The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-11-03 00:00:00

COMMISSIONERS' MEETING.

The usual ni,nthly meeting of this Board was
hrld tin Menday last. in the Commissioners' R ow,
Corn Exchange. Mr. W. J. Turney pre,ided,
'I here also present Messrs. liaskew, Under-
wood, Stringer, Pratt, North, Witx;ll--y, Baker,
Perkin, Giffin, Gillaan, Edwards, Walker
and P.lfrey. _ _

_
The minutes of the last meeting were read and
confirmed,

Mr. lei, who was not present at the last meeting
now made the usual declaration and took hi seat
at the Board.

The chairman then proposed "That Mr. Icke be
placed upc.n the Improvement and General Pur—
poses Committees, he having served on those com-
mittees for several years. This was seconded by
Mr. North.

Mr. North proposed "That Mr. Ick be also put on
the Incorporation Committee." Mr. Edwards
seconded the motion.

The Finance Committee reported the following
accounts had been read aud found correct and re-
commended tat they be paid :—llighway Account
£75 II s 10d ; Improvement Account £2:23 15s 01;
Urban Sanitary Account £4O 548d.—The lii4hway
Account ft,r the present month was £lto 17s id;
Imp. ovement Account £285 Is lid; Urban Sanitary
Account £3O 188 7d.

The report was adopted.
The Medical Officer of Health reported that the
number of deaths registere,,l in the toweship of
Stourteilge from September 19th to October 22nd
was 22, v:z 11 nanles cud 11 females. Tee number
of terlh4 registered in the same period was 25, viz
12 males an,i 13 females. Ikath-rre 27'5 and the
birth-rate 3P3. The officer reports the death-rate
sti 1 remains very high. The rite for the corres-
ponding month last year was 20.9 There has
been one death from small pox ; one death from
typhoid fever and three from scarla'ina. lie makes
two recommendations with regard to zymotic
diseases. First that as soon as the patient is

aVacked he may have him or her remove-11 to the
tents at the Union immediately, if they are willing
to go, and if not, that ho way go before a
magistrate to get an order for their removal.
lie wants to have the bed clothes and bedding
that have b-en used for the smallpox patients
in Birmingham Street and An.rel Street destroyed
and to remunerate the people tor the lo.s ; 30s for
the birmingham Street case and 203 for the Angel
Street cas simple of water must be analysed.
This is from a well in Unioa Street, common to two
houses owned by Mr. Haskew and Mr. Cartwright.
When the proper not:ces were served Mr. Ilmkew
bad the tap water laid on at once, but Mr. Cart-
wright positively refuses to do S). The matter
must be taken into Court, after the analysis by
Dr. Swete. The officer states that the reason of
the water being sent to Dr. Swele is that the
mapistrates will not convict unlesi the water has
been regularly analysed. Ile calls the attention of
the Commissioners to the request he made last
monli for Nesber's Test for impure water.
The Town Officer reported that during the month
there had been reporte 1 75 nuisances, removed 72.
Night Soil removal, 289 privies, 212 ashpits b4ong-
ipg to 511 howes, have been emptied and cleansed
and thAr contents removed. Number of loads 410.
The registered lodging houses, slaughter houses,
and bake hluses are reporzed to be in a good
sanitary condition, with the exception of one bake-
house. A notice has been sezved on the owner of
property in Worcester Street respecting the
removal of a nuisance found thereon.

Your Committee 13,lieve the notice will be com-
plied with.
Your Committee recommend that the water re—
ferred to by the Medical Officer of Health be sent
to Dr. Swete for analysis, the clothing and be.l-
- of the smallpox placate be destroyed and
compeniation made to the owners thereof ; also
that Nesber's test for impure water be procured as
ordered by the Afed:cal Officer of Health. A case of
pawning clothing from a h nue, No. 15S, Angel
Street, where smallpox existtd is reported by the
Town Officer. Your Committee r, commended
that proceedings be taken against the person who
pawned them. The draft agreement with the
B ard of Guardians with regard tu isolation hospi—
tal wa laid bPfore your committee and approved
of the subject of zymotic disease being included
therein. Your Committee report progress as to in-
creased accommodation of the Commissioners'
Room, Disinrecting Apparatus, and Lighting of
Streets.

Mr. North moved, and Mr. Tui ney seconded, that
the rep ,rt be leceived.
"-It yids resqlved to give the medical officer all the
%WO
poser necessary to compel people with infectious
disenss to go into the Hospital tents.

The Improvement Committee reported that they
ha I considered the appropriation of the property at
the coruer of Foster Street, and recommend that your
Board do instruct the clerk to obtain tenders f r
the budding and clearing away the materials and
levelling the site; or to accept any offer for the
purchase of the materials.
The Chairman read a letter, which had been re-
ceived that morning, from Messrs J. and W.
Wood, ironfounders, Birmingham Street, offering
£l5 to tako down the building at the corner of
F stet. Street, finding all labourers and to clear it
away in five weeks. He moved "That the offer be
ac ept: d."
Mr. Haskew said he thought they had better
let it stand over a month and in the meantime
alverti .e it in the papers. They would then
perhaps get more money for it.
Tke Chairman said if they let it stand over they
would not perhaps get o much and then there
would be the expense of advertising. He thought
it was a very fair price.
Oa the resolution being put to the meeting the
m ,jority voted for the resolution.
The Chairman then -read two letters from the
G.eat Western Railway and the Postmaster
Goneral which were as follows." Great Western Rail-
way. .1),-ar Sir,—ln further reply to your letter of
the 31st August, containing a resolution passed at
a meeting of the Stsurbricrge Improvement Coin-
nii,si:niers to the effect ".1 hat it is very desirable
that a train should leave Stourbridge at 9.30. for
tue Lye, Cradley, Old Hill, and Birmingham." 1
It ire to state that the matter has been very care-
fully considered. The officers are of opinion, how-
ever that the traffic is not sufficient to justify the
expense by putting on an additional train, and I
think your Committee will agree with this view,
w:ien I point out the number of passengers booed
hem Stourbridge Town and Stourbridge Junct'on
to Lye, Cradley, Old Hill, and Birmingham by the
750 p.m. train only averages 27 per day, the
average receit.ts being lOs 2d, and that by the
8.30 and 9.50 p.m, trains from Stourbridge Junction
which run vitt Dudley, the average nu nber of
passengers daily by each train for Ilirmin !ham is
only I, while the average daily reeipts are
Is Old and Is 4d respectively. Under these cir-
cumstances I regret tl•at it is not possible at the
present time to accede to the wfs'ies of your Com-
mittee.

The Chairman raid when the town was incor-
porated, if they wrote up to the Board of Trade, he
thought they would get an extra train put on.
The Chairman then read the Postinaster General's
letter which was as follows :—G..ineral Post Office,
London. 2nd October, 1883. Sir.—With referene
to your letter of the 20th ultimo, I am directed to
state that owing to unforesren difficulties the Po-t•
master of Stourhridge has not heel able to make
the arrangements he had hoped to make for e 1-
larging and inap:oving the present post office in
that town. It has consequently become nccsa y
for him to look out for something ehe. lam to
add that the matter wili not be lost siglit of and
the Commissioners are able to assist the Postmaster
to obtain suitable premises ut reasonalo rent, the
Postmaster General will be mu tft ob.ig,ed if they
will do go. lam Sir, your obedient servant, J. W.
Baker.