The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-10-01 00:00:00

the Overseers ae:ounted to £500; from the Educa-
tion Department Grants .21,204 16s id, and from
the fees .C7O 6s 2d.—The Chairman said the Board
was in funds at the bank, which was a good state
and they would probably be glad to hear
had a credit of A 4.00 in the bank, but
it
theytlishigesfuld reduce that amount that day by about
£350 ; but there would be £5OO paid in in a few
days. He expressed a hope that they would not
be on the wrong side again.—The Clerk remarked
that the Auditor had send in his accounts and
signed them, and asked for the Chairman to sign .
them ; and also added that there were no defects
in anything.—The Chairman said it was his duty
to sign the paper for the Auditor certifying that
the accounts were correct. He thought before do-
ing so it would be his duty to examine the accounts
It was one of those cheques which one did not
know what to do with, and he objected to sign it....
After some little discussion the Chairman agreed
to sign the accounts in the following manner, viz.,
°The accounts have been examined by our Clerk
and the Auditor and found to be correct.—The
School Officer reported that he was pleased to be
able to report that the bills, used by the Board,
respecting the attendance of the children duringthe
Wake-week had had the desired effect. Last year
the ave:age attendance during the week reached
only 1,393 and the percentage of 46, the number
on the books heing 3,041. The average attend-
ance during the Wake-week this year was 2,242
and the percentage of attendance 77. In the
junior department of Old Hill School there are
213 on the books, and 168.5 in average attendance.
Since last Board meeting the attendance of the
children has been somewhat affected by parent-
sending their children hop-picking and the pre
valence of fever at Blackheath, Knowle and Tivi-
dale. In the latter district, I am informed, there
are upwards of 50 children away from school who
are ill with it, or have it in their houses. He re-
commended the Board to summons a number of
persons.—The chairman : I am glad to say that
our papers have done such a good thing; the re-
ports from all the schools said that they never had
such an attendance before. The chairman said he
did not know whether the Board would be able to
see their way clear to contest matters with the In-
spectors, but he was bound to say that they were
very hardly treated all round, both in Voluntary
and Board Schools. Several schools that he knew
had never been so well prepared as this year for
examination and were very much disappointed.
He could not but think that the Inspectors had
taken a "fad" of their own or that t'ley had some in-
structions from Government to reduce the grant as
much as possible. If such a thing occurred again
he should certainly go to the Department. The in-
structions issued by the Department were very
different from the way in which the Inspectors acted.
They said that the Inspector should take such
means for ascertaining the proficiency of children
as should not seek to put above perfect due pressure
upon them in any stage of forms. The Inspectors
gave the children catch questions and catch sums
and they were taken by the mere technicality. He
believed it made a marked difference when they
were present at the examination themselves. The
ordinary thing was to ask a boy three questions in
grammar or geography and if he answered the
three it was a good pass. He had frequently heard
them answer the three and then failed when the
fourth was given. He intended to see Mr. Turnbull
because in his school at Reddal Hill they were
never so well prepared for the examination as this
time and never did so bad, and it:was the same in
the Board schools, and he said they were very
' 'hardly dealt with.—A letter was read from Miss
Yeamam stating that she accepted the office of
. assistant mistress at the Old Hill School.—There
was no other business of importance. ty.
.r

HALESOWEN RAILWAY COMPANY..c.,c
The half-yearly meeting was held in London on
Wednesday afternoon. Mr. Cavendish Taylor,
Chairman of the Board of Directors' presiding.—
The report was submitted, and stated that the
directors could not yet announce that the line was
open, but that the delay would prove beneficial to
the shareholders.
The Chairman said the essence of the report lay
in the engineer's statement, which,was to the effect
that the railway was perfectly ready to be opened
and bad been inspected by Colonel Rich, of the
Board of Trade. As Mr. Richards told them, the
Commissioners appointed by the Government had
issued a report with regard to the effect of wind
upon railway structures; and as the bridge did not
exactly come up to what Colonel Rich thought
necessary, he had therefore required that more
should be done to it. This involved a postpone-
ment of the opening of the line until it was om-
pleted. He was not prepared to tell them at that ,
moment how long the line would be in reaching I
completion. Some alterations in the Halesowen
Station were also required. He had walked along
the line as far as the viaduct, and he did not think
he had ever seen a better made line. There was
no doubt whatever, from the trials of the viaduct
that it was sufficiently strong for all the purposes
to which it would ever be---put. He moved the
adoption of the report,
Mr. A. F. Godson seconded the motion, and also
concurred that the line was one of the best ever
made, and would, when once finished, cost very
little to keep up.
The Rev. Mr. 6myth moved as an amendment
"That the report be received but not adopted, and
that all the vouchers and books of the company be
handed to the auditor of the Midland Railway
Company for the purpose of being audited." The
company, he add, were saddled with an enormous
expense—indeed, the line, which was in a deserted I
part of the country, bad cost as much as an under- !
ground railway. He bad been in communication
with the secretary with a view to taking ulterior
proceedings against the company. He fell confi-
dent that there had been malpractices. though he
did not wish to use strong language.
Mr. Godson : Malpractices is strong language.
Mr. Smyth said he was one of the principal
shareholders, holding rather a larger stake than
the directors, and he was willing to bear part of
the expenses of the Audit.
Mr. Walton seconded the amendment, and said
the enormous cost of the line knowing, as he did,
something about railway making, could not be ex-
plained.
Mr. Smyth : There has never been any explana-
tion given of it.
Mr. Godson said the audit would cost ten, fifteen
or twenty-one guineas a day, the latter being not
an unusual stun.

Mr. Smyth: I will find my share of it.
The Chairman said Mr. Smyth had used rather
strong language, but the directors were as honest
and indefinitely more capable, than Mr. Smyth.
who was trying to discredit his own property.
After some further observations, Mr. Smyth
agreed to the suggestion of Mr. Walton, that tag
amendment should read to the effect that the re'
port be simply received and not adopted.
On being put the amendment was rejected, and
the motion for the adoption of the report carried.
Mr. Smyth alone voting against it.
A special meeting was then held, at which
motion for the forfeiture of certain shares was con-
firmed, and the proceedings were brought to II
close with a vote of thanks to the Chairman.

THROAT IBBITATION.SOreness and dryness, tickling'
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CURED IN A FEW DAYS, CORNS, BIINIONS, AND BS.
LARGBD TOR JOINTS.—DRLLAR'S CORN AND 8M41071
PLASTERS are the only remedy. They differ from sal
Plasters, Shields, or Compositions ever invented. 131
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