The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-10-25 00:00:00

_;_, •
aith astrict Revs
THE STOURBRIDGE BURIAL BOARD IN A
DILEMMA

Mr. J. 13. SuspnEnD presided at a meeting of the
Buried board held on Saturday morning. The
principal object of the meeting was to discuss a
claim male by the contractor for the Cemetery, Mr.
Guest. of Brettell Lane, for a sum of 52,890 for extra
work done at the Cemetery. The ori4inal contract
was for about £2,000, but this amount was greatly
x-eeded, and the Board had to make an application
to the Ne:stry for powers to apply the rates to the
paymeet of what was left. this having been done
the Board have now no funds to meet the present
demand of Mr. Guest. A letter was read from the
latter, stating that he had laid the matter before Mr.
Edward [Limes, arehit :et, of Birmingham. to get
his Opinion upon it. .Me. Holmes's reply waiaiso
rrad, and this was to the et that there co iid be
no doubt of the legality of Mr. Guest's claim ; but
it advised hint to accept £80) in full payment in
preference to going to law.
The eltArn3tN also read a communination frost
t Mr. Seaalman Smith, the architect of the Board.
This at-ited that the welter would be very glad it
the B ,ard would pay hint the balance of his account
He had aireiidy received £250. The total amount
of his claim was £627 12s. 4d,
It was decided that the matter i•hould be deerrcd,
as the Board had heard nothing of it brfore
Mr. Guest then entered the room.
111 r. SHEPHERD : You have read this letter ?
Mr. GUEST: Yes Sir.
Mr. SHEPHERD : The first consideration that
occurs to us is that this report has been drawn up to
abuse the Board.
Mr. GUEST : I don't know about that. It was the
with of the Board that I should get advice, and I
have got it.
Mr. SnErnERD : The advice you have got is to
abuse the Board. That is not exactly the way to
theiit-tte a settlement. The gentleman who has
advised you has expressed his advice in this form.
Mr. GUEST assured the Board that he did not wish
to insult or annoy them in any way.
Mr. SHEPHERD went on to say that in giving his
advice Mr. Holmes had chosen to completely ignore
two out if three articles in the contract bearing
upon the matter in diepate. He also apsamed that
the architect did net repudiate Mr. Guest's claim,
while the reverse of this was the fact. Mr. Smith
did repudiate having given any instructions to M .
Ciu,st to carry out the extra work for which the
Cairn was made. Mr. Holmes's opinion did not
solve the difficulty, amid did not help them in the
lea t.

M. EvERi pointed out thlt they askA 3lr. Guest
to obtain legal advict, so as to ascertain whether he
could sustain his claim in a Court of justice.
Mr. GuEsT replied that solicitor cl;c1 not know
much about building, and he therefore thought
won1:1 be best to get the airice of an architect.
Mr. SHEPHERD said they made a contract, and
obtained a loan of money to cover their liability.
That. ,um had been u-ed, and they were now asked
for n additmnal 00, wlprn they had not got the
money. They could not oht,iin the tricney unles.
they could go to the vestry and E how that they
were leolly liable for it. If Mr. Guest had sp.
plied to algal gewleinan, as he had been relit 'sted
to do, ond had beea advist.d that the ;Board were
really libie, he (Mr. Shepherd) would hzrve g..ne to
the rn etng himself, and asked leave to flpp,y f r the
Pll' m-ant- of the •930 to be made out of the rates
. '
di:7=3.-zreeatle as the matter would hive been. He
had :no doubt thit Mr. Guest had done t e work for
whio:, he applied for payment. If Mr. Guest would
not do as they wisimd him they shoud are to Let
him go to hw fi.:;ht the ma ter out. If he would
work with tl e even if evercuAly tlte matter had
to be submit,ed to litigation, it would be cat net out
ia a friendly spirit, end the Boat,i would help him
all they could.
Eveatuiliy the tnatter was adjo :rued for a week,
wiAi the understanding. that in thn meantime Mr.
Gael, would obtain the advice of a solicitor upoa

LII:ERAL MEETING.—A. mcetintt Liberals was
I.:0d at the Vine Assembly Rooms, on Tueiday night
to take s,ep-t to orghnis:i the Liberal parry in East
;Verc,sters!tire in view of the nex;. election.—Mr. J.
B. St:Drumm presided, and in addret•sing ;he meet
ii a 1,1 attention to the growth of ckctoral
s!ren7f.th in thri nerthetn part of the iivision. In
the houthern i:ositi3n of the di. ision, however, there
had be. n a decrease. The Chairman urged the
necessity of organiation, and said that any dee;sion
regarding the r,presentation ought to he made by a
refire entative body.—Mr. Carder and Mr. Addion
(Bri,r:ey Hill), N.tr. Cochrane, Mr. G. Green, and
()theca afterwards spoke, ant the importance of or-
ganisa!ion in pr,paratton for the tJle tion wa in-
sisted itp,ai. It was reolved, on the motion of Mr.
G. GREEN, seconded by Mr. PALFIIRY, to form a
:4:inotnittee to consider the StCFS to be taken by the
constituency in the prop-qtt ot a tr,t-n,:t&

