The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-10-31 00:00:00

'4ocal aub pistrict 'Seim

COM'MISSIONERS' MEETING.

The monthly meeting of this body WaS held in
the Board Room, on Monday last; Mr. Turney in
the chair. There were also present Messrs.
Edwards, Woolley, Kelly, Mills, Billingliam,
Penney, Franklin, Caitlin, Allsop, and Allchurch.
The Clerk read the minutes of the last meeting,
which were confirmed. _ _

Messrs. H. Hughes and L. H. Packwood attended
and made the usual declaration, and took their
seats at the Board.
REPORT OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE.

Your Committee report there is due from the
treasurer on the Improvement Account, £176 16s;
cheques ordered Sept. 28, £27 176 5d ; balance,
£149 18s 7d. Paid to treasurer—markets, .f.. 51 16s
7d ; due from treasurer, £220 2s 2d. Highway
Account—due from treasurer, Sept. 23rd, £25.1 ye
96 Id; cheques ordered, £35 its 10d-1228 196 3d.
Paid to treasurer—Mr. If or6ley's water carts, £29
ss; highway rates, £l.s 15s sd; total £73 OS sd.
Balance due from treasurer to this date, £3Ol 19s
Or!. Urban Sanitary Account—Cheques ordered
Sept. 28th, £35 10s; due from treasurer, £l4 ss;
paid to treasurer, £5 12s; due from treasurer to
this date, £l5 13s. Your Committee have exam.
mod a number of accounts on the Improvement
Account amounting to £l7 13s 8d ; on the :High-
way Account, £2l 136 4,1; on the Urban Sanitary
Account £9B 11;s 10d; and recommended them to
be paid, on the motion of Mr. Edwards seconded
by Mr. Penney.
The report was adopted, and the accounts direc-
ted to be paid.
GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEE'S REPORT.

Your Committee recommend that the Clerk be
instructed to write to the Directors of the Gas
Company, and call their attention to the present
price of the gas supplied to be consumed in the
township.
The Medical Officer of Health has forwarded his
Visitation Report Book to your Committee. The
places and premises visited or inspected are Union-
street, High-street, New-street, Round Court,
Beauty Bank, and West-street. In the Round
Court some of the houses are reported to be in a
very dirty condition, and that they require cleans-
ing and lime-washing. Two fatal cases of scarlet
fever—one reported at the Gigmill, but not trace-
able to any local cause, The sanitary condition of
the township continues good. The death rate is
as follows : Registered in the township from Sep-
tember 21st to October 21st, 11 &umber of births
registered in the same period, 36, viz., 17 males,
and 19 females.

The following nuisances were reported by the
Town Officer—brought forward, 9; reported dur-
ing the week, 55 ; total, 64. Removed—old, S;
new, 43; total, :it
Remove/ of Yglit Soil.—During the month 49
privies and 43 ash-pith have been emptied and
cleansed by the contractors. These privies and
pits belonged to 79 houses; number of loads, 133.
The slaughter-houses are reported to be in good
sanitary condition. All the public lodging-houses
require to be lime-washed, and the requisite in-
structions have been given.
Mr. Nicholls, of Iligh-street, has made= appli-
cation for a petroleum license, which was grunted
subject to the inspection of the Town Officer.
On the motion of Mr. Dillingham, seconded by
Mr. Penney, the report was adopted.
Mr. Kelly said some time ago a committee was
appointed to wait upon the Gas Company, to see
if they could not get a reduction in the price, but
their argument was that in consequence of the
price of coal they could not reduce tne gas. Coal
was, he considered, considerably reduced, and he
(Mr. Kelly) thought the gas should be reduced in
proportion; and suggested that a committee be
appointed to wait upon the Gas Company.
Mr. Dillingham said that a committee did wait
upon the company; but he thought the reason
they did not reduce the price of gas was that they
were going to enter into some higher contracts,
and they could not reasonably reduce it.
The Chairman said there was no excuse now
why they should not reduce the price of gas. The
coal was reduced, and the company could fairly do
it at once.

