The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-06-07 00:00:00

SATURDAY, JUNE 7th, 1884

suggested whether it was desirablti to. invite new
members in distant parishes.
Mr. C. P. Noel moved, and the Rev. W. J.
Heade seconded, the adoption of the report.
The officers were then appointed for the ensuing
year. An intimation of the intended resignation a
the Rev. R. P. Turner as one of the trustees of the
club, was received, and the Chairman referred to
the valuable cervices he had rendered in the
past.

The annual dinner followed; Mr. Foley presid-
ing. After the toast of the "Queen and Royal
Family," he gave the "Bishops and Clergy of the
two Dioceses" in which the operations of the club .
were carried on—Lichfield ant Woreester—and
pressed the obligations under which the members
of the club lay to the Rev. J. Hodgson and his
predecessors, in granting the use of Kin ver Church
year after year f)r the last forty-two years, on the
occashm of the anniversary of the club. As the
church was now being restored, he suggested that
the members might consider the propriety of voting
something tf:wards the fund for the purpose.
The Rev. J. Hodgsen replied to the toast, and
in coing so, stated that Kinver Church, to the
restoration of which the chairman had alluded, had
been probably used for public worship for 800
years, and certainly for 740. Mr. Hodgson ex-
pressed his pleasure at the continued success of the
Beechez Club, and proposed the health of "
Coairman,' as one of the vice-presidents.
The Chairman said it had been customary on
those occasions to have Allotment Society coupled
with the Beecher Club in their proceedings, but
the Allotment Society, he was sorry to say, was
dead. It was not yet decently interred, and he
was afraid there would be a little scrambling in the
law courts yet over it. It had been -a case of
mistaken philantrophy on the part of Lord Lyttel-
ton. Mr. Turner, and himself, and they had
suffered in their pockets to the tune of £2OO or
£3OO for what they had done. The tenants had
not been turned out of the allotments where they
paid their rent and conformed to the rules, and
several gentlemen interested in the matter were
s•ill endeavouring to carry on the allotment system
on their own accounts. With regard to the Beecher
Club, Mr. Foley expressed satisfaction at its sound
position, and he drew the attention of the members
to the Parliamentary return on friendly societies
for 1880, issued in June of last year. The dis-
tinguishing feature of the Beecher Club was the
provision made for old ago, and he believed the
funds were sufficient to stand the drain upon them
this would lead to. In the return referred to, it
appeared there were in Staffordshire 108 solvent
and 83 insolvent societies. Several societies had '
not made returns at all, and some of these, too,
were no doubt insolvent. An insolvent society
might nevertheless have large funds, and while the
solvent societies had .£2,846,000 in the coffers, the
insolvent ones had £3,967,000. People should not
be guided by the amount of funds which a society
possessed, bet look to the proportion of funds to
mentions, He was glad to say that in Worcester-
shire the Beecher Club stcod out with a surplus of
£2,116. Tile next society that stood highest was
the Foley Lodge of Foresters, held at Vine,
Stourbridge, with £2,085 surplus, Among the
other clubs with surpluses were some with but £4,
£9, and £2. There were foie societies in Worces-
tershire with a deficiency of £17,800, and he saw
that society was still going on. The facts in the
Parliamentary report were most interesting and
instructive. It was surprising to see the ease with
• which people went into clubs which wer insolvent,
and when this was done they found when they got
old thA they had only thrown their money away.
Mr. C. P. Noel proposed the health of Lord
Lyttelton, the president of the club, and said he
was afraid his uncle, Canon Lyttelton, was in a
most critical state. He was sure that statement
would be received with great regret by his numer-
ous fiends.

The Rev. W. J. Heale gave ".Succ:3Es to tho
Club," coupling with the toast the name of Mr.
John Tr.ylor, the secretary ; and this concluded the
;ist of toasts.

DUDLEY.

CRUELTY TO FONVLS.—At the Police Court on Wed-
nesday before Job Garratt and John Finch, Esqs,
Mrs. BakEir, iipit and poul:ry t:ealer, Market-place,
w2a ebazged Wit k ern43liy to fowls,—lnspector
Wig,loy, ou Frio:ly lasf, ivand on Mrs. Baker's stall
a wicker baslat so packed With large fowls that one
of them was suffocated.—She ‘Te;s cautioned and
discharged on paying coats.

DUDLEY TOWN COUNCIL.
THE NEW SCHOOL OF ART.

Alderman Davit: Howat ( \layer) pre:ided at the
monthly in,..e;ing of the above Council, field on
uisday evening.
Toe Mayor invited the aldermen and councillors
to accompany him and the Free Libraries and
-Fetes Committee in the procession from the town
to the Dudley Castle Fetes on Wednesday. Etc
stated that the Free Library Committee had received
a letter fmn the Countess of Dudley, in which her
ladyship stated that she was as yet uncertain as to
whether she would be able to be present at the
opening of the Dudley Free Library, Rather than
the committee should suffer any disappointment,
she desired the committee to ask someone else to
perform the ceremony of opening the institution.
The committee, however, had agreed to allow the
matter t,) remain in the hands of the Countess—
(applause). The Mayer referred to the loss the
borough Bench and magistrates bad recently
sustained by the deaths of Dr. Fisher, Messrs. Owen
Wright, John Fisher, and W. North, and on his
motion, seconded by Alderman John Finch, it was
resolved that the aldermen of the Borough consti-
tute a committee to nominate gentlemen to fill up
the vacancies. The support of the Council was
asked to a memorial praying for permission to use
steam power on the Wolverhampton and Dudley
tramways, and this was conceded.

