The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-10-16 00:00:00

TH.V.I STOURRAIDGE OBSERVE

The next business on the agenda was the autho-
rity for bolleitOlt3 to prepare contract with builder.
The Clerk said at the conclusion of the last meet-
ing he wrote a letter to Mr. Chapman, informing him
that the Board, at their meeting, had accepted his
supplementary tender at an addition of 10 per cent.
He Mr. Perry) worked out the figures, and stated
that he :Amnia be glad to hear that they were correct,
so that the contract should be proceeded with. That
morning be had received a letter from Mr. Chapman
stating that the figures were correct, and setting
forth the tire following conditions which ho wished
to have inserted in the co-lir:Let : 1. Time of com-
pletion twelve mouths from the day of commence-
ment. 2. Strike claim to be inserted. 3. Bad
weather to be allowed for. 4. Payment to be as
easy as possible. 5. Fine to be reduced to ..e2 per
week. [We may here state that the original tender
was £2,348, and the supplementary tender £1,261,
making a total of ..t3,609.] Immediately upon re-
ceipt of the above, Mr. Perry sent Mr. Chapman
the following letter:—" 11th October, 1875.—Dear
Sir,—Your attempt to re-open the question of the
form of contract on the basis of which you made
your tender will, I am sure, be a great surprise to
the Board. I think you ought to try to beat their
meeting this afternoon at half-past three.—Gliconom
PERRY, Clerk."
The Clerk reminded the Board that these altera-
tions were in contradiction to the original draft of
contract which had been open for inspection before
the builders sent in their tenders. Mr. Chapman
stated that he should not sign the. contract unless
those things were inserted, and that he should not
sign it unless the fine was one not exceeding £2 per
week. He also wanted the time for the completion
of the contract to be extended from nine months to
twelve. There was another clause for bad weather.
.He was of opinion that if the builder wanted any
alterations made he should have made them when he
sent in his first tcnder.

The Chairman said the conduct of Mr. Chapman
was very, very bad. He had behaved particularly
bad since the last meeting. He had put them off
from time to time until the last moment, and had
not on the present occasion given them notice of his
proposed alterations of contract mitil just before
the meeting was held. All the tenders which had
been sent in by the different builders had been made
on the basis of the conditions laid down in the form
of contract, and it therefore now became their duty
to consider what they should do under these very
exceptional circumstances. He would plainly state
now that he did not like the conduct of Mr. Chap-
man at all, and if they could do without him without
loss to the ratepayers he should be very glad to do
so.

Mr. Billingham was of opiuion that the best way
to proceed in the matter would be to advertise for
fresh tenders.

The Chairman said the way in which Mr. Chapman
had acted lately had quite shaken his confidence in
him.

Mr. BiHingham said that Board had met Mr.
Chapman in every way they could, and now he
thought it was the last feather which broke the
camel's back.

The Chairman said Mr. Chapman's conduct was
unreasonable and ridiculous in the extreme. It was
absurd for a man to give in a tender to do certain
things, and then when it was to he performed to say
he should not do it.

They then inspected the different tenders sent in.
Mr. Guest had offered to do the-work for £2,348 10s,
only 108 more than Mr. Chapman had agreed to do
it for; whilst Mr. Horton's tender was but £2,350.
Mr. Stringer said he quite concurred in the expres-
sions of opinion he had heard with reference to Mr.
Chapman's conduct. He thought it was most un-
businesslike. They couldi not reconcile such ,con-
duct.

The Chairman said the idea of the fine being only
£2 a week was absurd. The object of a fine was
to make a man careful not to neglect his work; but
if the fine was only £2 it might suit his purpose to
neglect their work for ten weeks together; which
would not be the case if the fine was £lO.
Mr. Billinghhin said it appeared to him that Mr.
Chapman wanted to get up the thing just as it suited
him.

