The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-10-04 00:00:00

'Xocal anti -istrict gCtin.

COMMISSIONERS' MEETING.

The monthly meeting of this Board was held on
Monday last, Mr. Hughes in the chair. There
were also present Messrs. Kelley, Perkins, Griffin,
Stringer, Hicklin, Woolley, Moore, Icke, and
Allsop.
The Clerk read the minutes of the last meeting,
which were confirmed.
The following gentlemen made the usual declara-
tion and took their seats, Charles Mills, John Green,
' William North, Benjamin Hill, William Jonadab
Turney, F. J Hitskew, and W. Edwards.
The Clerk read the report of the returning officer
of the election, and the expense was £l3 Ss 01
On the motion of the Chairman, seconded by Mr.
Perkins, the report read was adopted.
REPORT OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE.

The treasurer's balances on the several accounts
at this date are as follows:—Highway Account,
balance due to treasurer £547 8s 4d; Improve-
ment Account, balance due to treasurer £74 28 6d.
Urban Sanitary Account, balance due to
treasurer, £2O 11s 6d.—Your Committee having
examined the various account, on the motion of
the Chairman, seconded by Mr. Kelley, cheques
were drawn in payment. Highway Account, 77
5i 2d ; Improvement Account, £l7 5s ld. ; Urban
Sanitary Authority, £34 5s 4d.
The report was adopted.
Mr. Kelley said that a large number of ratepayers
were practically disenfranchised, because the land-
lords had not paid the poor rates for the tenants.
The rate being made near the time of the election,
the collector had not sufficient time to collect the
rates, and there not being many persons voting it
looked as if there was no interest taken in the
election.

Proposed by Mr. Kelley, seconded by Mr. Mills
that the whole of the members be elected on the
three committees. Ho said they often had a
difficulty in getting a sufficient number of members
to sit.

Mr. W. J. Turney said he did not fall in with
the same views, and said it would be found that
what was everybody's would be nobody's business,
and suggested that 7 or nine should be elected on
each committee. Some men may be more qualified
to sit on some of the committee's than others.
Mralaskew concurred with what Mr. Turney had
said, and suggested that the various committees be
proposed and can ied at that meeting.
Mr. Taylor said he had prepared a list of names
for each committee, to submit for their consider-
ation. _ . .