Mr. Woolley asked if the testing apparatus had
been obtained, to try the illuminating power of
the gas. Some time ago it was passed that an ap-
paratus should be obtained to test the gas.
The Board was of opinion that one should be
obtained, and on the motion of the Chairman,
it was agreed to purchase an apparatus, and a
committee was appointed to carry it out, and test
the gas. . . .

reommittee was also appointed to wait upon the
Gas Company, consisting of Messrs. Turin, Bil-
lingham, Hughes, and the :Clerk.
_

o'n the maion- of Mr. Allsop, seconded by Mr.
Penney, it was agreel t try the the hose on Tues-
day at eleven o'clock.
REPORT OF THE IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE.

Your Committee report that the Beauty Bank
and West-street sewer is now completed.
Railway Accommodation.—Your Committee have
pleasure in reporting that two letters have been
received from the General Manager of the Great
Western Railway, Company, dated 14th and 19th
of October, to the following effect :--That the
Directors have given instructions to their;engineer
to prepare the necessary plans to enable the con.
tract to be let for constructing the line as soon as
possible, and no time will be lost in carrying out
the work and completing the New Station at
Stourbridge.
The line will be constructed in accordance with
the Parliamentary pill' of last session,•which was
discussed with the Directors before being deposi-
ted.

The Chairman said that from what he had heard
he had every reason to believe that the Company
were in earnest, and were taking steps to construct
the line as soon as possible. tie did not exactly
know where the station would be, but thought it
would be somewhere in Foster-street--(hear,
hear). _ _

An estimate was handed in and read by the
Clerk, with reference to the painting of the table,
chairs, benches, Ste.

After some discussion, a committee consisting of
Messrs. Alhop, Packwood, the Clerk, and Chairman
to inspect and order what waa necessary to be
done.

There was no other business of importance.

THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETING.

A Meeting of this Board was held in the Com-
missioners Room in the Corn Exchange, on Monday
evening last. There were present :---Major Walker.
Messrs. Billingham, Stringer, Wall and Prescott.
In the absence of the Chairman (Mr. McEwen),
Major Walker, the Vice-chairman, presided. The
Clerk read over the minutes of the last meeting
which included the following financial statement
for the past year :—lncome—Amounts paid by
Rating Authority .2160. Expenditure--By salaries
of officers to the Board .285. 3s. 6d. printing, post-
ing, advertising, and Officesharges .228. 10. sd.
rent, rates, taxes and insurance .2.5. Os. Od; Election
expenses .261. 4s. 3d. In the hands of the trea-
surer .230. Is. 10d. Expenditure of the present
year .42129. 18. 2d....

On the motion of Mr. Billingham seconded by
Mr. Stringer, it was carried unanimously that the
minutes be confirmed. It will be remembered that
the last meeting was adjourned to allow of the
members of the Board having the modified plans
and specifications left at their respective residences
so that they might thoroughly consider them in
all their details.

Mr. Pescott now objected that although the
plans had been modified, there had been no al-
teration in the quantities in thespecification or in
the estmate.

Major: Walker remarked that he understood
their architect to say at the last meeting that
he had taken out the quantities and the difference
would he about £3OO.

Mr. Prescott said that WM.9 so,but the specification
did not carry out that. A long conversation en-
sued as to the difference between the plans r.s
modified.

Mr. Prescott said he objected to the spire or
tower. It would be 70 feet high, and he really
saw no necessity for a spire or tower 70 feet high,
for a school of that description.
Mr. Stringer said it was to contain a bell and a
clock.

Major Walker said he had intended, if he had
not been in the chairto have made a motion to the
effect that they should have two estimates, one for
a spire and the other without, and then they
could see what would be the difference. He ex-
pressed himself as being in favour of a nice school
at the same time that he should not go in for nay-
tbipg inunodentely opeusive.