The Chairman said it was just possible that if a
bad weather clause was "allowed to have been admit-
ted that some of the others who had sent in tenders
would have offered to have done the work for less
money. He did not think it would be fair to Messrs.
Guest and Horton to alter the contract in the way
they had been asked to do by Mr. Chapman.
Mr. Billingham said he should be very sorry to
make those modifications, and he should be very
sorry to permit the insertion of a bad weather clause.
because he should first like it decided what was bad
weather for building.
The Chairman said there was a great deal of hesi-
tation at the time the tenders were sent in as to
which they should accept—Mr. Chapman's or Mr.
Guest's—and he thought they should instruct their
Clerk to communicate with Mr. Guest, who was a
very substantial man.
Mr. Billiugham said he was a very good man, who
had done a great deal for them at the Workhouse.
It was then suggested that Mr. Guest should be
requested to state whether he would be willing to
abide by riginal tender for the schools, and also
as to wh would do the supplementary work
for.

It was eventually decided that both Messrs. Guest
and Horton should be written to, and asked what
they would do the work for.
The Clerk said he had received a letter from
Messrs. Harwards, Shepherd, and Mills, to the
following effect :—" The Stourbridge School Board
and Mr. Hughes.—you will doubtless remember
that negotiations were entered into between the
late Board and Mr. Hughes, and an agreement
drawn and settled at the request of the Board for
the sale to them of two acres of land on Hanbury
Hill belonging to him. This sale was not com-
pleted, and the negotiations were abandoned by
the Board; but no act of Mr. Hughes contributed
to that result. We venture to think, apart from
the legal aspect of the subject, that it is fair and
right that the Board should pay the law expenses
that Mr. Hughes incurred."
The Clerk then read the original resolution
passed by the Boari with reference to Mr.
Hughes's land. It was as follows :—"Thal we,
the Board, purchase as a site for the Board schools,
a piece of the extent of two acres of Mr. Hughes's
land, and that we enter into negotiations with
Mr. Hughes, and that a draft of contract be fur-
nished for the Board." In accordance with this
resolutien a draft of contract was prepared by
Messrs. Harward, Shepherd, and Harward, and it
was agreed to; but subsequently the motion was
rescinded.

Major Walker said he supposed according to
that they (She Board) should have to pay it.
The bill of costs amounted to ..t8 is 10d, and it
was eventually decided that 5 guineas be tendered
to Messrs. Ilarwards, Shepherd, and Mills, in pay-
ment of their full claim.

There were -several ietters from the Educatiun
Department, informing the Board of the various
requirements with reference to the officers and for
the purpose of lessening the expenses, and asking
for certain returns as to the amount paid for the
salaries of officers, &C., &c.
The meeting was then adjourned until next
Monday, for the purpose of receiving the replies
from Messrs. Guest and Horton.

Stoke, notwithstanding the partiality in selection
in favour of the Low Church and No Church party,
the feeling of the Congress could not be mistaken.
It would, however, seem desirable that if Church.
Congresses are to be continued matters of more
general interest (notwithstanding their burning
nature') should appear in the programme.
"Public Worship Bights Bill.—There is little to
report about this miserable measure. It has had
the effect, as was expected, of causing a certain
amount of commotion and mistrust in the coun-
try. Its authors especially seem to regard it with
nervous apprehension. The manner of its birth
and existence has been a heavy trial to many sen-
sitive and amiable men—such men as go to make
up the great body of moderate Anglican clergy.
With rhese, reverence and trust in our leaders and
the hereditary tradition of respect to the Bishop's
office and person have been cruelly shattered.
The impossibility of trusting the things of God to
Calsar has proved, and will continue to prove a
stumbling block to many.
"The Late Bishop of Brechin.—While comment-
ing upon the policy of the Bishops in the above
matter, your Committee have roost deeply to de-
plore the loss of one who was able in a great
degree to enter into the difficulties of the English
Priesthood. Other prelates in their power of orga-
nisation and endurance of active work may have
excelled the Bishop of Brechin; but few Anglican
Bishops have at all exceeded him in the grasp he
had of the truth and office of the Anglican Church.
The ecclesiastical spirit too often spoken of by
others as lawlessness,' he s,t least knew was in-
herent to all who realised the dignity and respon-
sibility of the priestly office. As a Bishop he
always remembered he was a Priest, and so his
Priests never forgot he was a Bishop. His loss at
the present time to the whole Anglican. Church
seems irreparable; but may God in answer to the
prayers of His sorrowing children,raise us up
Fathers who shall rely rather on their spiritual
than on their state position, that so our mutual
difficulties and hindrances being. lessened, 'The
hearts of the Fathers may be turned to the chil-
dren, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the
just.'"