The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-05-28 00:00:00

THE STOURBRIDGE OBSERVER.

Frederick Rees, labourer, of Cradley, was then
called, and said that on a Sunday morning he took
a paper to Mr. Bloxham, from Mr. Chapman
and gave it to his son. Ho d;d not see
BI .xham himself. He asked him to come
and see Mrs. Richards, of Lodge Lane,
Cradley. The second time he went to fetch the
medicine he also saw the son then. On the Satur-
day after she died he went to the surgery and saw
Mr. Bloxhom, and asked him for the death cer-
tificate. He did not got it from Mr. Bloxham but
from Mr. Smitb, the registrar, after going twa or
three times for it.
, The Rev John Buncher said that his attention
was drawn to her condition by Mr. James Hingley.
He had known her previous to that time. She
told him that she wanted milk and broth. The
rough food that was in the house was not fit for an
invalid. She told him what income she had. She
seemed to be in a wretched condition.

Mr. Chapman said that on Saturday, Jan. Ist.,
about dusk, he was leaving his relief station at
Cradley, and met Mary Richards, the younger, ac-
companied by another wuman. She said that she
wanted him to go and see her mother, and that she
wanted a note for the doctor. He immediately
gave her a note as she requested. On the sth he
visited theihouse to see if the doctor had Feen,
and asked her what the doctor s aid about her. She
said ,hst he did not tell her much about it. He
thought that she was then referring to Mr.
Goulder, as Mr. Bloxham had not been. She then
asked for something to put inside her. He said 11,:,
could not give her anything, knowing the amount
of motley she was receiving every week. He saw
on the table part of a loaf of bread and a piece of
meat. He entered it into his book, and produced
it to the Chairman of the Board, who marked it
"R. 0 " which meant relieving officer to attend.
He went a second time on the 13th Jan. and a
woman named Phoebe Hadley was lying on the
screen. He knew that the son was at weak at
Messrs. Harper and Moores. He wrote to the
manager to send him particulars of what the boy
hal eareed. The p.articutars were sent to Mr.
Wall's office. The daughter came afterwards to
his house and asked for her mother's name to be
entered on the books for relief, and also asked for
another note for the doctor. He said that he
would see the doctor himself presently. He went
the same night and told the doctor to go and see
her.

Phoebe Hadley, charwoman, Crudley, said !that
she saw Mr. Cnapman there once whilst she was
staying with her.
Mr. Lenge said he could not see how
they had a ca-e against him. The poor woman is
dead, and there is no reason why lie (the relieving
officer). should not have been there two or three
times daring the week. It might have been done.
A second inquiry was then entered into alleging
neglect against Mr. Chapman for not visiting soon
after he had had an order.
The first witness called was John Deeley, who said
that he was father-in-law to John Coley, who died
on the 16th of March. He then went down to Mr.
Chapmau at his house. and made an application
for rano relief to bury the man, and he promised
to allow for the breaking up of the grave, and the
coffin.
By Mr. Waldron: There was a hearse and a pair
of horses to bury the man with.
Mr. Weston, Guardian of Illey, said that he knew
John Coley, and c lied the relieving officer's atten-
tion to the case on the 14th of March. He went to
the officer's house but did not soe him. He saw
his wife and told her to toll Mr. Chapman to enquire
into the case, and also ask Mr. Bloxnam to go to
his house.
Mr. Longe : The relieving officer is not boancl to
attend unless he has an application made to him.
Mr Weston, continuing, said that on the previous
Friday he told Mr. Chapman about it and asked
him to go and make enquiries about it. Ile
promised he would go on the following m..rniug.
Mr. Chapman did not go at all.
Cross•examined by Mr. Waldron : There was no
application made to him by any of the family.
Mr. Chapman said that Weston first spoke to
him about it on the Fritiay, in the adjoining room at
the Union. He to!d him he had been at his houi- e
2or 3 times that week, but could not see him. lie
told him that John Coley, of Illoy, was ill and re-
quired relief. He desired him to enter an applica-
tion on his information, and get some relief allowed
He entered an application on the 14th March, be-
cause on that day an application was wade by his
father-in-law for a doctor's note. He did not go on
the Saturday because he paid the reiief to the poz.r
at Halezowen in the morning, and at Cralley
in the afternoon, and Illey, was three miles
from Halesowen in the opposite direction
He thought there was no necessity for going itn
mediately, so that he went before Board day. He
had entered the application in his book.
I The evidence will be submitted to the Local
)overnment Board for consiil ration.