KEIIBLE-DR.A.MAIX will be seen on
reference to our advertising columns that the
na,mbers ot the above club will give two perfor-
mances • in the Corn Exchange, on Monday and
Tuc:sday next. The club has been in exist-nee for
wly three years and have been at considerable
expc:use in re-paitaing scenery, &c , and as they
have Oven perf :nuances for charitable purposes
on several occasions, they wid on this occasion
give their services in aid of the club funds. The
well-known ability of the members (assisted by
that talented artist Miss Amy L. Russell), should
ensure good houses.
HOSPITAL SIINDAT.—To-morrow (Sunday), the
annual collections will take place in the e.hurcbes
and chapas in the town and neighbourhood, (with
the exception of the Wesleyan Chapel, at which
awe ot worzdiip ths collections took place last
Sir ay-) in ail of the S:ourbridg! DiTurr;ary,
thi Guo,t Hospital, Dailey, and the liirining'laal
and il.tiidland Eye Hospital.
CHANGE RINGING.--On Wednesday night, the
ringus of St. James's Church, Wollaston, as-istiati
by E. Chapman aad William Lawrence, rang oil the
b ii'ef the alove Church a rataled pcol of grand.
sin' nun .1` cauitiisti,ig of 72,) c!mges, as a token of
r speet ti I.heiv f -wer conduct Widiam Pii;4, of
Sourbrirl;ze, whose death nil be ureatly lamented
al. (avg.* out the ne,,zhboalii:g societies of change
rin!ors. 'I he ringers were ilaced a. follows .
W. Salon, Ist ; E. Chat Antin, ef Wordsley, 2nd;
R. Pildinead, rd: G. Howells, conductor, 4th ;
Williatn Lawrence, of Word:3l,T, sti: ; 3. Lewis, 6th ;
II Dakin, ti-n(ir (behind).
DRUNKENNESS.—At the Police Court, yestmlay,
before ltit,sA:s. C. P. Noel and J. B Coe t..ttie,
James Kitson, f th.-2 Lye, was charged with b Aug
drunk, on the 20th inst. Police-constable Jew-on
proved the case ad alio a previous eonviet'on.
Fined 2s 61 and coA!s.
SrizilaNG TURNIP, Th,,tens was
charged with stealing a quantity of turnips on the
6th inst, the property of Thomas Yardley. Com-
plainant prove,: that ho saw the di,fendaui p11:1 Up
seven turnips tml throw them into the road. The
damage done amounted to 61. Defendant pl. aded
guilty. Fined 5s and costs, and 63. the value of
the turnips.
lIIGHwAT OFFENCE—CharIes Jones, wagoner,
wz:s charged with causing an obstructien in the
turnpike road, at Oldswinford, by leaving a wagon
in th,3 read for more than one h.,ur. Police-con-
stable Woodhad proved that the wagon caused an
obs.ruction, and that it was in ttiiddepi.attylli,liesurrovaedyfoori:
more than one hour. Mr. W.
vol that the toad in question waR a highway
road, and that he did not give permission for any
ens to obstruct the road. Fined 5s to include
cOStF.

DItt7NICENICESS —John Green, pain'er, was charged
with bein; drunk, in High Street, on the 20th. inst.
Police cons;ab'e Madeley proved the case. Dekrid-
ant did not appear and lie was fined Ets. and costs ;
in default 14 days.
CHAIIGE or BEING IN SEARCTI OF RABBITS.—
Richard Abbad, William James, and Herbert Tolley
woro charged with being on land in the occupation
of James Cooper, in s..arch of rabbits on the 12th
inst. William Bayliss, keeper to Lord Lyttelton,
proved that he saw all three of the defendants in
Cooper's fic,!d. They had a dog with them and sent
it at cr a rabbit and kilkd ir• rho defence was that
mdthe: of th.Tri had a do,x end a person named
Mortis had ,t dog which killed a rahLL'; and Morris
had the rabbit, that they merely got into C,oper's
field to see what was the matter. The Bensh con-
sidered the case pro wed and fined thsra 2s sd. and
costs : in default 14 days.
BEING ON LICENSED PnEivasna.—Mary Ann Bryant
was charged with bei,,g on licensed premises during
prohibited hours, on the Pcnice-Gergeant
Jones said from information reGlved he went to the
back of the Royal Exchang, E 1.3 heard a shuffling
noLe. The door was open and it was near twaly3
o'clock. 113 saw the defendant in the house. The
landlady said that defendant had only come for a
,-andle. There was no ale about. Police-constable
Eaves gay., corrobo. ative evidowN The Menne
Wa3 that she merely wi,nt. to ae a candle for the
persr)n ,he lal;_ted with. F:ned is. and costs.
CHARGE OF STEALING .1149 N AND PIGEONS.—
William Lichfield was charged with atea,ing a
quantity of iron tools, in the month of July.