The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-10-29 00:00:00

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1881.

Mr. W. Bassano presiding. The other membera
present being Messrs. G. Green, S. Edwards, B.
Hadley. and J. Whitley.
The minutes of the last meeting were read and
confirmed.

FINANCE COMMITTEE'S REPORT. This report
showed that the receipts for the month were as
follows : From the Overseers £1,000; Grant for
the Cradley Heath Schools £454 4s 4d; School-
pence &c. .£l3B 4s 3d. The expenditure for the
month was, Teachers' Salaries £307 19s lid; and
miscellaneous expenses .£123 3s Bd.
SCHOOL OFFICER'S REPORT.—This report showed
that notwithstending that a considerable number of
children are away from school owing to the pre-
valence of the fever in the district , the
attendance compares favourably with that of the
corresponding period last year. The number on
the books at the present time is 2921 with an
average attendance of 2,227 and the per centage of
78. Last year the number on the books was 2,979
with an average attendance of 2,224 and the per-
centage of 75. showing a decrease of 68 on the
books and an increase of 103 in the average attend-
ance and of 3in the percentage. There is also a
decrease of 171 ia the number of children whose
fees have been remitted, as compared with the
corresponding period last year. Nineteen sum-
monses had been issued against 17 persons daring
the month, of whom 12 were fined 5s each and the
remaining 5,2 s 6d each.

Mr. Ba-ssano said that the results of the year's
workings was, on the whole very satisfactory rather
perhaps in a pecuinary sense than it was in the
educational result. He still feared in his own mind
that they did not receive the same measure that
had been dealt out to them in former examinations.
He felt certain that it was so and it was also the
opinion of other school managers in other districts.
He did not know whether the Board would wish
that he should read the whole of the sheet of figures,
but taking it generally, they received considerably
more than they had spent, so that the result was
pecuinari y satisfactory. During the last twelve
months they had remitted fees to the amountof very
nerrly, £3OO, which represented a rate of a penny
in the pound. That was a very important item
especially when they took it in connection with the
revelations which were made at the last remission
of fees when a women came and said that they
were receiving nothing in their houses to live upon
and it was proved by their employers that tbey
were receiving from 255. to 30s. a week. He con-
sidered it was an imposition on the ratepayers.
The aggregate savings for the year lay in this way.
The balance between the working expenses and C.e
receipts of the schools, outside of the rates, showed
a saving in this year of £332 12s Od. Last year
they spent in working expenses £3,625, this year
they had spent £3,329. Last year they only received
£2,271; this year they had received £3,258. In
the working charges they had made a saving of
£137, so that instead of requiring, as they feared
they should this year (44,000) from they rates, they -
only required from the rates £2,800. That was a
rate of about Ind. in the pound. The saving had
been 'made. principally in the teaching. At Old
Hill it cost 25 5d per head; 6s 4d at Cradley Heath ;
68 id at the Knowle, and 55 at Tividale. That
meant to say that where they provided a necessary
staff the children attended so irregularly and in in-
sufficient quantities that it cost a penny more per
head aQ compared with what it ought to do. This
year the attendance was better and of course
brought down the price per head. They had alto
had, a large saving in the materials—they spent
last year £214; this year only £lO7 ; so that the
Board saw there was a large saving again there.
There was rather an increase at Tividale of £4O in
a heating appara us, rent, rates and taxes; but in
spite of all that the expenditure had risen only
nominally, whereas they had received more. That
was a condition of things which he looked forward
hopefully to in the future and next year he hoped
they should have to report to the Board and the
public that there 'vas a greater saving still.
This ended all the business of public ifnportance.

DUDLEY.
CRICKET AND FOOTBALL Cum.---The annual meet-
ing of this Club was held at the Old swan Inn,
Castle Street, on Monday night. The report showed
that last year's adverse balance of i 35 118. 3d. bad
been reduced to £1 10s. 4d. Of the seventeen
matches played the club won eight, lost eight, and
one was drawn. The prize bats for highest average
score and best bowling average were won by Mr.
W. J. Ingold and Mr. W. Steel. Mr. Joseph Stokes
was elected president, and Messrs. Ueorge Jones,
J. Wilkinson, James Wood, and George Thompson
vice-presidents. Mr. E. J. Thompson was re•elected
hon. secretary and treasurer, Mr. H. C. Brettell
captain, and Mr. S. Thompson match secretary.
CATHOLIC RE-uNiorp—The 19th annual re-union
wai held in the Public Hall on Monday night.
There was a crowded attendance. Atter tea an
entertainment was given, which was more than
usually attractive. Praise is specially due to Mrs.
Murphy and Miss Madeley, whose execution of
vocal duets was remarkable for brilliancy and cor-
rectness. At the close of a musical programme,
the amusing farce of Box and Coe was played by
Mr. W. Howard Baker, Mr. Keogh, and Mrs. W.
H. Baker, who kept the audience in a continual
roar of laughter.

BRIERLEY HILL.
ASSAULTING HIS FATHER.—At the Police Court
on T.,ursday, before Mr. Boughey. Stipendiary,
Thomas Warr (38), labourer, Park Street, Brierley
Hill, was chargad:under a warrant with assaulting
his father, Thomas Warr, an old man 72 years of
age. According to the complainant's ,evidence the
prisoner hail frequently assaulted him, and on the
13th inst., whilst in the house, he picked up a walk-
ing stick with which he struck his father on the
forehead, also pushing his fist in his face. Prisoner
who had really no defence to make, was sentenced
to one:month's hard labour, and ordered at the ex-
piration of he seatence to be bound over in the
sum of AN, and find a surety in £5 for his good
behaviour for twelve months; also, to pay the
("was, or, in default, to be further imprisoned for
two months.

ROBBERY Br A DOMESTIC SERVANT. Annie
Nook (16), domestic servant, was brought up and
charged with stealing the sum of 6s, a locket, shawl
and other articles, the property of her late master,
George Colder, schoolmaster, Amblecote Bank.
The priboner was in the prosecutor's employ as a
general servant. She was discharged because
several articles, which she had pilfered, were found
in her possession, and after she had left it was dis-
covered that about 6s was also missing from a
child's money box. Police constable Wetton ar-
rested the prisoner, who admitted to him that she
took the money and spent it, giving as her reason
for the theft that she had a bad place and no money
and wanted to get away. The prosecutor asked
that the prisoner might be leniently dealt with. In
reply to the Stipendiary, he said he took the prisoner
into his employ more out of charity than anything
else as she had neither father or mother. An aunt
of the girl's came forward and said that since her
parents died she had Leon left to the world and bad
company. She wished the girl could be sent to a
servants home. The Stipendiary remarked that
the more lie heard of the case the more miserable it
appeared. After considering the case for some time
he sentenced the prisoner to one month's imprison-
ment with hard labour in Stafford prison, and he
asked Superintendent Woollaston to make a special
ieport to the gaol chaplin with reference to the
prisoner, whom he commended to the notice of the
Prisoners' Aid Society.