THE WORK OF THE ROWLEY SCHOOL
BOARD,
A tea party, attended by about 800 of the resi-
dents in the parish of Rowley Regis, was held in
Trinity Hall, Old Hill, on Monday evening last, and
was followed by a public meeting, the objects of
the gathering being to provide funds for purchasing
prizes for the scholars attending the Board Schools,
and to hear an explanation on the educational and
financial matters in connection with the School

Board for the parish. There was a large attend-
ance at the meetiug following the tea party. Mr.
W. Bassano (chairman of the School Board) pre-
sided, and was supported by Messrs. H. R. Ker,
G. Green, W. P. Strawson and Edwards (morn-

bers of the School Board), A. Wright (clerk), the
Rev. H. W. Atkinson. Mr. G. A. Haden Best, and

Mr, E. Lowe.

The Chairman, after explaining the reason why
the meeting was later than the specified time in
beginning, said: The object of this mecing is
principally to endeavour to interest all our friends
of the children who go to the Board Schools, and
all other friends who have children attending oth-r

schools, in school work; to explain to them some-
thing which, at present, no doubt, they are at a
loss to understand; and among other things to
provide some money to purchase Prizes for our
Board School children. 1 may say that the main
object of this little movement is to induce people to
improve the attendance of the children in our
B ,ard Schools for the two-fold purpose of, firefly,
benefiting the children, and secondly, saving the
rates. Well now the great fault in the Board
Schools, and in all other schools is, that while there
may be a great many childre.i's names on the books
the attendance is in most cases invariably very bad.
The effect of that is that the children do not get
properly taught. It must stand to common sense
to everyone of you that if children only attend
half-dme in the schools, they cannot possibly be
ready to pass the exarninetion at the end of the
year as if they led been attending full time. In
addition to that it entails a loss on the parish of
much money, and so causes a charge upon the
rates which never ought to come upon them. In
addition to that you must see that if a chill in the
training stage of his life is to be allowed to stop its
training, that c did most necessarily grow up much
less fit for the warfare of life than if it had had
full and propsr training. It a child is half its
time playing truant from school you have got a
bad influence over it. Fettling these things very
strongly this little movement was started to get
funds together to provide p:iees to entice children
te attend. We want tO induce 911 friends of educa-
tion—and everyone who has a child ought to be a
friend of education—to de all that they can to
fitrenglen the funds of the School Board, and help
is in our task. I want tc talk to you about the
provision of the school accommodation in the
parish : Why it was provided, whet it has cost ;
and in the second place what it costs, and what it
ought to cost to educate the children in these
schools. You knew that before the year 1870—
that was the year in which the Education Act was
passed—the education of this country was mainly
in the hands of the Church of England. There
nore in the schools then existing a million and a
quarter ot children in average attendance out of
five millions. Out of that mildon and a quarter
about two-thirds were educated in schools belonging
to the Church of England. All that million and a
quarter of children were educate I in voluntary
schools. Some were Wesleyans, some Roman
Catholics, and some what are called British Schools
The whole of that education was given by volu.._
tary exertions. The Governm-nt7 of this country,
feeling what an enormous disgrace it was upon this
country thet there should be
.Ihat enormous noun
beis of chi then rceiving flu edu, atien at all, re
solved to bring forward an Ac c to bring about
national education, aud to be the means of supp!e-
menting the voluntary effort, which up to that time
was the only means by which ceildren c tuld be
educated. In 1573 this parish was put under ordeis
to form a School Board and supply the required
accommodation. Tee number of children w..re
5,557. Out of that number—deducting, the usual
per centage for these who received educatto a in
other schools, and Also many others who were not
S school on account of illiiess ant other reasons—
it let a number to be provided for of 4 000 or
thereabouts. There were already Bch°, ls existing
in this parish which provided education, the same
as we live now, for 2,000. Half of the nueibsr re-
quired to be provided for were provided for by
veluntasy efforts. I will now pass on to say how
the Board went to work. At first it was necessary
to find accommodation for 2,000 children. One
school to accommodate 400 children was built a
Tividale; one at. the Knowle, for the saute number ;
and one at Old Hill and another at Craeley Heath
to accommodate 600 each. That provi led for the
2,000 that were necest,ary under the Act. Those
school', which tnostly all of you have seen, were
provided by money borrowed from the Loan Cem-
rni,sioners under the powsrs of the Education Ace
a, a low rate of interest—the best possible means
