The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-01-09 00:00:00

°tat an !ilistrirt ljett.

E ST )

Tie la.st t.i!f the school B:ard before the
tricrinial lieLi on Tuese..* night.
II She rani (the chairman) made e
statenent re Jird to the wok ot tin tioard.-
and th. figuc h. qu ted ehowe.l that to averag,
number of eaholars for the past year eXcaeded: thc
average of.thoti;st year of th.! triennial period..:
This was all the mere satisiactory as the deptaasion-
of trade had beer. At) great, partienlarly during the;
year just ended. The number of children on the
reAister of the Board Schools laut year was 862, and
ir.t average attendance during tie year 726.2. The
percAitage was 85 2. He believed the everage
Stendalee for the who'e of England and Wale',
was 75.5 p r rent., so that th per etr:ig in S-out
bridge Board Schools wam hi.ther by 8 7 than he. •
of the whole e, uutry For thi-, r-salt thk y we,
much indebted to th,, ze dons efforrh. of t,,e lean:lets
and of the school officer in looking up abentees. A
stimulus ha I been given to the attew!an.e by th
kind contribution vf Ir. W, .1. Turney tovvar •s
prize fund for the moat regidar attendants. and th.
Chairman remarked tlrit it WAR MAC: i
iaould be tsupplemmnied- in future yetsti by tte
Board itself or by private co itributions.
soiluoi grants in 1883 wee .C 595 61 41, and in 1884
£335 19s Ed, sh,wing an increase of 13 per cent.
Th. school fees received-18.st year were £393 12s 9.;,
au increase of 10 per cent upon three years ago.
The school fees were a considerable part of the
school income, an if It snould ever be proposed to
ranger thiS (large to t.• rates it woutd form a
very serious aggravation of the burdens of the rate:
payers. The Chairman then, gave paTticulera of ill..
:mount leeie.: in rates under the last th ee Schoo!
.cnitrds. Fr the tqrm of the pr,selit Board tb.
a inn,' n.t.e had bk,ett 7.8-td. 8.27 d.
au:A 7 331. For th il Lot nine years tb:. average o
the rat.,z had benB-661 ; and ntlinviing. -4 60
payment of loans an cinteres., it sioill.ll,:lice74 1
ihe pound tor expenses of ti.Ll:ni,datrAtion-
management. Last year's was 7.33 d, .ind .•
1. wing 4I in the pound or oa a it would sno.
3.331, or about. 34-I t.n..-xpeses of nianagewerit ,
whic •wa very near to 13 3 in • p ua.l ahich

Mr. Forster stated in 1870 would De .4.1-4 -4mount 0
the rare for School Boards. Tus Board common& (1
this considers..iun to the ratepayers as showing the
atforts they had made to keeu d.wn the r,tte to
4, , -omit 'hat contrasted favouraoly with many ~the
kohool Boars throntrho it the cou .try. There wa•
one loan that would be .aii off by August next,
Ind thts aqt.d.t relieve the rate to to ameu t ot
.e 137 per annum, f er remarcs ~n o her point.,
he Chairman thank, d. the vice-chairman an,,
o her wetnbe.s o the oil.' fo- th ir b ar.y aro
etliArnt co-opei alio .tu the *crk th, last thre,
y-ars ; rjnd he al,o paid a tribute to tne Cle:k (Mr.
tiarry 1-. r the great aisistance be had
e demi fn the 13,..ar:i. the mem ea n•,vr r-Apect-
Lully rei.igne thrir tra.t t . the r.tepayets.
Mr. Newman added a few r• marks, and the
Cl-rk thanked thl member* of the B.,ard tor the
tind manner in which the treated his S, rvices.
.the ()Leal nis fixed fur Jant.t.y 18, all i th,
:lerk was instructed to c.,11 • -,t at-e,iug of ft.
n, w eoard on the 26th inetaitt.