The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-07-23 00:00:00

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u 14,10.4. •

nil: HOSPITAL QUESTION.
A meet ng of the repiesentatives of the various
local authorities was held at the Talbot Hotel on
Tuesda) afternoon, to take into consideration the
above qatstion, Mr. P. Pargeter was voted to the
chair, and there were also present Mr. M. Ro
rfipresenting the Brierley Hill Local Board; Messrs.
S Mobberley 'and I. Robins, Quarry Bank Local
Boarl ; Messr4. Woolley and Chas. H. Collis,
Sto if•b,idze:Commissioner,; Me=sre. Rhodes, Webb
and 'Tingley (in a ldition to the chairman), the Rural
Sinitary Aultnrily; the °lmre pre ent wee
Messrs T. W dl, clerk to the Guardians; Mr. 3.
L. lobetton, clerk to the Briorley Hill and Quatry
Bank L ic,tl Boards; Mr J. Taylor, clerk, Mr. H.
Milk and Mr. R. Ea4ar, medival officer, to the

S olvt,riige Ctn niasionera.
Th. Chairman when they met before it was
deci led to write to the Local Government Board
for :i,iforination as to the way in which a hospital
could be pr.vided. A. reply hal been received and
this led to the pr-sent meeting ti,in; call .d•
Mr. Wall then read the following letter, which
was dated June 11 h:"I at directed by the Local
Government Blard to adv n!t to the letter of the
16 h ult signed by yourself and Messrs. IL L.
Holberton and J. Taylor, in refer nee to a proposed
combination of :Sanitary Authorities comprised in
the Stout bridg, Union for the provision of a hospital
for the common use of their dis nets; and I am to
intorm you th it although it would be competeot for
the authorities in question to ,:otabicie for the pur—
pose named under the powers of section 131 of the
Public Health let, 1875, the r experience hAs led
the Board to the conclusion that the ma,naeement
of a hospital provi led by two or more authorities
ash be more conveniently conducted by a iiint
Board within the meaning of Section 280 of the

Tee Chairman thought the feeling of the Board
we f,,r a ijo tit 1,08 1; if they cerried on inde-
pen leittly it would man considerable expense
whia.h they wanted to avoid.
Ali. U ens said it was all very well for the Local
G .v .rninent Board to say have a separate Board,
a id enumerated the expense they would be put to
if that were so Ills opinion was kave the Guard—
i Las to work the hoa itel as neariy the whole of the
di4rictB was itelPr their hands. The other Board,
h ,wever, shoelii have a voice in saying weere it
stould b - built and how much money should-be
expended upon it.
eli 11 ilieson said it was a very good idea and
would do away witia a lot of complicatio I. If a
little more was added to tie Poor Rita it would
c arry the hospital on nicelv ; if the L teal Govern—
ment 13.aard would allow them. Bat tiaeN3 was so
mueli "raft tape" belonging to them, they hardly
knew how to approacu them.
Tee Chairman teak it that if the authorities .
themselves agreed it could be done. He drew at-
teution to the fact the Government had given notice
to brie.; in a bill to appoint a Boundary Commission
in view of the intended County Governaient Bill.
and sail it might ue well, as the queszion of the
ho,pital was not, an urgent ceoe, to let it wait till
it was seen whether ,the bid would affect the bound-
nry of tue Union. Thera was no epidemic at pre—
and it was for the meeting to say if they had
not better pia,' with the mater a bit. As Mr.
Coliis said it would be be,t, for ;he.. Guireians to
have the guilanc of the hospital, there were
represeutattves from all the loel.lities who would
r iJort to the various Boards; at the same time the
Guardians were eut anxious to have any mcre to
do wan tile inatter than any one else. (dear,
hear.)
Mr. Collis said they should let the different
bodes know what they were doing and let the
thing slide for six months. He incidentally re-
marked that be thought the Main Drainage Board
might be via): ked by the :tourbrido Commissioners,
instead of being separately work.A as at preent.
Mr. liolbertou kiaid he should like to know how
the hospital was proposed to be built, and the thing
carried out. He could not gather from what had
been sail as to how this was to be doge.
Mr. Rollinson said the only thin; he could see
in the asy was the question 'he Chairman had
laised. He thought toe Gu:rdians should make
out and collet) the rtes, and not have a multipli-
city et rates.
The Cuairman said it would only mean an extra
oommittee comp 'sett of Uuardaans representing
to wuole o the dist, icte.
The following reso;ution was proposed by the
Ceeirman and seconded by Mr. Mobberley (Quarry
Bank.) • riiat it isdesirible fo. the reveral sin tary
authorities witein toe Pubic Health Act, 1875, for
the erection and maintenance of an infectious hos-
pital, in preference to obtaining a provi-ional or-
der; and that the committee r. commend that an
agreement be prepared on behalf ot the several
auttioattee te carry such resoletion inzo
The resolution was carded.
A vote ot thanks to the Chairman concluded the
pr,e,e.dinBs.