to provide money for the purpose—and tee loans
thus contracted were contracted for a period of 30
years. In thirty years from the period of that loan
these school-, will be free from debt. So far as any
payments were concerned it would be confined to
repairs that would be needed. Some seven years of
that time had already gone. Now the cost of these
schools was £9 lOs per bead on the children for
whom they were built. In some places where
schools have been built it has cost .£l2 lOs per
head. Surely we cannot be accused of extract
puce in our schools, we built for £3 per head less
team the average of the country. I don't wish to
say anything about our neighbouring parishes, but
I could point you to schools, eot a hunched miles
from here, that have cost £27 10-, per head.. There
is nothing in our schools of ornaments, they are
built with the greatest care, for the purpose for
which they were intended. You have a good set of
echo 'ls, thoroughly adapted for the purpose far
which they were built. The exp -ndittire entailed
in building these five schools amounts in the yearly
re-payment of the money borrowed to a rate of 61
in the 2. It amounts to aeout e!.1.866 altogether
per annuren. At the cell of the thirty years there
will only come ow of the rates whatever they cost
in working, it they cost anyteing at all. I say if
parents will do their duty there is no reason why
the schools should cost you anything—(l.ear,
hear). The voluntary schools which were in ex-
istence when the Board was formed were on sill,
with the exception of one. They were the National
hools, Rowley; Enclewed Schools, Howley;
Church Schools, Blackheath, Church Schools,
Reddal Hill; Endowed Schools, Reddal Hill; and
the Conagreaves Schools. Those were not built
out of the rates. The Be )rd Schools, as you all know
were; but where did :hey come from? The Corn-
ereaves was btelt by the New Britsh Iron COill-
pany, for the benefit of their werkinen The
National Sch ols, Rowley, were buiet from the ex-
penses of church people. The Endowed Schools,
Rowley, were built, in the firs,.: instance, by Mr.
McMillan, and then re-built by my late uncl,, aid
-enlarged by myself. Tne Reddal Hill Ensiewed
Schools were also buile by Mr. MOlillan, and they
I were re-built by ray late aunt (Miss Haden) it her
cost. The Reddal Hill Church echeols were built
Porn the snb-criptions of the church people at
Cradley Heath. Blackheath Schools wen built by
the congregation there. All those scheols have
come out of the pocksts of church people, for the
love of education. Suppose they had not be to
supplied if, that way, we should have had to sup-
plied two thousand more places in place of them;
that would hove cost us, et the same rate as the
other, .t 19,000 at least. There would have been a
fu ther charge on the rates of £1,400 a year, or
4fd mere out of the rates, making a total of Wed
in the £ ; and then in addition to that it would
have co, t e 1,500 per annumn out of the rates for
the working of these schools, or a further charge on
the rates of sd. Supposing there had been to
voluntary schools, and we had had to supply the
whole of the accommodation, our rates, instead of
being 100 would have been is 101 d, or is Bcl at
the least. I want you to see that we had a great
deal of voluntary work. You get the Sa-re educe—
et iaonn ,e
ctfrrenuu theire ntl frequently
ae
nt ttesr, ,
dn
ed
bwye
sgi
duee ss
withth e steh
es cßhooaorl
ds
11.whoI hain addition
men-
tionsSpcehnottohlaillnpuealy)rj
teviecottil
litianOrtitayhrieilnys ajf
onu:seteiedexueactmaotiitnobanot:i oe
to their School Board rates, I tell you this par-
ticularly in justice to them, and in future School
Boaed elections to carefully select men, who will
;sot do as other Sehool Boards had done in places,
damage voluntary schools as mime a- teey could
You are indebted to the supporters of the veluntary
a heols in the parish, and I hepe that such schools
will still he fostered and helped by the rat,payers.
B fore I pass on to thd second part of what I wish
t.) say to you, you, perhaps, might like to know the
result of the passing of the Edugation Act. I told
you that just previous to the pa-sing of the Act
there were about a million and a quarter of child; en
in avers .nt attendance at the schools. Tb re were
last year two millions and a half. During the
time from 1870 to midsummer 1880, the number of
children in average attendance in schools had been
increased cent per cent. Out of the total number,
about 676,000 were brought in by the Beard
Schools and 669,264 by the Church Schools. More
than this they had at the beginning of that time,
in average atterelance in the Church Schools, in
round numbers, 882.000; in Midsummer last year
it was 1,451,000. What have the Board Schools
done? Of course there were none in them in 1870,
but during those nine years they have brought
679,000, only 100,000 more than the Church
Schools accomplished in the same time by volun-
tary efforts. Perhaps you might like to know how
the Church effort has increased in that time in
money. In 1870 the voluntary contributions of
the Church people were £272,000. In 1880 they
bad re ached £716,000. They have put their
hands 1403 their pockets end more then doubled

