The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-12-12 00:00:00

BRIERLEY HILL.

ALLEGED VIOLENT ASSAULT. At the Police
Court on Monday —before Measra. IL Smith and
P. Foley—Jan lloynts (30), ruddier, Bull Lane,
Brirl.y Bill, was chdtgeo with assaulting Wm.
Metcalfe, a puddler, of the same place. Mr. J.
Clark di fended.—lt was shown that a quarrel Bros(
in Bull Lane among the Baynes family, and
several assaults were counpitted. Prosecuter wen.
out to see the row, and he wa knocked down by
someone. When he rose he ran towards the first
house he find, but as he entt red the prisoner stunk
the prosecutor a blow OA the head, cutting it open
iwL readeriag tva aailleallibilheNDl, 44141/94

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crave evidence as to the nature of the injury, and
the prisoner was committed for trial.
THE BURGLARY AT THB DELPII —John Feenan,
blacksmith's striker. and al itinerant muaician, was
charged on remand wan breaking into the honie of
Bingley, at The Delph. Th's is the case in
xhich the ion of the proseeuttiz capturcct the
• urglar whilst he was packing' up his booty.—The
caas was again adjourned for fu ther evidence, and
0 prisoner was removed in cu.tody.

ROWLEY REGIS LOCAL BOARD ACCOUN ' S.
0, Monday lift. Floyd (Government Auditor) at-
tended at the Public Offic..s, 011 Hill, for the pur-
pose of hearing evirPnee with repot to the alle_red
irregularities in the Rowley Regis Local Baird
accounts. Mr. A Wright, Clerk, and Mr. Beale,
Surveyor, attended on behalf of the Local Board,
and amongst those present were Me,srs. S Cave,
S. Coley. J. Aston, D. Wi lets, J. Ilingley, and
W. Willett. _ _ _

At the commencement of the proceedings Mr.
Beal s atel that at the last audit tne iinditor made
remarks whioh be considered were a reflection upou
his cbatacter. 'titer severely cross-exiimt ing bun
with r apect ta his stone account, the auditor had
reoerte I to the L ical Gov rnment Board 'that
after a deal of equivocation the surveyor had ad-
ulate I that the e allies were not correct." In con
sequ•3nc 3of this statement being made some rate-
payer haMA le it his duty to report about the
district th tt when tisaing for a compliment he had
got a snub.
The Auditor said it would not be right for him to
retract anything he miirht have said or written,
because wool' he inferred Mr. Beale to the entries
resp!cting the stons account 11, state! they were
correct, anti in order toget at the truth lie was
compelled to put Yin ta the test by administering
the oath, and then he ascertained that the ent,iee
wer.• not corect. The accounts were n.t properlv
correct. He did not think Mr. Beale had any
intenticn of wil iilly deceitiug him. , , •
Mr Battle: Von were warm and I was very
warm.

s lengthoned &moment, the Auditor said
be coul I not withdraw what Mr Beale desired, but
he wou'd say this much, that if it was necessary to
call him at the press .t inquiry he should be pleas d
to take his word without puttiug him cn his oath,

