The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-04-28 00:00:00

ROWLEY SCHOOL BOARD.

ANOTHER SCENE.

Th 9 usual monthly meeting of this Board was
held in the Board Room, Old Hill, on Monday last,
Mr. G. Greea presiding. There were present
Messrs. Edwards, Strawson, Pewtriss, Hadley,
Cave, Standish and Whitley,_ .

. The School Attendance Officer reported that the
attendance during the month was as follows :
Tividale, on the books 470, average attendance 335,
percentage 82; Knowle, on books 369, average at—
tendance 313, percentage 85; Blackheath, on book
815, average attendance 662, percentage 81; old
Hill, on books 720, average attendance 693, per-
centdge 82; Old Hill Junior, on beoks 291, aver-
age attendance 239, percentage S 2; Cradley Heath
average attendance 672, percentage 83. This
showed an increaqe in the attendance during the
month of 83 on the books, 135 in average attend-
ance, and 2-5 in the percentage. The total num—
ber of absentees was 1,193. As desired at the
last Board meeting he had made enquiries respect-
ing he schools kept by Mrs. Lakin, He found
that the teaching staff consisted of herself, two
assistants—one of whom s!re stated was certificated
—and a son who occasionally assisted. Mrs Lakin
did not object to have the children attending the
school at Blackheath being examined, if the
.Beard desired it, but inasmuch as she had only
just opened th,l school at Gorsty Hill she thought
it would be unfair to examine those children at
present-,
The School Attendance Officer was instructed to
make a report to the Board at the next meeting
on all the "dame" schools in the parish, in order
that the Board might see how far they fulfilled the
requirements of the Act.
The-Chairemn then moved the motion of which
he had. given notice, viz ;—" That the resolution
come to on the 28th day of August, 1876, that the
quorum of members be reduced from five to three
be rescinded, and that it be resolved teat henceforth
four members shall form a quorum of this Board"
Mr. Cave said he rose to a point of order. He
said that in the rules and regulations of that
Board it was stated that "No resolution of the
Board shall be rescinded or variedicxcept the motion
made, or notice given at ti e previuus meetirg of
the Board, shall specify the object." He should
submit that the notice did no specify the object,
therefore it was out of ordcr, and the motion could
n t go on.
Mr. Hadley asked the Chairman to abandon his
rcadution, as be felt Bare it would disturb the
peace of the Bo.lrd.
The Clerk said the motion of the Chairman was
perfectly in accordance with the rules and regula-
tions of the Board.

Mr.• Cave brought another objection that the
motion was brought on too late. He said that ic
ought to have come on b.:fore the Committeas
reports. This was taken _no notice of.
Mr. Pewtri,s seN3nded the proposition. He
thought it would be fir better to have four mem-
bers present before any business could be tran—
sacted, because they found that there was a feeling
prevailing among certain members which was
prejudicial to the working of the Board, and he
thought that fe,ling should be kept down. There
were certain members who raised all manner of
objections, and caused great obstruction to the
business.

Mr. Hadley moved as an amendment "That the
resolution passed on the 28th of August, 1876,
for altering the quorum from five to three be not
rescinded." He was very sorry that the Chairman
had thrown down a bone of contention, for a bone
of contention it would always be. It was generally
expected that after the election there would be
aim irritating circumstances, but he had hoped
that the effects of the last electien would have
passed away before this. He wished that the
Chairman could see his way clear to withdraw the
resolution. The Chairman had not given any
reasons why it should be altered, These were
rsasous why it should not be altered. About six
pars ago an ordinary meeting of the B nird was
called. A few members met, but not sufficient to
form a quorum, and they had to leave without any
business being done. The Board saw the
necessity of altering it from five to three, and a
motion was preposed by Mr. North and seconded
by Mr. Hingley and was carried by the meetieg
unanimously. The resolution had worked very
w-11 and he considered that the motion of the
Chairman was unnecessary, and he had not heard
one scintilla of reason given by the Chairmazi why
the number constituting a quorum of the Board
should be augmented, Why should it be altered ?
Tnere had been one reason given by the seconder
of the motion, which he (Mr. Hadley) thought ho
should have kept back —("Hear, hear" from Mr.
Care). He asked which party had caused the dis-
terhances, and hindered the legitimate work of the
Bard, Some said it was Mr. Cave, but he said it
was not Mr. Cave-:( \in Whitley : "Hear, hear").
Where there was a Lull-bait there must be a dog,
and if Mr. Cave had been 'Wowed his rights as a
member of that Board, without any unnecessary
late? fersnce, he beieved he would have shown
himself quite as competent as those who had acted
so unfairly towards 11m, and who had so repeatedly
tried to annoy him. There cert.iinly must be s )me
rca-ou or reasons for bringing such a motion for.
ward, and they were all entitle I to draw their own
inferences. After the last election a private meet-
ing was called to coespire and agree to a compact
not to make a Board at ad, so that Mr. Cave might
be put out of the ring. Although he (Mr. Cave)
had been elected, yet there were a few of the mem-
bers who did not want to sit with him, and a col-
spiracy was got up, and it was a disgrace to all
concerned. It s‘ as understood that although the
members had been elected they would not form
themselves into a Board, and it was suegested that
if the members did not meet the Clerk woulo
write to the Educational Council and inform them
of the matter, then the Educational Council would
declare the Beard in default, and would form
another Board itself, or call another election. The
members of the Board might conspire together if
they choose, and no doubt would t'(min the object
they had in view, but he asked what would be the
consequence? What had berm the consequence of
the former conepiracies, and the high-handed
policy that had been exercised toward Mr. Cave ?
Why the former Chairman had committed suicide,
so far as the Board was concerned—(l ughter) -
and he (Mr. Hadley) should Im very sorry if the
present Chairnan, from pursuing a similar poli,y,
should erect a gallows on which to hen.; himself—
(laughter). History often repeated itself—(laughter)
and it might even in this ease. Of course he
could not tell what it was ; it might be that the
Chairman had a secret treaty in his pocket.—(Mr.
Cave : "Dynamite").--He was sure that the Educa-
tion Department would not be put off the track by
the despotic and high-handed policy which it was
desired to carry out in that parish and on that
Board. He kuew the Chairman had power to
carry Ma moth), and if he did he would submit to
it so far as he v,ers compelled to do, but in other
ways he should resist to the utmost of his power,
and if they carried out the conspiracy he &smile be
one to form a committee to get up a memorial to
send to the Education Department on the subject.
then the Department would liee through the con.
spiracy, and it would fall to the ground.
Mr. Whitley seconded the amendment. He was
surprised that there had been no reason given by
the Chairman for putting the motion, but pethaps
the reasons were be ter kept back than given. He
had been a member efithe Board from the begiuning.
The qt o:urn of three had worked very well hitherto
and t ere Must be some ulterior motive for &siring
to alter it. There were a certain number of men
that he should not have thought would have stooped
to 'etch a malignant mode of doing business. He
took it that it would continue a Board of conten-
tion for a considerable length of time. If the
motion wai carried, and he believed it would be,
they should have to deal with it in the best way
they could. It was a most disgraceful thing to
move a resolution of this kind, aad it was only to
get rid of Mr. Cave, and if possible to get the
Board in default.

