The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-10-03 00:00:00

REPORT OF FINANCE COMMITTEE.

Your Committee report that the Treasurer's bal-
ances on the several accounts at this date to be as
follows, viz :—lmprove ft ent Account. Balance due
to Treasurer at this date £202 2s Sd. Highway
Account. Balance due from Treasurer at this date
£241 188 id. Urban Sanitary Authority. Balance
due from Treasurer at this date £l6 13s 4d. Your
Committee have carefully examined the followirg
accounts, and finding them correct, recommend that
they be paid, viz :—lmprovement Account £44 18s
sd; Highway Account 37 103 10; Urban Sanitary
Account £260 15s id; Urban Sanitary Loan Ac-
couut. Your Committee have examined the
vouchers of accounts ordered to be paid at the last
monthly meeting and tiod them correct. Your
Committee beg to report progess with regard to
the security to be given by the Clerk, Surveyor and
Treasurer. Your Committee beg to report that the
audit of the town accounts had not yet been com-
pleted. Your Committee report progress as to the
Incorporation accounts. Your Committee recom-
mend that the contractors extras, viz., £25 5s 3d,
be paid. A precept has been received from the
Main Drainage Board for the sum of £472 2s
4d.

Mr. James called attention to a statement in the
report that the committee recommended that a
cheque for £6O be drawn for petty cash, of which
£3O was for wages and street flagging. He believed
a fresh arrangement altogether was required, as he
understood 7a an hour was being paid for labour to
the men who were flagging the streets. In contrast
with this, the drainage contractors were paying 21d
to 4d per hour for labour.
Mr. Turney said he thought it was a very bad
plan to draw so large a sum as £6O under the head
of petty cash. Everything that could be paid by
cheque should be paid that way. Mr. James sur-
prised him in saying that 7d per hour was being
paid for labour, and they were paying more than
they ought to do.
Mr. Haskeiv said that when the question of re-
pairing the pavements came up he suggested it
should be postponed while the drainage work was
about; but he was met with th 3 remark that only
a bit of patching was required to be done. It
seemed to have grown into a pretty good job, as
the wages were £3O a month.
Mr. Gee complained of the manner in which the
work was being done. It was the worst flagging
he had ever seen. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. Perry (the surveyor) said he got prices for
the work before it was begun, and it was only the
stonemasons who were paid 7d an hour, and the
labourers 3s. a day. _ _ _ _

Mr. James proposed that the repair of the flag-
ging be discontinued, so that some arrangements
could be come to regarding it.
The Surveyor said the men were discharged on
Saturday.
Mr. W, Jones proposed, and Mr Walker sec-
onded, that a cheque for £3O be drawn for the
surveyor for petty cash.
The proposition was carried.
GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEE REPORT.

Medical Officer of Health's Report. Number of
births registered in the township of Stourbrigde
from August 24th to September 21st 1885, 27, viz.,
12 malf s, 15 females. Number of deaths registered
in the snne period, 13, viz„ 5 males, 8 females.
Birth-rate 33.3, death.rate 15.9. The officer reports
that the death-rate is lower than the past month,
among them were three inquests, all natural cause.
The corresponding month last year had a death-
rate of 19.6. The Officer's journal was laid before
your Committee.

TOWN OFFICER'S REPORT.
Nuisances brought forward 20
Reported 23