Aldeim'an Finch said he had travelled over the
line that day, and he was sure he should not do so
again till steam power was adopted. The over-
crowdinc, was terrible, and the work was too much
for the leiorses A letter was received from the
secretary of the South Staffordshire Waterworks
Company- relative to the water rates, &c. The
company, it was stated, did not hold themselves
bound by the decision in the Grand Junction case,
and the directors did not propose to make any re-
duction at present---("Shame.") They, however,
intended to erect a tank, so as to ensure a better
water supply at KatP's Hill. The letter was re-
ferred to the Water Supply Committee, the Mayor
stating that probably counsel's opinion would be
asked as to the water-rate question--(bear, hear).
The other part of the letter he considered very satis-
factory.

A memorial from the Netherton, ratepayer 3 ask—
ing for a better road from Netherton to Netherton
Station, was referred to the Public Works Com—
mittee.

It was resolved to make application to the Public
Works Loan Commissioners for the advance of a
loan of £4,000 for works of sewerage and sewatro
disposal, as sanctioned by the Local Government
Board, the sum to be repaid within a period of 30
years. It was agreed, on the recommendation of
the Watch Committee, to take legal proceedings
ay.aitist certaii tradesmen who had persistently re-
fused to remove projecting signs from the fronts of
their premises.

The- medical officer (Di. Timmins) reported that
during the past month there had been 82 deaths
and 173 births. The death-rate was 21.64 per 1,000
as compared with 21 81 during the previous month,
and 22.71 during the corresponding month last
year. Several houses in the Humbles inspected by
him were unfit for human habitation. Tire Streets
ant Gas Committee recimmended the acceptance
of the tenders of Ed ward Jones and Company, of
Dudley Port, to supply bricks at £2 15s. per 1;000;
C. Grange and Son, of Netherton, to supply iron
kerbing at is. sd. per yard; and of Mr. Berry, of
Dudley, to do the work of paving Newhall street,
Fountain street, Brown street, and Cromwell street,
at a cost of £594 16s.
The report was adopted, and in spealeng of it
Allerman George Bagott referred to the very high
rates charged by the Dudley Gas Company for
their gas. Tile ratepayers, however, would be
pleased to learn that the electric light was making;
satisfactory progress. lie had witnessed the in-
trbduction of the electric light into houses at Col-
chester, and was very much pleased with the results.
Some discussion took place on the state of the
streets, Councillor Billing complaining that some of
them were in a dangerous condition, while Alder-
man Bagott held that they would compare favour-
.ibly with the streets of other towns in the district.
In reply to Councillor Walker, Alderman Bagott
slid the Council did not intend to deviate from the
original scheme of paving the approaches to the
town, and the Netherton road would be paved from
, the Corporation baths to the Netherton Market
place. The Free Library Committee seat a re-
quest to the Council to Rive toe pathway in front
of the new School of Arc and Free Library. Also
that they erect two ornamental lamps in front of
the library and two at the door of the School of
Art.

On the motion of the Mayor, seconded by Al-
derman Garratt, it was resolved that it be left to
the Streets and Gas Committee to carry out the
work as they think proper.
Alderman Garratt said that they were all assured
that the Countess of Dudley would open the new
buildings, and the occasion would be a day long to
be remembered in the annals of Dudley.
It was resolved to stock the library with 8,000
volumes, which would cost £l,OOO. Towards the
cnst he had already received several large donations,
and he intended to circulate among the leading in-
habitants of the borough an appeal on behalf of
the library.
The Town Clerk was authorised to consult with
a firm of solicitors as to the steps to be taken to en-
force the repair or removal of the unsightly pile of
building which now stands opposite the new Free
Library.
The Council agreed to apply te the Local Gov-
ernment Board for permission to borrow £2,000,
to be expended in street imptovements, the money
to be repaid in thirty years.
Councillor Ohallingsworth asked whether it would
not be advisable to borrow .tlOO.OOO, or as much
as the town could get credit for; and not be contin-
ually borrowmg—(laughter.)
It was on the agenda that Alderman Dunn
should call the attention of the Council to the de-
sirability of the Council making application to the
Board of frade for a Provisional Order to empower
them to construct a tram way from the Dudley and
Stourbridge steam tramways at the top of Blower's
Green road, along that road, through .Netherton to
Cradley. Ile said it was not his intention to pro-
pose a resolution on the subject just then, but
wished to point out that such a tramway was much
needed, anti would be welcomed by the inhabitants
of the district through which it would pass.
After some Mae discussion the matter was then
ddjourned, and the meeting terminated.