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Mr. Kelley said he did not believe in having
cooked lists brought there by the clerk. It was for
that meeting to elect their own committee.
Mr. Turney said he had no doubt the clerk had
drawn up the list to save the time of the Board, and
to facilitate the business. Still he agreed with the
p.incipal that the Board should elect their own
committee, and proposed that only nine should be
elected to sit on each committee.
This was seconded by Mr. Haskew who said he
concurred with all Mr. Turney had said.
Mr. Stringer suggested that some members of
the Boa-d should go into the ante room and there
elect the various committee's for the Board t)
approve of. He said it had been the custom to do
so f.:r some time past, and found to work well.
Mr. Haskew considered it was for the Board
sitting to elect their own committee.
Sowe discussion ensued as to whether the number
should be seven or nine. The Chairman said that
it it were nine it would include all the Commis-
sioners, (27).
Mr. Edwards said that only 18 had qualified out
of the 27.
Afzer some further discussion the Chairman put
Mr. Turney's amendment that 9 men be elected on
each committee by the board. This was seconded
by Mr. Haskew. 12 voted for the amendment, and
3 for Mr. Kelley's resolution for the whole board to
sit. The following were then elected:—Finance
Committee, Messrs. Hughes, Turney, Kelley, Green,
Evers, Icke, Haskew, Woolley, and Edwards.
General Purposes Committee, Messrs. Hughes,
Tntney, Haskew, Stringer, Allsop, Hicklin, Kelley,
Perkins, and Griffin. Improvement Committee,
Messrs. Hughes, Mills, Turney, Woolley, Allsop,
Haskew, Perkins, North, and Edwards.
The Clerk read the report of the district auditor,
certifying to the correctness of the urban sanitary
accounts. The Clerk said it was necessary, ac-
cording to the recent Act, to affix a £2 stamp to the
c ,rtificate of the auditor. The Clerk mentioned a
difficulty with regard to a certificate of the expendi-
ture upon one of the public roads, of which the
county would bear half the cost. The district
auditor could not certify to this expenditure, and
there must be a certificate before the county
auth.)ritis a would pay the amount. He would,
however, see the Clerk of the Peace on the point.
REPORT OF THE GENBIL&L PURPOSES COMMITTEE.
MF,IICAL OFFlcsn OF HEALTH'S REPORT. -
b..t.r of birt` s reeisterel in the township for the
month ending September 22, 1879, 19 males and 16
females. Number of deaths registered in the same
period 13, viz :-11 males and 2 females. The
Officer reperted that the death-rate is sliglely higher
than the last month. The birth-rate is much
higher. There has been no case of infectious dis.
ease during the whole of the past summer. There
was an accumulation in slaughter-houses which
caused nuisances to dwelling houses. Tile manure
was ordered to be removed.
Tows OFFICER'S REPORT. Nuisances brought
for ward, 12; reported during the month, 38 ; total
ltetnoved, old, 11 ; new, 27; remaining, 13
Night soil removed, 130 privies, 97 ash pits, belong-
to 242 houses, have been emptied and cleansed of
their contents. Number of losds 319. The slaughter.
houses, (with one exception), also the lodgieg
houses and bakehouses are reported to be in goed
sanitary condition.
On the motion of the C. airman, seconded by Mr.
Edward-, the report wss adopted.
The Clerk stated that the Royal Society for the
Prevention of .he Loss of Life by Fire Lad sent an
agent to Stourbridge with reference to the promised
g,ant of fire-escape to the t iwn. The society
• xpeeted a proper station to be provided for the
escape, an i the fire brigade had obtained an estimate
of the cost, which was £3l. Several of the Com-
missioners deprecated this outlay, and Mr. W. J.
tUruey called attention to the fact that in London
the fire-escapes were kept in the open-air ready fo.
use. Tney did not want to lock up the escape in a
cupboard. The Clerk said the society expected
their conditions to be complied with, or they would
not give the escape. On the motion of Mr.
Stringer the matter was left in the hands of at
committee.

REPORT OF THE IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE.
Your Committee report that, the Angel Stra3
sub-way so far is completed.
The Stourbridge blanch railway will be opened
on Wednesday, October Ist.
Your Committee have authorised your Clerk to
procure about 600 tons of broken stone from the
S.ourbridge Union, at. a price he may:consider
satisfactory.
The Chairman reported that in pursuance of the
resolution of the last meeting he and the clerk went
with reprsentatives of the Canal Company and
other gentlemen to inspect the course of the river
S! our, to ascertain if anything could be done to
guard against a recurrence of the floods they had
had. They found various obstructions in the river
quite enough to account for the floods in the town.
Since their inspection he understood that Messrs.
Norris had removed a great amount of obstruction
from the stream near their works, and Mr. Foster
was having the course of the s'reaan cleaned out
near the ironworks. It would devolve upon the
committee to see to whom belonged the duty of
cleaning tint the river further up. He thought it
would be found that it was the duty of Mr. Firm-
stone and other occupiers on the one side, and on
Amblecote parties on the other. Then if anything;
remained to do the Commissionets and the authori-
ties of Amble, ote might join in doing it. If this
was not effectual in preventing th, floods they must
fall back upon Mr. Foster as to the removal ot
Parkes's forge. Mr. Turney said that in his judg-
ment the whole block-up of the river was between
his works and the bridge at the bottom of the town.
. The water under the bridge could be crossed in the
winter without getting wet, while thirty or forty
5-, years aeo there was five or six feet of water under
11' the bridge. The river was blocked up with ashes
amid brick-ends. He undersood that the Great
WeF.t.r:rit Ram tway C-mpany were under an agree-
n r•lo for 11,1,574. es Fiern2tone
•, e,-.temta t k.ig
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