their voluntary subscriptions on their schools. I
tell you this, why? Not because I want to laud
th 3 church, but just because in this parish in by-
gone days the church has bse cried down, and is
now cried down in other places of the country, as
being opposed to education. What I have told you
is simple plain truth, brought from the Blue Books
issued by Parliament. That great society has
gone on, side by side with the Act, and almost
doubled its school work in that time. There was
a total of children. I think I told you in the year
1870, of about five millions. One million and a
qusrter wet e in school, and school accummodation
has been provided for upwards of four millions.
There are not four millions of children in the.r3
schools, on the contrary, there were only present at
the examinetion three millions. So far as the
money went which was spent in the erection of the
schools for the other million, it was utterly lost.
Peop'e are so foolish that they go and pay school
pence tied sctuelly do not take the trouble to get
the moneys worth. They don't care to make their
children to attend school although they have paid
the schoslfees for them, therefore, I come now to
talk about the workings of the school. I hope I
have made you understand how the schools have
been provided and what they have cost. When
you have got a school you want children. In
teaching staff and in books, and other items of ex-
penditure, the children have cost per head on the
average, 34s 6d in voluntary schools; 42s on an
average in Board Sshoels, and 44s in our schools—
we are worse than the average. But why is that?
Just Molt I want you to knov. The reason is bad
latetelance, as you have got schaele but they are
not full. You have got to pay the staff for the full
number of children and you do not send the chil-
dren. That is the reason. Our children cost us
altogether last year £3,675. That don't all come
out of the rates yeti know, the pence and the grant
from Government amounted to A 2,271, or, miner
towards that, leaving a balance to come out of the
rates of £1,404. Out of consideration for the rate-
payers the School Board has always kept its de-
mands from the overmeers as low as possible. They
never ask for money so long as they can do with-
out it, The overseers have kept down the rate to
as low an amount in the Xas would barely supply
the demand of the School Board. A new rate is
now being made. We only want an amount equal
to 41, but they have a large sum of money of back
rates which we have not received from them, so
putting them together it amounts to a rate of is
and is 2d in the X. It is out of consideration to
7ho ratepeyers that they have kept their payments
low, only 'there are arrears owing to us and we are
obliged to ask for them. The pres, nt rate is passed
for an amount which will clear off all that is owing
to the School Board, and when that rate is collected
—and I have no doubt, unless we have some
oa,tional calamity, it will be collected in good
time—this next half year will see our current ex-
penses and our arrears paid, and you will see no
more is 2d on your Poor Rate demand notes for
the School Board—(applause). As to this 44s I
say the children cost us, we cannot reduce the ex-
penditure, of which we have been very careful, it
is in your hands. We cannot have the responsi-
bility which does not belong to us. We have d ate
our best, and there is a great deal that rests upon
the people of the parish. If they wont do their
pare they will have to pay as they have done, You
will like to know about the iucome of the schools.
It comes out of the school pence, and that has
amounted in time past to about 9s 2d per he.acl.
Feat is one source of ti.come. Another is what is
tailed grant. Every year these chi!dren, who
have made a proper number of attendances, can be
pressnted to the Government Inspector for ex•
reninatiob, and if he had done his lessens w,al
enough to pass that examination, it ts possible -Co:
him to earn from Government 17s 61. Si that you
-;ee the 17s 6d and the 9s 2d goes a g .od way
towards paying for him at school, He does net
eaer 17s 6,1 as a rule, the average is abut 15s.
Some only attend jut times enough to get in `• by
the skin ot his teeth." Instead of attendine 445
times he has perhaps, attended 251 or 2, and very
likely won't get any grant at all and thsn you have
go,. to pay it out of your pocket, because the parents
hid n regard for his own pocket or the pockets of
the ratepar cll. The money has got to come from
somewhere and if you attend to the children thsy
will earn it. Last year there were 1531 children in
average attendance, who paid in pence £761 and
earned in grant £l2lB. £1979 with the income
was, we will say, earned by the children. I will
tell you what they (might to have done. If these
schools had been filled the pence—making dl due
