The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-05-08 00:00:00

KIDD;•;RINIINSTER TOWN COUNCIL.

Th? qutrterly meeting of the Town: C.,uneil was
held on Wednesday. The Mayor (Mr. Alderman
Nyl r) pr sidvd. He stated that the fund for the
r,,lief of the distress in Ireland h d been clos;d, and
the total amount. r..ised was £lB9 3s 9(1. Of this
s•-im £27 2s had been reinitted direct. The expense
for.advertising, &c., was £4 138 2d, leaving a bat-
-oleo of £157 Ss 7d, which had been rdmitted on Vie
previous day to the Lord Mayor of Dab:in.
A report was real from ;:Mr. r. D. Baker con-
demning 1.0,i1e houses iii St. .11.try's StreA as being
unfit for human habitation,

The Mayor said, in moving the adoption of the
report, he was •orry to say there was a good deal of
similar property ia the town, and the Council bad
been aware of it fo a long time, but had been un-
able to deal will it on account of the small number
of houses in the town, because it was said that by
destroying these they Would
.be rendering many
poor persons homeless. Of late years &large num
ber of houees, had been erected in Kidderminster,
and therefore the same objection would not now
hold good ; and although they did not mean to go
in for any wholesale measures, the tendency would
in the future be to do away with these dilapid tted
tenements, which were a aiuree of ill-health and
discomfort to those who resided in then
Mr. W. H. Green seconded the resolution, and it
was carried.
Mr. Goceiwin real the report of the Baths and
Washhouses Committee, which recommended the
payment of accounts atuottnting to £137 oaB I. The
receipts for the baths during the past quarter were
as follow :—Turkish, 26 is; ordinary baths, £8
13s 2d; total, £34 14s 2d. Mr. Godwin said the
report was nt t of a satisfactory nature. He.hopt d
there would be more hathing during the ensuing
month. He moved the adoption of the report.
Mr. W. H. Green, in seconding the. adoption of
the report, said-he Was not surprised that the baths
were not ase well patronized as they might be. They
were in such a condition as to render them danger-
ous to those who went there, and the accommoda-
tion was nothing like what it oueht to be. He hoped
t'-e town woeld see the necessity of doing something
to. improve the place, and then the baths would be
.more numerously patronised.
Mr. Jefferiee asked what the £5O for repairs had
been:ep nt in du:ing the last quarter.
Alderman Holloyeity thought that Mr Geeen must
be exaggerating when he said the baths were in a
dangerous cs ndition.
Mr. Green ; I meant exactly what I said.
Mr Georee Thedswerth said the Inelts were in a
very dilapidated eon .ition.
Mr. Goo- win said the baths had been ropeired
a short tame since,
,and as the roof over th,. switnm-
jog bath had been found nnsafe it had been remo-
%eel, and there was nothing dangerous there new,
Mr. C- Crowther remarked that after what had
been snid, if Bono thing were not done to restore
confidence there wns no doebt it would net very
prejnitically to the baths during the ensuing quarter.
He thteieht the Borough Surveyor ought to he
asked to it ake a statement up n the subjcct.
lit. Comber stated that he. had examined the
baths, and certain repairs had been dcae, and the
bathe were now perfectly safe-
The Mayor remarked that the statement of the
B gouge Surveyor was -uffic.ent to as3uro the pub-
lic that 'here was no clanger.
The motion that the report be adopted was then
rut to the meeting and cerried.
Mr A: H. Greaves read the report of Free Library
Committee, which stated that there was a good
attendenee in the evenings at
. the Free Library,
an I a very 1 trge attendance in the ee, es room.
They weee is aktee, see te ions es em caeleneeel on el-
hooka with. ese. view et ince easoi th.: euni ee of
'lO 11 ire . he library.
The epert was adopted.
w
Air. J. R. .Wood read the report of Watch Ci.m-
m.ittee, hial recommended the payments of ace

counts amounting to £23 Vs. 2d.
The report was adored. • •
The May •r revi the re.ort of th?. Finance Com-
mittee. This s•ioe ed total liabiaits amounting to
£1,417 3s 5d., and assets £1,955 7s. 4d., leaving a
hal:Awe of .£538 7s. 4d. There would be required
. for the School Board, ..2AO ; for the Free Litirary,
.£25 ; for general repairs to property, £lOO ; total,
£725. which, after deducting. the balance of .2538
7s. 4d., would leave a defici ncy ef £lB6 12.. 84.
The e-.mtni. tee r-cotnmenderl a rate of.XBlO on the
boroug% and of £9O on the foreign should be
made.
The report adopted.
• The Mayor read the following communication
which he had just received from Al lerman Hollo-
way :—"Kidderrninst-r, May sth. 1880.
G: ntlemen—l beg to tend,r my resignation as
alderman and Deputy-Mayor of this Council this
Yours faithfully. George Holloway."
Mr. Holloway said he had becn connected with
to C.aincil for 27 or 28 years, and he was s'a-ry to
have to offer his resignation. He did to chiefly
bc-ause he objected to the compact that he was told
had been entered into by members of the Cowicil
wheiebv tie privileges of the burgesses of the town
would be curtailed. He had been told that a great
majority of that council had entered into a -com-
pact which was to eovern the procenes in that
Council on the 9th November' next as to the elec-
tion of aldermen, and also on ti e Ist November as
to the elecien of cuuneillors.
The Mayor interrupted Alderman Hollo,vay in
his statement, and said that he had no official
kno,xledge of any compact, and it seemed to hie
that such a subject had nothinp• to. do with the
basin( as.
Alderman Heloway said he thought it his duty to
give sotue explanation, but if they objected lie
would m.t do m. Ile should, howe-,e', ask tl.e
Council not t enforce the fine for resig .big.
Mr. Jefferies moved that Alderman Holloway's
resignation be accepted, and that the fine e no
enforced.
Mr. Potter seconded the motion, which was put
to the meeting and carried.
The Mayor said that certain steps would have to
be taken in con.equence of Mr. Holloway's resig-
nation, and perhaps le shonkl have to call a meet-
ing of the Council at. hn early date,