The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-12-24 00:00:00

ROWLEY LOCAL BOA.RD.

The usual monthly meeting of this Board was
held in the Board Room, Old Hill, on Monday
afternoon, Mr, W. Bas:auo in the chair. There
were also present Messrs Plant, Green, Barker,
Robertson, Pensnett, T ,ylor, and Hodgetts.

CHANNELLING STREETS. - Mr. John Green at-
tended before the Board and asked them to make ,
and channel Oak Street and Park Street, Old Hill,
which were near his works.
It was resolved that notices should be issued to
the property owners in those streets, that the streets
aAmld Le cm bed and channelled in accordance with
the bye-laws ..f the Board.
FINANCE COMMITTEE -REPORT. - The report of
comm,ttee showed that thd wages spent on the
highway account amounted to .£10,37.83 lid, and that
the surveyor had a balance of Ell ISs 4d in hand.
It further showed that £ll2 was required to defray
the current month's expenses, On the night-soil
account the amount spent during the month was
£23 3s 6d, and that the Inspector had a balance of
£3 lsld in hand. The sum of .224 wan required
by the Inspector to defray the current month's ex-
penses. The cash collected for ashpits amounted
to £8 6s Od, and it showed that during the past
month 65 aehpits had been emptied at a cost of
9s_74d per aahpit.

The report was adopted.
MEDICAL OFFICER'S REPORT. -- Mr. G. Beasley
reported that in the upper district there had been
45 deaths registered during the past month. The
annual average per thousand was 21.6, an increase
of 5 5 on last month and an increase of 5 5 on the
corresponding period last year. Of the 45 deaths
wh oh had occurred 7 were from bronchitis, 4 from
pneumonia, 5 from senectus, 4 from debility of
birth, 4 from convulsions, 3 fr im accidental death,
8 frum typhoid fever, 2 from diarrhcea, and 2 from
heart disease. Zymotie disease was still very preva-
lent in the parish. Typhoid fever was slowly de-
creasing but scarlet fever was slightly increasing.
The following tables would show the respective
stages of the two epidemics, as far as he had been
able to gather :—Typhoid fever, number of cases
32; cases under treatment 15, cases convalescent
15, cases dead 2. Scarlet fever, number of cases
106, cases under treatment 46, convalescent cases
60. The tables, he added, must needs be very in-
accurate as to the extent of the fever, as only three
practical men had sent in any reports for the past
month. The precautions mentioned in his previous
reports are being enforced, and the house to house
inspection as to the water supply at Rowley and
vicinity has been completed.
Mr. T. V. de Denne (assistant medical officer) re-
ported thai during the last four weeks the health
of the dia riot was goed, there being no cases of
symotio disease reported to him, the deaths being
chiefly from ordinary causes. During the four
weeks 22 deaths bad taken place, that being an
average of 55 per week. It was considerably
higher than the previous month, and the mean
annual rate of 19.1 per 1,000 inhabitants.
The Chairman said it was a very serious thing
that there were 106 cases of scarlet fever in that
p n.tion of the parish, and they might take it for
granted that 99 cases out of 100 were due to the
iaiproper pliatice of people going to visit cases of
fe% er. It was vt r.) sad indeed and what to do to
prevent it he did not know. It was just as bad as
st toy o )mmittel suicide.
Mr. Beasley: Coull not the people be summoned.
The Chairman: You can ,;surnmon persons who
appea in the pu .1 c istreets in an unfit state, but
you aims t summon people for visiting others.
After some further discussion on the subject the
Chai man said that if the medical officer heard ot a
bad case of exposure he was to bring it to the know-
ledge of the Board and they would at once take out
a summons.

SII/V2TOR.B REPORT.—The Surveyor (Mr. Beale)
reported that in reference to the water supply in
:he Rouloy district he had to report that since the
date of the last Board meeting he bad received a
notice from the South Staffordshire Water Works
Company, that they intended laying new mains in
Mincent Lane, Birmingham Road, Mott Lane,
Causesay, Beet Street, and Short Street. In conse-
quence of that notice he had, in company with Mr.
B-Ateley, made a house to house vial ation in those
streets, and at the end of his report gave a list of
those persona who:had an insufficient and impure
sup' ly of water. The committee appointed to
inspect and rdport upon the- drainage of Fox Oak
Street, had not yet met on the ground, but intended
to have a meeting on Monday and report on the
matter at the next meeting of the Board.