The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-11-29 00:00:00

KIDDERMINSTER TOWN COUNCIL.

The monthly meeting of the Council was hell
on Wednesday ; the Mayor (Aldermau W. Green)
in the chair.

A letter was read from Mr. Miller Corbet offering
to preseut to the Corporation a portrait of Sir Rupert
Kettl-, and the same was accepted with thanks.
The Drainage and Waterworks Committee re-
ported that they considered it desirable that the
pans and report being prep 'red by Messrs. Comber
n i Pritchard, unless they were submitted by the
Local Government Board to Sir R. Rawlinson,
should be examined by an independent engineer, to
be appointed by the Council. Mr. Herring said it
was intended to call the committee together im-
mediately the plans arrived.
Some questions were asked with regard to the
sewers, and a conveys ition respecting the clause in
the report relating to the plans led to its being
struck out. The rest of the report was then
adopted.
It was reported that a draft for £360 Ss Gd. had
been recieved from the County and Highway
Authority in respect to the maintenance of main
roads in the borough.
Mr, D. Corbet (medical officer) reported that
there had been 69 births and 56 deaths in the last
month. The death-rate was 28.5 per 1,000, com-
pared with 16.5 in the corresponding week last year.
Fifteen of the deaths were from typhoid fever,
mashing 89 since the outbreak of the epidemic.
Fresh cases still continued to occur, but chiefly in
the houses where the disease had already been Mr.
Corbet urged that the middens in the borough
should be emptied in a systematic way, and that
no discretion should be left to the sanitary inspector
in the matter. Eit preseat it appeared there was no
system, and the work was done in a haphazard way,
which must add to the expense and cause a great
loss of time. He saw that D traps were being used
la places where the drainage was being altered.
This he thought would not be so if people only
knew which was the best trap to use, and he sug-
gested that a circular should be sent to every in-
habitant advising them as to the disconnecting of
all waste water and overflow pipes ; also as to the
most suitable trap for household property. There
had been nineteen fever patients admitted to the
hospital and thirteen discharged convalescent.
These, by the kindners of the clergy, had been
sent to convalescent homes. Ha was sorry to say
the head nurse and cook had both been down with
typhoid fever, but were now convalescent.
Mr Corbet read a proposed form of circular to
be issued as to sins er connections, &c., and said he
believed that one.half the town did not know
what it was to disconnect a drain, or things would
tr.t be done as they were in many cases.
The report was received and Mr. Tomkinson gave
notice he would move at the next meeting that all
patients sent to the fever hospital should be al-
mitted free after that date.

Upon Mr. West, sanitary inspector, reading his
monthly report, a discussion took place with regard
to t')e emptying of the middens, and Mr. Herring
said he was glad the medical officer had urged they
should be systematically dealt with. They must be
taken street by street, or the work could not be
properly carried out. At the preQent rate it would
t Are a year to get the whole of the 120 streets done.
Mr. Holloway and other members testified to the
foul state in which some places were found during
a visit of inspection by members of a sub-committee.
He never saw anything more disgusting than what
he witnessed at one place in a street leading from
Radford Avenue. The Sanit ,ry Inspector said he
had not had suffic'ent strength to do the work
faster than it had been done, and he wanted to keep
the expenses down. Alderman Binnian drew atten-
tion to the filthy condition of a locality were small.
pox broke out last winter, and said unless it was
seen to there would be Fomething bad occurring
again, Mr. Herring said it was leaving the middens
for months unemptied which caused a great deal of
the mischief. It appeared that the additional
strength that had been obtaincd for emptying the
middens more quickly was two extra horses and six
men.

The other reports were presented and adopted,
and the report of the Free Library Committee
showed that there had been 2,121 issues from the
lending department in the last month. The library
and news room continued to progress very satis-
factorily, considering the cramped space at the dis-
posal of the committee. Mr. Tomkinson said he
should like to mention that the fund in the vicar's
hands for the relief of the sufferers from the
typhoid epidemic was exhausted, and he hoped the
Mayor would allow him to suggest that he (the
Mayor) should take the matter up. Unless a large
additional amount was subscribed, other poor people
could not be relieved in the way that many con-
valescents had benefited through the vicar's fund.
He should be very pleased to give a sum himself
towards the fund if the Council took it up. Mr,
Greaves said be fully echoed Mr. Tomkinson's
remarks, but that there might be no fresh out-
break of alarm he thought it should be understood
that any appeal now made was for the help of those
who needed to be sent away to convalescent homes.
He believed there were still from 120 to 150 con-
valescents who would greatly benefit if they were
, sent to the seaside. They did not want people
further deterred from coming to Kidderminster.The
Mayor said he was spoken to by Mr. Kershaw on
this subject, and conferred with one or two others
upon it. He came to the conclusion it would not
be policy to take the course now suggested, and
that it was net adviseble to send people away at
this time of the year. There might be a way
in which Mr. Tomkinson's kindness 'nigh} be ac-
cepted. Mr. E. J. Norton said ha was sorry that
was the decision the Mayor had come to, because
b 3 had had some experience in this fever, and he
knew how absolutely essential it was that the
sufferers should get a change of air. A. very large
number had been sent away to convalescent horn, s,
and as Mr. Cireaves said he believed there were
from 120 to 150 s ill just recovering, and who before
they went to work really ought to be sent away for
a short time. The sum wanted was a large one--
..£3OO or £4oo—but he did thiuk, and think 'very
strongly, that for the benefit of the patients, and
for the benefit almost of their own p )cket,4 as well,
it was desirable they should be sent away for a
change of air. If not, it meant that they would
be constantly breaking down, and unable to earn
their living. A fortnight 'away from home made
the whole difference. He spoke of what he I:new,
and whether it was taken up generally or not he
hoped those who could would respond vary gener-
ously to the vicar's appeal. it ought te be men-
tioned that the Great Western Company, who were
often abused in that town, had assisted in the
matter by ganting reduced fares, the Midland
Company had refused, and the authorities:at Weston,
and he believed at other convalescent homes, had
reduced their charges to the patients. Although
the Mayor was unable to place himself at the head
of tha movement, he hoped that many in the town
would not refrain from contributing liberally to so
good an object.

iTIIItOAT AFFECTIONS AND HOARSENESS.—Altsuf-
fering from irritation of the throat and . hoarseness
aiii.be agreeably Aurprised at the almost immediate
r6iif afforded by the use of "Brown's Bronchial
tr.,ehr i." These famous "lozenges ' are now sold by
che:ni•;tes in this conttry at Is. lid.
T. 1).,..;e troubled with a Pou7h,'
'.ii,o,d or broachiai ca 1.1.101, try
thr z; t.)O auou, as sii:L.lLtr troul.lek, tf allowed to pro-
rteult in enious l'ulmon:,c; and Asthmatic affeco
Sze ba.the word' •'l;wwri'n Bronchial Troches"
re cn around each box.—
JOhN I. Ely A I SONS, Boston; I:
Ercimrg;if.l removed to 88, Farringdon I*l
•