ance for the romissiou of fees—would }rive
beau £lO7l. If they had attended as they might
have done they would have earned in grant .4730.
:na,king a twat of £1,21, so that you lost, by the
non-attendanee of the children £Bl2 lii t 'ear.
Now if you take that from the £1,400 which come
out cf the rates you have got £569 left and You
would not feel that half as hard as the £l.4'o—
That is what I call a tangeable fact
that the children of this parish last year, as a result
of the year's work, were indifferently ednett d
when they might have been properly educate I.
Everybody all round is the worse oft for it. I say
tied I am entitled to appeal to yet on such a
subjsct as this and ask you thoughtfully to on.ider
this matter and ask you not only to take care that
your children go to schoel but interest yourselves in
the work of education, always remembering that as
ratepayers you are pecuniarily interested in tie
qusstiou—(tleer, hear). We have now accommoda-
tion in this parish of Bord Sehoels for 2,787 children.
If these schools were tv, full as they oueht to be
there would be on the books and paying pence and
earning grant 3,200. You might very readily have
at your schools 15 per cent more children than you
heve now, so that you are capable of working the
school practically with 3,200 children. They woehl
pay in fees—tnakiug the sense allowance for
remission as I did in the former CRE-Zl,4f;t3.
They weuld earn in £2,438, making a total of £3 01
and tint would pay the way. If the parents of
childrea would send them to school, and keep them
there our expeeses Wont be insreased but the
income a ill. balance the expenditure and all that
you will have to pay will he the sinking fund.
Beyond that food the workings of the schools won't
cost you one penny—(cheeis). This is what I call
the financial part of the matter. The thing to be
d ne is to get children to school ea,lv, then they
will earn the full quantity of grant and will be
ready to come to you to work earlier than they will
if they are dragged as shamefully as they are big
elsne now—hear, hear). You say that you want
your children out of school early, get them in early,
keep them the-c, make the,n astend well and then
you will get them out early, and very cliff reet
children than when they coue out after attending
half-time. They would come to your hands with
a oi discipline, fit to enter into work. If you do
not send them revular yeu will never do ought but
spoil them. There is one way in which you can
help very much. The children have hone lessons
and it is youa duty to see that they do them
instead of running about the streets. We have a
gent deal of remission of fees. Some time ago
somebody honoured me with a criticism in the
papers on the remission of fees and said that we
were a great deal to lenient in remitting fees. My
heart is not quite as hard as a mill stone and some
of the cases that come before the Board make my
heart bleed. They cut me to the heart. I have seen
women even to-day very poor, very thin that told
such a sad tale of want, and there was only one
case that he had any doubt of. We have a School
Officer and his work is to get the children into
school and cause them to atten I regular. It is
open to everyone of you to help that school officer
You have all got neiehhours which are hav,eg their
fees remitt,A, and it is right for you to give any
information to enable him to have their cases dealt
properly with. Every fee that is remitted some-
'body else has to pay it. therefore, every assistance
you can give to the officer to tend to keep down the
remi,sion, is for your own interest and for the
benefit of the children in tho parish Just a 7 the
present time we have had put before us a melee-
choly sheet, and I shall read them to you, of persons
who are reported to be summoned for bad attend-
ance.—(He then read the list of persons).—We
got this meeting together that we might bring about
a better feeling by showing the reason why tht y
should attend school. We don't desire t ) summons
anyone, we only desire to do what must be done to
make the children attend school regularly and make
them do what they have to do at school. We hope
to provide sufficient trizes for at least one BCh ol
with the profits of this tea party to-night. Next
year we ,tope to have another tea party in order to
get money for the next year's pcizes and also try to
provide an entertainmEnt. The children shall come
to recite and sing sons, whice won't he quite so
dry es the present ousasion—(applauee)—and then
we w:l' give the prizes away and so it will help to
encourage the youngsters to trp for the next pear's
prizes.
Mr. G. Green, Mr. F. Edwards and Me. H. R.
Ker also addressed the meeting and the following
resolution was passed. :—" We therefore pledge
ourselves to do all that we can to cause the children
to attend school regularly and always to attend in
good time."