Mr. Cave supported the amendment. As no
roason had been gosti2n by the mover of the resolu-
tion ,A hy there should be an alteration, be should
no,. be wrong in assuming what was the intention.
Thel so; 'mut be an in'eqtion or else it would never
have been moved. They were a body of men con-
nected with the Schaol Board, duly elected to
carry out the Education Act. Some of them had
been carried at the head of the poll, while some
were very • zrear the tail end. No respectable
gentleman would really have let himself down to
conspire to carry a resolution of this description,
without giving some creditable and tangibl,
reasons why it should be done. The bringing foe.
ward of such a motion was only an insult to two
old members of the Board. They charged ls:m
with obstructing the business. If that was not ob-
struction of business ho did not know what was.
The resolution was not needed. The resolution
was a two•edged sword, and would cut both ways,
and he asked them not to be surprised if on a
futuro occasion, if, on entering that room to a
Board meeting he should find only t`..ree members
there, and Mr. Hadley and Mr. Whitley away, he
should walk out again. With respect to Mr.
Standish he took him to he a respectable gentle-
man, but certainly if he wont with them and they
carried it out and entered into a conspiracy for all
those gentlemen to stop away, and leave those
three (himself, Mr. Hadley and Mr. Whitley) so
tt.at they could not do the business, he (dr.
Standish) would not be a very respectable man
then. It was a diabolical conspiracy, and nothing
else to "boycott and assast.inate" him (Mr. Cave)—
(laughter nod •'Order"). It was most ungentle-
manly, and appeared to be the last resort of the
other side. •
stsuilish denied that he had boon a party to

any conspiracy. He could assure the Board that
he had uot'seen Mr. Green coneerning the resolu-
tion, and he thought that what had been said
about oonspiraci9s was all rubbish. He came there
perfectly unbiased.
The Chairman said that it was after considerable
thought that he resolved to say nothing in pro-
posing the resolution, thereby he should simply
further the interests of the Board and be able to
get on with the business better. He could not
have done it withoat reflecting upon Mr. Cave, Mr.
Hadley and Mr. Whitley. What had been said
about the old resolution working well until the end
of the last Board, and until Mr. Cave became a
member of that Board, was true. Since the elec.
tion Messrs. Whitley, Had and Cave had de-
liberately conspired (using their own word) to—
gether and had called a special meeting of the
Board, for the purpose of electing a new member
in the place of Mr. W. Bassano, J.P., resigned.
The meeting was called on a Thursday, a most in-
convenient time, when most of the members were
at Birmingham on 'Change.
Mr. Hadley r,se to reply and was requested by
the Chairman to be brief.

Mr. Pel,vtriss made a similar request.
Mr. Cave: Shut up, you potteryman.
Mr. Pewtriss : Don't be so personal, you lea,ther•
headed old I—,
The Chairman: I wi-h that gentlemen would
conduct themselves properly.
Mr. Pewtriss : He called me a "pattexyman,"
and I have a-fignt to call him a leather-headed
old f----(laughter).
The votes were then taken and the Chairman's
resolution was carried by five votes to three.
Mr. Hadley gave notice that at the next meet-
ing he should move the rescinding of the resolution
just passed, and that the number of members con—
stituting a quorum be reduced to three.