The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-10-11 00:00:00

LABOURERS' COTTAGES.

Sir W. Jones read a paper on the best plan of con.
structing acid arranging an agricultural labourers sot-
tare. A labourer's cottage in the rural districts ought
to face the south, and cottages ghoul/ be bnilt in pairs.
The wale ought to be 14 inches thick, and the
windows should be large on the south and small
on the n trth aide. Small windows on the north side
kept out all the eold. Cottages should have each three
bedrooms, one sitting-room, and one kitchen and
washhouse. If the third bedroom was obtained by
anhoividing the space over one of the ground floor
rooms, the two bedrooms so obtained were always too
small for health or comfort. The third bedroom
mast be external to the shell of the house. A ground
floor bedr,om was an advantage. When not wanted
by an invalid, the ground floor bedroom was very con-
venient for the boys of the family; and, lastly, when
not wanted by the family, the ground floor bedroom en-
abled a lodger to be taken without ittjury to the privacy
of the h time. This last consideration waiver, important.
Out of consideration for the morality and decency of
families, lodgers were prohibited in many cottages and
refused in others. This resulted in young men being com-
pelled when they left their family house either to marry
at Once or sloe to lodge at a publichouse. The wretthed
discomfort of this lad alternative drove decent young
men into matrimony when hardly out of their teens,
and before they had saved any money to begin life
with. If they could as lodgers help the family ex-
penses of some reopectable small family, and at the
same time not be • nuisance and injury to their heats,
the benefit in every way would be peat.

OLE MEAT SUPPLIES.
Mr. John Gamgee read a paper on" Our Meg Sup-
plies," and the paramount importance of arresting the
apread of foreign cattle pl Ggue. He said that foot and
mouth disease would ie out if allowed to do so. It pre-
vailed simply becanse we had no proper control over
the s)stematic introduction of contagion, and that re-
cent American and Australian experiences had most
conclusively shown that the malady died out promptly
wherever its re iotreduction at short intervals wan effec-
tively prevented. But the disease of rinderpest might
he exterminated, not only in England, but from the
whole of Europe. His recent investigations indicated
that rinderpest was not, as generally supposed, a
Rusiian disease, but imported from China, and there
was no doubt that the 25,000,000 bead of cattle in
Russia might be made available for human consumption
if protected from a pestilence never of European origin.
He roe rnmended inoculation as a preventive of pleuro-
pueinnonia, and deprecated in the strongest terms the
recent orders in Cooncil, which pr.., tioilly legalized
the traffic in diseased meat and favoured the pr page-
Con of disease. Having stated how fifteen millions'
worth of animal food might be saved at once and with.
cut further legislation, he said, "Let no help our-
selves, and by showing how much cheaper and better
meat can be carried than live bullocks, sheep, or hogs,
put an end for once and for ever to the question how
best to avail ourselves of the meat produce of the Con-
tinent."