The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-11-27 00:00:00

ROWLEY REGIS SCHOOL BOARD.

Mr. W. Hassan() (chairman) presieed at the
monthly melding on Monday afternoon, There
were also present Messrs. Green, btrawson, Hadley,
Whitley, Edwards, and Ker.
Upon the recommendation of the Finance Cotn-
mittee, accounts and salaries wore ordered to be
paid, amounting in the aggregate to £1,616 16s Id.,
including £1,277 17s 10,1. interest on and instal-
ments ot loans.

The Chairman submitted an estimate showing
the amount which would be Lequired by the Board
to carryton :until the end of March, 1881. The
£5OO due from the overseers had not been received,
and they had statal that in consequence of the
large number of voids arising through had trade—
amounting, he (the chairman) though, to about
£l,BO0—they were unable to pay it out of the ratq
in which it was included, thatrate being exhausted;
consequently it would have to come out of the next
rate. It therefore looked like asking the overseers
for £2,000 out of the next rate. He (the chairman',
was, however, inclined to think that the overseers
could not find more than £1,500 in addition to the
..4500 now due' as he knew the relief of the poor in
the parish for the last halt-year was something Ike
£7OO more than usual, and a 2s 6d rate was now
being applied for in consequence.
Mr. Green: You don't mean to say it will cost
this parish £4,000 a year?
The Chairman: Very nearly that.
Mr. ker then moved, Mr. Stravvson seconded,
and it was resolved, that a precept be issued upon
the overseers for the sum of £2,000 (including the
.2500 due), to be paid in four equal instalments, be-
fore the the 25th of March, 1881.

Whilst the question of raising the salary of one
of the assistant schoolmasters from .260 to £7O a
year, according to a regualatiou of the Board, was
beingconsidered, the Chairman said he thought
the Board would do well in making future appoints
ments to reconsider that regulation. He did not
pay more than £6O to an assistant master in his
own schools, and why should they, because they
were a Board, pay more than was paid in voluntary
schools? They had year by year pupil teachers
brought under their notice-who were resident in the
parish and most anxious for employment, and he
th.night it war desirable in many cases that these
should be employed. Whenever the question came
up he should certainly suggest some revision of the
scale. Salaries had been paid, and were now being
paid to Board school teachers such as had never
known in the history of schools in this country, and
onerous as the work of a head teacher was, if cam.
pared with other classes of work, they must conclude
it was very well paid for.
Mr. Green suggested that the Board should go
into the matter at their first meeting in the new
year.
No formal resolution on the subject was adopted.
The attendance officer (Mr. Hodgetts) reported a
slight increase in tile attendance at the different
Board schools during the month. The total number
at present on the registers was 3,056 and the
average attendance 2,241, being an increase of 44
and 20 respectively over the previous month. The
present percentage of children attending school was
74.7. The attendance had been somewhat affected
by the prevalence ot whooping cough and" mumps "
among the children. The Board was recommended
to summon a number of persons who had neglected
to send their children to school. The report was
adopted, the Chairman remarking that some of the
elendants in the previous bstch summoned went
to prison in default of paying the fines.
A. letter was read from a man Cornelius
Siddaway, of Cradley Heath, stating that whilst
crossing the yard of a public house adjoining the
Cradley Heath Board Schools be had fallen into the
school playground, a depth of seven feet, and
raceired injuries which would prevent him following
his employment for a considerable time. He asked
the Board for pecuniary assistance to purchase a
hotse and cart, that he might earn "an honest
livelihood." The Board considered it was beyond
their province to accede to the application,