The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-02-05 00:00:00

SATUNDAT, FEB, 5,18 n

HAGLEY.

WEEKLY STOCK liilAtx.—At this sale on Monday there
Was II fair supply of fat %beep eAttle of unurnally
good quality, and it ut..t t., h the receetion it merited.
Soule grand Hereford b .el/4 • seat by .liajor Beikeley,
of Lyppard Grange, and 24r Itubury wrere
strongly competed for. fully 91. per lb. Mutton
ranged from 101 to ltdprAb Pigs were sold at lashes
rates.

BROMSGROVE.
TiD RKGIATRATION OF BIRTHS AND Derrns.—At the
meeting of the Bromsgrove Board of Guardian', on Wed-
nesday, it was announced that Mr. Joshua Hornblower,
the registrar of births and deaths for the Bromsgrove
district, was seriously ill and unable to attend to his
duties, and at the same meeting the resignation of Mr.
Charles Wright, the deputy registrar, was received. The
Board therefore recommended that Mr. Corsi!, tile
Bromsgrove relieving officer, should be eppoiute.l
registrar pro tem., and Mr. Humphrey, superintendent
registrar, was instructed to write to the registrar-general
informing him of the circumstances, and asking for in.
tractions how to proceed in the emergency.—Nt the seine
meeting the returns of the relieving officers showed a
great decrease in the out-door relief, there being about
170 persons less on the books last week than in the cor-
respondiug week of last year, with proportionate
decrease in the amount of relief.
Maszse AND APPICENTICiI —At the Petty Sessions, on '
Teesday, Ambrose Spooner, basket-maker, of Worcester. •
street, wee summoned by Joseph Phillips, his lite
apprentice, under the recently enacted Employers and
Workmen Act. Mr. Holyoake appeared for complain in', ,
and Mr. Simmons for defendeat.—The complainant is a
poor lad who Liss lest the sight of one eye, and is
gradually becoming tot illy blind. By the kindness of
the R.v. W. H. Colmore, curate of Bromsgrove, and
oth,r benevolent persons, a fund was raised, and he was
bound apprentice to the defendant for oneyear, from the
6th January, 1875, to le.ira the trade of basket-making.
On the sth October last defendant was summoned to this
court by complainant for neglecting and refusing to fulfil
his part of the contract and the case wa, dismissed, with
a recommendation by the Bench that each party stinuld
endeavour to do their best for the remainder of the
term, and that if Spooner still refused or neglected to do
his duty, Phillips should apply to them again at the end
of the year. Complainant now ought to rece:ve from
defendant, under the Act, a return of the £5 paid as
apprentice fee with him, or a portion of the same. He
stated that since October defendant had set him to work
by himself in a cold, damp place, generally without fire,
and had altogether failed to take any steps to teach him
his trade, but had repeated the observation he mad*
before, that he had got the money, which was all he
wanted, and he should not teach defendant anything.
On the other hand, defendant swore he had done his best
to teach complainant, who was idle, inattentive, and
unable to Learn; and he denied reeking the alleged
observations, er refusing to give bin proper iasksetione.
—Some corroborative evideace was called upoa each side.
end the Magistrates openly expressed their disbelief in
some statements made by defendant., to complainant'e
conduct.—After bearing Mr. •Simmons's defence, the
Beach ordered defendant to refund £4 10s., half the
premium, and pay 6s. costs, in seven days.