobro,,k.

The report of the Drain:L.le arid Water.works
Committee was it ad by Mr. Dixon, who said t.ere
had been eolloo e,l oil aeiroun', of the water rate
454 19s. 7d., making; a, total collooted of .C 1,809 15s.
11:1.

_
The comtnitt,e had caus .4 a water rate to be
made for the half-year ending June, 1883.
Mr. Dixon, in moving the atoption of the report,
said that since their I,w mekning they had had to
deplore the death of their tenant of the Sewage
Farm, Mr. E H. Crowther, They had sent a
letter of condolence to his family. They ha only
that illy received couns-Ws opinion as to putting
mud into the River Stour at Whittington, and
without gong forth r into the matter he might say
tUat ctunsel hell that it was an illgal act, Ther:i
h d he nan iiierease io the water rate during the
half-y( az .1 XIOD. Lie also spoku. of the u.hominable
sten •11t there had heen in High Street &Lin,-
the past we,k. and said it had been di,cov,rea that
it 'rose from the roue of sl.iughter-houses being
allowe.i to go into the sewers. The attention of
the Sai itory Lispector had been called to the
matter.

oda la suggested that now there was an
iiiereasc ot the water rate the charge for, water
should 1-e reduced to thote who resided in houses
that wer highly rated. There were some that
were in a ly ratni at ~tl.OO a year and dit not con-
sume mo:e witer than we, used in the cottages.
Mr. W. C. Green said he should. support Mr.
Goodwin's proposition, and thou2ht a reduction
should be made to residents of houses that were
rated at £25 per yar and u iwards.
Alderman Tovey thought that if reduced the
water rive as suggested they stiou/d be acting
mgly. It had b,:en alw iys held out to own re
ot small property that the rev nue trom the water
would he used for reducing the rates, an I if now
t oat i was he2ining to pay they reduced the charges
o rhos- who coul affoid to pay they w )ul,l be act-
ing p.ejudicial y to the interests of the large
majority of the ratepayers. It was poFted out
that the speakers were out of order, as the subject
was not on the agenda, and the report was
adopted.
Mr. D. Corhet, Medical Officer of Health, re-
p irteJ that t humber of deaths in the sane
Ferio,l ha I ben 28, or 14 171 iii the thousand,
ag inst 44 or 22.4 in the thou and in the cores
pouch rr p rid last year.
Mr H ,rriutr read the report ,f Vie Imprnvem-nt
Committee. whet. rec m needed th payment of
differe,t azeounts, an U tirig al:,:g..ther to £2Bl
6s. 6d. There had ben Collected ou the gen,ral
district rate Al 073 17-. 10 .. lea viug a 309 4,2 d,
to be c illec d the cotiatni tee recomtneuded that
the Post Office au, horities be offered toe sum of
-2125 for the strip of land in Market Street, required
to make it 36ft wide, for the whole leugth of tit)
land purchased by them.
Mr. fluting, in moving the adoption of the re-
port, said he ad reason to believe that the eost
Office authorid s now contempl,ted making a
much more handsome and commodious Post Office
than wis shown ~n the plans they had previously.
laid before tile Council, 'The report was adopted.
Alderman Coxon read the report of the Baths
Committee, which stated that the cost of working
the baths doing the past quarter was £lB9
The receipts during the ama, period had been
on the Turkish Baths £33 145., and crt the ordinary
baths £l6 5,, 41. He moved the adoption of the
report.
Mr. W. Green, in seconding it, pointed to the
discrepaney betweln the receipts end eit-
enditure, and asked if" it was tigit that they
snould go on with tho ha hs under the circum-
stall !es It had been said tiare atter time that the
less on Vie baths would be reduced, but year after
year i k .!pt going MI in the same way.
Mr. H& vet said that the loss during the present
quirter was greater titan it was in the correspond-
ing peried last year.
Mr. Jefferies said the gentlemen who used those
bat) s had mana..ted t) get the prici lowered to is.
per bath, and taey w ital not pay at that. He
thought the pric,, for the Turkish baths should be
raised.

Mr, Herring rem irked that a great number of
working men frequented the Turkish baths. If
thee raised the prices they would not reap any
ben,fit, because pers ins would not use the biths.
The discuisiou was c.mtinued by Alderman
Wills and others.

Aid • rman Tovey remarked that what waswanted
wen, larger hnd inor e c ummdimis premi-es. The
presun oaths were too small to make a pr .fitable
return. He belioved if they had larger premises
the batlis would pay.
'lie report was adopted
Thu report of he Free Library an I Watch Corn-
mitee were also read and passed
Alderman Willis calied atteirion to the necessity
f r an iacr ase in th.- number of tr 43 c unty
trate, and said he •-laould like th a+teution of the
L ,rd Lieutenant ot the county t ailed to the
mattec.

Aid rmm Tempe t-ltadi)rd supested that there
should differ, nt ..o.les fo' bloNsing• the st .an
firn tihistie, which word t enable the inha'.itants to
know when they heard i whether a fire was at one
carpet work. iu th towa oz at a shlaller place, or
Ale; her it wa. tit some piac: oatside of the t•.wn
The matter w is referred to the cLmmittee, so that
they mialit make arrangents in accordiee with
Alderman Tempest-Ralford's sugg,estitn.