The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-06-25 00:00:00

(Copy).
Poor Law Board, b,tetrall, 8 W.,
23rd June, 1870.

Sir.—! am directed by the Poor Law Board to state
ihat that they bare under their consideration the objec•
ions raised by you to the return of Mr. Reubea Plant,
.• the elected Guaidian for the Word*ley Ward of the
i'mti.l4 of Kingewintord. Ihe Board desire me to stet.
oat they have cou.somicated with the Clerk to tip.
Guardiena of the htourbridge 1.7131012, and with Mi.
lent; and they forward to you • copy of the letter iron,
or Clerk. Toe Board is of opinion that the decieion
Liu Clerk in returuiog Mr. Houton. Plant, as the risme..
Juardian for the Wordeley Ward. 1. current.
lam, Sir, your obedient servant,
A. W. PEEL, Secretary.
Mr. John Baybould.

Poem PIcKING.—At. the Patty Sessions held
•er Tuesdaj• before It. L. Freer, Esq., John
Hall was brought up on remand charged with
stealing a purse and nine shillings, the pr,,pertj
X.,ry Ann Ltalle. Preseeutrix s ,id she taco
at tau Badway inn, Cburcipetreet. Wks la
:toutbridge Market on Friday lost. She itsd b
.i,uree in ntr pocket, containing about nine shil.
inge. Saw the prisoner near her. A won caw
tp, and asked her if she had lust anything
be put her and in her pock. t, end wieead het
:tine, cud money. Alfred ater proven
•.at Is saw the prisoner put ills Laud into cow
asiowit'e pocket. Wihisin ti oiiall proved the:
sil the prisomr pass a puree to another tuau.
lis ran away. The purse Was a brown one.
Leaded hinny, sentenced to two mouths Yarn
Amur.
A Leen f SCAPK. Eliabbab Ragat Wa,
charged with stealing a quantity ot dowers, on
the 19th lust, the property of Mr. Moore, Long-
lauds. Prisoner pleaded play. hope' tuten•
teudeut Freeman said that he had seen Mr.
Aoore, and if the Bench would allow hum he
wished to withdraw the case. The Magistrate
,old the prisoner she must consider herself very
tortunate in not having the case pressed &genie',
oar, and hoped it would be a caution to her in
future. Prisoner was then discharged.
DRUNK AND RIOTOUS. Peter Jordan Was
charged by Superintendent Freeman with being
drunk and riotous, on the 20th. Police-consta-
ble Lane proved the case. This being his first
offence, he was ordered to pay the costs.—T. he-
alas Banton was charged with a similar offence,
on the 20th. Police-constable Box said he was
on duty in Market street, about one o'clock.
rho defendant was very drunk, and making a
great noise. He refused to go home, and wit-
ness was obliged to lock him up. Ordered to
~ay costs.
FIRE AT THE RIDGE TOP.—Da Saturday night
I sat a stable containing hay and straw Was found
' .o be on lire. It seems the owner of the piece,
.4 man named Harris, went into the stable, anu
itit a lighted candle drop on the straw. Th.
roof, watch Was thatched, was very soon harm
.lewn, and all the connecting buildings were de,
troyed.
bUPPRESHION OF THE LIQUOR TICAFTIC.— On
Monday night an open-air meeting was held lb
Posser.street, wnen the Rev. T. Williams, Mr.
;minuet Brazier, and other gentlemen attended
to explain Sur Wilfred Lawseu's Permissive Bill.
fhe proceedings were commenced by singing.
the Rev. T. William's presided, and addiessed
few words to those present as to the demorali-
ing ell, cts that drink had upon the human eye.
coukidered that if there were no pith-
ic-houses there would bale a crime. The pub.
ii:Eine bad to get the licauses from the Magis-
trates now, not like it used to be, frow not
:mire. Any man being rated high cough could
set up a beertmuse where he lik, d. Be, for one,
should not like to live next tu a beerhonse.
'deny of the publicans were good tradesmen and
4ave their children a good education, but others,
ne Was sorry to day, were not respectable, and
did nut care which way they obtained their
money. There were a thousand parishes in
England where there was no public-house, and
the consequence was there was no drunkenness
or poverty. The rev, gentleman, in conclusion,
considered that drunkenness was the source ut
all crimes, and earnestly solicited those present
to give their best consideration to the subject.
--Mr. Samuel Brazier then addressed those

present, aud in the course of his remarks said
that the object of the Bill was to give the rate-
payers of any town or pariah the power, by a
majority of two.thirds, to suppress the liquor
Blithe ; thereby removing the power from the
Magistrates to the people, who have to pay the
costs of crime and pauperism caused by the said
liquor traffic. The speaker then went on to
state the enormous amount of grain which, he
said, was wasted in waking liquor. Last year
68,000,000 bushels of grain were destroyed in
that manner, which, if ground into bread, wouul
make 954,000,000 loaves of 41bs weight each.
nisi would allow every man, woman, and child
iu the kingeorn three 4th loaves every week all
toe year round. It would supply 20 cities like
Birmingham with bread all the year round. He
quoted several passages from the South Ken-
sington Museum Society on the subject, and also
read extracts from the Morning Advertiser, which
the speaker termed the publican's paper. The
amount of money spent in the liquor traffic last
year was £102,886,280; but there wits only
.C 69,000 spent in cotton goods. How witch bet-
ter would it be if the £102,886.280 were spent
in cotton, and the £69,000 were spent in drink.
lie said it was a workwg man'a question. There
.vas in Glasgow, Scotland, a distillery on a very
extensive scale. They employed 150 men, and
I.atroced 50 t 000 bliolelA of grain •very year.
If instead uf a distillery being put up there they
lood pot ups osse u, Miami ed Ojai ern'