The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-12-08 00:00:00

DUDLEY TOWN COUNCIL.

A monthly meeting of the above Council was held
on uesday afternoon, at the Town hall, the Mayor
(D. licwi.xt, lisq ,) pre.-iding.
the 'o orbhip referred, with regret, to the death
of Alderman AN illiant North, who had died sine
the last meeting ot the Council, and after mention-
ing Ins active services in connection with 11,-. Cor.,
potation he proposed that a vote of condoh-n-e be
forwarded, on behalf ot the Council, to the bereaved
family.
This was seconded and assented to.

A letter V. as mai, .rom the secretary to the South
Staffordshire Waterworks Company stating that
the rma .n were now being laid on to Dudley
Wood. _

The Estates Committee repo- ted receipts on
account oi the markes and fairs to the amount of

£Bl is.

_
Aloerman Thompson, in moving the adoption of
the report, pointed out that there was a s e dy
increa-e in all of the receipts connected with the
markets and tolls for the months of October and
Novernb,r, as compared with the same two months
lasi year.
The Swii'ary, B ths, and Water Supply Com-
mittee reporied that cert in owners of p'op-rty
at Dud ey Wood and Woodside had refused to lay
on water to their p einises from the South Stafford
shire Company's mains on t tie grou d that they
were supotted with good wll water. and it was
recomwen ltd taut samples ot the laver be sub
mitted to Mr. B. W. T. Jones (anal)st tor the
county of Staffo d) for analysis.
Mr. C. Cochrane, having written to the committee
with respect to ttie drainage ot Woodside, it was
recornm, nded that a sub-committee be appointed
to inspect th .t districi, and report thereon at the
n. xt meeting of the rommittee. In connection
wiih the report of V,is committee, that of the
Medical Officer of Health (Mr. D. Timmins)
wa-
r •ad, and stated that f,l- the four weeks ending
November 17th 127 deaths had bee,' reLtistered in
the borough. Tie death-rate was 35 69 per 1,000
p r annum—(sensation, a,rd a V ice : "That's
your deep drainage for you")—as compared with
27 88 last month, and 2..8 in the corre-ponoing
month of last year. Th. 3 birth-rate for the period
named was 35 13 per 1,000. Of the deaths 23 re-
sulted from scat let !ever, 4fi mu typhoid fever, 3
from measles, and 6 from diarrhcea. Two fresh
cases of small pox had been admitted to the hos-
pital since the last meeting of the committ, e and
four patients had tecovered and been discharged.
two patients remained at present under treatment.
Sc,tilet lever was stid very prevalent in many parts
of the borough, but with the exception of this
the borough was not uuusualiy affected by zymotie
disease.

The manholes and sewer gratings in the street
were daily disinfected, also ,he surface drainage
of the whole parish.—Councillor Billing, iii moving
the adoption of the report, said he th, ught it wa,.
almost unique in the histtly of the borough to find
the death-tate higher than the liirth-rate, tne
former being about as high again as the death.
rate ordinarily. It could not be satisfactorily ex-
plained by the medical officer, who, however.
thought the very peculiar weather lately experienced
might have had a great effect upon children and
old p, oole. About 50 per cent of the whole numb,:r
of deaths were those of children. He trusttd
what he had heard that the health of the town
wee now much better than it h id been, as since the
meeting of the committee only two deaths bad oc-
curred from e•carlet fever and two irom small-pox,
The Mayor remarked that a medical man had
told !dui he could not attribute the spread of scarlet
fever to the detp drainage.
Toe report w is adopt, d.
The report of the 6treets and Gas Committee re-
ferred to a proposal to pave Priory-street, and to
the inipendng paving of tie approaches to the
town. Mr. R. E Walker, Mr Round, Mr. Milling-
,. ono, and Mr. L. Jewkes called atteu.ion to the

want of paving in Kate's Bill and Netherton.
.-evera,l members eipr, ssed their oponion that the
neglected streets should be attended to before any
great expense was khne to in respect of the streets
of the iown ; and, further, that the want of spout-
ing n houses caused uirty and dilapidated foot-
paths,
Mr Challingwm th moved as an amendment to
the report that the part of it relating to the paving
of Priory-street be not received.
Tue amendment was carried by 21 to 13, and the
rest of the report was adopted.
Alderman Dunn moved a resolution that a
petition should be sent to Parliament from the
Council, praying that all brewers using other than
, malt and hops in making ale should label their
casks to that effect, and that retaileis selling such
ale should have a placard announcing the fact
posted in a conspicuous part of their premises. The
mover held that crime and pauperism were fostered
by the sale and consumption of maddening and
muddling liquor made from chemical compounds
and called ate.
Mr. Coley seconded the resolution.
Mr. Gorton moved that the Cou. cil proceed to
the n, xt business, bat the I.own Clerk rulid that
toe members could speak to the resolution.
Alderman Thompson held that the resolution was
a step in the right direction.
Mr. M. Smith agreed as to ale being made from
malt and hops only, but 'left that the question was
one brought to the front for the benefit of tile
farmer and the hop grower.
Mr. C:.allingworth objected to the use of the
word "chemicals" by Mr. Dunn, bttau,e the law

already forbade ale being made from anything
deleterious.
The couricil then agreed to petition in favour of
the re-olution by 18 to 8.
The Mayor (Mr. tiow,it) was elected an alder-
man in the p ace ut Mr. North.