The Aaditor then proseeded it; state that at the
last inquiry evidence was heard with respect t
alleged irresularities in the accounts, and in the
interval the Local Board and a number of ratepayer:.
had memorialised the Local Governaseat Board to
send down an inspector to hold an inquiry respect
ing the accounts. and it would, perhaps, be interest-
ing to those present to know that the Local Govern-
ment Board had d.cided to reply to the memorial
idts that they could rent,consent to send down an
inspector until after the auditor had completed his
examination of the accounts. He, as auditor, hau
ower to hear evidence, and in the event of persons
pl icing diffiulties be the way of his obteining evi-
•.encs, he bad power under the Public Health Act
to tine them. At the last inquiry exception was
taken to tne L ,cal Board detraying the cost of
oaking a sewer at B:ackheath out of the general
also ict rate. The cost of constructing the work
was £866 17s. In was only fair th it he should
de that the sewer was made iu 1875, and the
3oard th n propos-ed to raise the money by a
private improvement rate. Mr. Parkes (the rate
collector), however r permitted his books to get into
A lamentable state or 0. rlusien, with the result that
the Board could do, no good with him and he was
discharged, and he Board subsequently decideo
that the coat of constructing the work should be
defrayed out of the general district rate. Mr
Cave aild others had given it as their impression
that Mr. Parkes had collcted some of the private
improvem nt rate.
Mr. Wright: We have no entries in our books
that any meeey was collected.
The Auditor said as Mr. W i.sht represented ths
',..0ca,1 Board he should like for him to t xplain the
matter with respect to the sewerage scheme.
Mr. Wright said the Local Board were of opinion
-hat as it was a main sewer, and consecieently all
he ratepayers in that district would benefit by it,
it was considered to be mo:-e equitable for the cost
to he defrayed out of the present district rate.
Mr. C tve said he sh obj-ct to the ratepayers
in the whole ot the whete of the p trish contributing
aioney to defray the cost of co istructing sewerage
Torks at Blackheath.
Mr. D. Willetts said be considered it would be
unfair for the decision of the Local Board to b
apheld.
The Anditor otici be felt it to be his duty to np-
tnold the deci:ien of the Local Board, although he
was at the came time hound to say that the Board
Jught to hese arrivtd at such a decision ut the time
they decided te do the- work.
Mr. J. Hingley said he should certainly advise
'he property ownere at Crailley Heath not to ply
for the making, 9,f new streets. Let the cost Cl
"taking streets tie defrayed out of the general did-
rict rate.

The Auditor said he could not permit ratepayert
-0 discuss their grievances at that Court. If they
lisaareed with tee manner in which the Local
3on'rd transacted the business they had a remedy.
Mr Cave said as more than six months had
-lapsed Pince the work bad been executed he did
:ot think the auditor had the power to authorise
the payment out of the gener tl &grid rate.
The Auditor said he could not agree with Mr.
„ a argument, and from evidence which had
-der his notice he was bound to say that
-,otne au.
no 61 18e Id had been received towards
h
in making Queen Street. Cradley
a. ar e b,s rrets ite
to showed that £143 14s and
e cost
o hts. The evide:
li
nau
teen collected
Mr. Cave asked that eel;:e person should be stir.
.ilarged with the dedeif ney.
he Auditor said he sliould. &eine to comply
pith Mr. Cave's request.
A number of other accounts were inquired into
ind the proceedings aftervrards terminated.

VALUABLE FIND OF COAL NEAR DUDLEY.

The geologists of a generation ago were of
opinion that the .Rowley R,gis Hills were an up-
:ieaval of igneous rock, and that in course of the
•ruption all the coal of the site had been destroyed.
;.'be columnar formation of the basalt of which the
:tills are composed gave colour to thip supposition
.nd the land was held of little value beyond bear-
:lig the maws of Rowley "rag' for the macadato-
:..atiou of loads and the m :king of "sets" for paves.
nents. The diivings out of Mr. Minton at the
i'vrin Pits, some twenty years ago. dispelled the
ielief. for the ten-yard coal so well known throuith.
-Jut England as a characteristic of the South Staf-
,!..rishire and East Wureestershie coalfield was die-
, ,sered intact. In fact, in some pl ices the coal was
found to be twelve, thirhen. and even fourteen
ads thick. Lord Dudley then sank the celebrated
i-,ye Cross pits, under the management of Mr:
laa.ham. and coal was found nearer the summit of
he hills. Geologists then held the more correct
new that the igneous rock had risen through a
irater and spread over the land, forming the bills
hemselvts This was tolerably well rect,gnisad
'rem the fact that the top layer of coal was shown
ro be partially coked by the inten,e heat to which
't was subjected. The late Me. Henry Johns=
frequently asked the miners throtr4h the hilts to
aotiee any indication of the "spout" through which
he rock in its mol.en state passed upward , but up
*o now no trace has been reported It is satisfactory.
;Hoverer, to note ;that Mrs S. Blewitt, Messis
Ifinton's general manager, has, by patient and in
-elligent planing, driven from the Twin (or Grace
%flay) Pits some 250 yards towards the Ivy House
;istate, through the igreous rocks, and come upon a
:ine area of the best hard coal of • bright and hard
:haracter. The estate is some thirty acted in ex-
tent, and this alone is a valuable acquisition to the
resources of South Stiffordshirs ; but it is an
aernest of much more beneath the hills, which at
one time were popularly supposed to have denuded
die district of mineral riches. The coal is almost
..n the same level as Messrs. Minton's pits, and this
is no mean advantage to the successful explorers.