The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-03-29 00:00:00

KIDDERMINSTER TOWN COUNCIL.

The monthly meeting of the above was held on
Wednesday, under the presidency of the Mayor (Hr.
W. Cowen).
The Drainage and Waterworks Committee recom-
mended the payment of the first instalment of
principal and interest on the loan of £4,000 from the
Clerical, Medical, and General Life Assurunoe
Society, amounting to X 286 7s 6.
The report was adopted.
The Improvement Committee recommended that
crossings be placed in various parts of the town
With reference to kerbing and channelling, they
suggested that .22,000 being part of a sum of .5,40ø
which the Local Government Board had sanctioned
to be applied to that purpose, should be taken up
and the work proceeded with at once. Plans for
the erection of sixteen new houses had been passed
during the month. The report also contained a
newly modelled tariff of prices for the Ilse of the
Music Hall and the Corn Exchange. Amongst
these was a charge of £1 for the first day for the
use of the Corn Exchange, and of 14s per day for
each succeeding one.
Mr. Tuvey thought it might be altered to £1 for
the first day and lOs for each succeeding day.
This question was discussed at some length, as
'Also was another with reference to a charge of 7s 64
for the use of the large committee room for creditors'
meetings. _ .

Everitually, the tarlff arranged by the committee
was accepted, and the report adopted.
The report of the Sanitary Committee contained a
recommendation to the effect that a resolution,
passed by the Council on the 11th of September last,
for removing, free of charge, nightsoil and ashes
frrom all houses in respect of which the rates were
compounded for, should be rescinded.
Mr. Jefferies said he moved the adoption of the
report with regret, When six months ago the
Council decided that nh:htsoil and other refuse
matter should be taken away from the houses of
poor people he believed they were taking a step in
the right direction. They at that time estimated the
cost at £l5O per year; but they now found it would
probably be double that, He did not like going
back, and he questioned in his own mind whether it
would not be better and cheaper to proceed in that
matter as they had been doing.
A lengthy discussion ensued, in the course of
which various suggestions were made. One of these
was that nightsoil should be removed from the
whole of the houses at the public expense, another
that landlords of property should be made to pay for
all such removals.

In the course of the discussion it Vi'kE3 stated that
the cost of the removal of the whole of the nightsoil
would be from £5OO to £6OO per year for a town of
the size of Kidderminster, and eventually the matter
was referred back to the Sanitary Committee, with
the understanding that in the meantime the present
system would continue.

Mr. D. Corbet, Medical Officer of Health, reported
that the number of deaths during the past month
was 30, or 17.8 in the thousand, against 41, or 24.2
in the thcusand in the correTonding week last year.
There had been 57 births daring the month. An
outbreak of diphtheria having been reported to him
by the Sanitary Inspector, he visited the premises
and thoroughly inspected them. However much he
differed from Mr. Stretton as to the existence of a
dangerous nuisance upon the premises. He advised
the committee to have the drain properly trapped,
and the cows at the back of the premises removed at
once. It was most unfortunve that Mr. St:Afton
should have allowed so long a period as five weeks to
elapse before reporting an outbreak of such a terrible
disease. According to his own showing the case
.reported on Saturday was the fourth ; the first
having occurred five or six weeks before: He found
that two deaths occurred from diphtheria in the cor-
responding month last year.
The Town Clerk then read a letter from Mr.
Stretton. in which the latter stated that he was dis-
pleased with the intrusion of the medical officer into
the chamber of his sick patients, and asked that the
Town Council would instruct him to discontinue such
practice in future.

- Some discusSiort-t ensued, in the course of which it
was stated that the medical officer did not go to see
the sick patient unlit permis,ion had been granted
by the child's father.
_ _

Mr. W H. Green s 3lid the permission was only
granted because Mr. Thibaut was under the impres-
sion that he was compelled to allow the medical
officer to go into the room. He considered it waq
very irregular and improper on the part of Mr. Corbet
to do so under the circumstances.
The subject then dropped.
The report of the Watch Committee was adopted,
and the meeting separated.