The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-10-04 00:00:00

li

STOURBRIDGE SCHOOL BOARD.

The usual monthly meeting of this Board
was held in the Commissioners' Room at the
Corn Exchange, on Monday evening last. Mr.
James McE wen presided, and the members pre•
sent were Messrs. Wall, Billingham, Walker,
Scott, and Prescott.

Mr. Perry, the newly-elected Clerk, was pro•
sent, but Mr. i'rescott objected to his reading
the minutes.

Mr. Holloway, who attended the meeting as
clerk pr,, tem., accordingly read them.
Mr. Prescott objected to their confirmation,
on the ground that when the division took place
at the previous meeting for the election of a
clerk, the mune of those voting for and against
the motion were not entered. It had been laid
down, he urged, by two judges of the land, that
the name should upon eaoh division be taken
down by the clerk.
Mr. Billinghani moved that the miuutcs now
read be confirmed and signed.
This was seconded, when
_ . . . .

Mr. Prescott moved that they be not con-
firmed, urging a second objection. The resolu-
tion appointing the clerk had not been entered
on the minutes in the same language in which
it was carried by the Board. The minutes nude
the restitution to rest that Mr. Perry had been
appointed to the office during the pleasure of
the Board, which was tantamount to saying that,
supposing he was not dismissed while the pre-
sent Board was in existence, the future Board
would not have the power to dismiss him. The
resolution he said had been made to meet a re-
cent case at Walsall.

Mr. Holloway said that the resolution was
entirely in accordance with the draft.
Mr. Prescott said he felt very much surprised
that a certain number of gentlemen should take
upon themselves the responsibility of passing
such a resolution as that. When it was passed
at the last meeting to gibe Mr. Perry £3O a•year
he was sure those clauses were never in, and
the resolution had been altered.

Mr. Scott said the resolution was substantially
the same as that proposed by tin).
' Mr. Prescott said that had nothing to do with
it. He recollected that at the time £3O a year
was mentioned as the salary of the clerk. That
would be the usual way of hiring. It would be
monstrous to entail upon their successors the
necessity of keeping the clerk they (that Board)
had chosen for them, whether they liked it or
not. If the Board was dissolved at any time
without having dismissed him, a future Board
would not be able to do so, as he was engaged
"during the pleasure" of that Board. Besides.
there was nothing binding him in any manner.
The first thing that should have been defined
was what his duties were to be; and, also, it was
usual to have some bond or a security with a
clerk who had to keep all the belongings of the
Board. The clerks of local boards usually gave
bonds, the same as treasurers. In this instance
their clerk was to be paid quarterly.
In answer to a question from Mr. Prescott,
The Chairman said they were only compelled
to keep the clerk during the pleasure of the
Board.

Mr. Preseott said it would not be during the
pleasure of the Board. As a corporate body
they ought to have a seal, and then Mr. Perry's
engagement could be signed in a legal way.
Mr. Holloway again read the minutes of the
meeting, and they were confirmed, Mr. Prescott
being the only dissentient.
. .

_
Mr. Perry, the appointed clerk, assured the
Board that he would do all he could to facilitate
business, and he hoped that the proceedings
would be conducted in a pleasant anti agreeable
manner.

On the motion ef Major Walker, seconded
by Mr. Scott, a cordial vote of thanks was pro-
posd to be given to Mr. Holloway for his able
services as clerk pm tem.
The resolution was carried.

Mr. Prescott said he objected to this. It was
really a most unpleasant system. It made him
appear as if he was objecting to everything. A
thing was put and carried without giving a man
an opportunity of saying whether he approved
of it or otherwise. It was not that he wanted
to object to the resolution that had been just
passed ; it was to the system that was being car-
ried on. He would have a public meeting called,
and see if the gentlemen would stand a vote of
censure upon them.
Mr. Holloway was much obliged to them for
their vote of thanks, and hoped that the results
of their deliberations would qe satisfactory an 1
beneficial to those who had elected that Board.

Mr. Prescott: I am sure no good results will
come from this Board if this is to be the way of
conducting business.
:The resolution had been carried without re-
cording the names of those who voted for the
motion, but the name of Mr. Prescott was :en-
tered in the minutes as objecting to the
motion. .
Mr. Perry then read the following letter,
which had been received from the Education
Department, in reply to a communication for-
warded from this Board, with reference to the
alleged deficiency of school accotuniodation in
the district :

Sept. 12th, 1973.
Sir,—l have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of
your letter of the iltb mutant.
I am directed to state that the particulars stated in
the second schedule of the final notice represents the
deficiency in the school accommodation required in the
pariah. in the absence of any evidence to chow that my
Lords are tuistsken, it will be their duty to Baum a regal.
'thou to compel your Board to cupply that deficiency.
I have tie honour to be, Sir,
Your obedient aervant,
P. Cram,
U. Holloway. Esq..
Clerk to the &boil Board,
Stourbridge.

The Chairman said it was for them to consi-
der whether they ought to take any further
notice of this matter.

Mr. Scott rose, and remarked that none of
them could be surprised at the answer received
from the Department. They were now face to
face with their real task, and they la id no alter-
native but to supply the necessary accommoda-
tion, or they should be dealt with as a School
Board in default. He took it that now they haul
the task of stipplying the school accommodation
indicated hy the Departrnent. He supposed the
proper mode of supplying that deficiency would
be a subject of protracted deliberation at that
Board. He was sure they all would admit thst
the dutiy they had to perform should be well
performed, and he was sure that there was a
feeling with all of them that it should be per-
formed with a due regard to economy: but they
were also of opinion that it should be carried
out efficiently. Ile did not like to see the way
in which the word "economy " was sometimes
used, and thought efficiency was often imerifieed
to secure a fancied living. He believed the
least troublesome way of ineetin4 the difficulty
would be either to build a new school, or to hire
some rooms, having the necessary appurtenan-
ces, for that purpose. He apprehended that it
would be very difficult to find accommodation
for the new school in the latter way. They must
have regard to the fact that the Gignuill district
and the Longlands district were really in want
of a local school. It must, therefore, be in the
right locality. In the next place the room must
be such, as regarded dimensions, as to satisfy
the Government Inspecter ; and not one adapted
to accommodate 11 small number only. He be-
lieved accommodation was required for 311 chil-
dren, That was not a small number, as times
go, if they were to judge by the schools in the
town. It would not he an easy thing to find a
room sufficiently large fer that nuniher of chil-
dren where they would have the accommodation
which the Act !described. There was only one
room that could he used for the purpose ; but
they would find that it would be wisest for them
to build if they wished to meet all tho require-
ments of a Government Inspector as the amount
of cubic feet of space allotted to each scholar.
He could not say—e.en it it was practicable—
that he was much in favour of renting a room,
for he thought in that case the school would lose
in character, and as it was an undertaking in
which they were personally interested he thought
they should try to give it a fair chance with the
excellent denominational 'schools which were
already established. This could not be done
without giving the proposed Board School all
the advantages possessed by those raised under
the voluntary system. They did not wish to
suggest any idea of competition with those
schools and the Board School. He believed
they lid to vindicate the principle of popular
education in the Board School, and that could
be done without interfering with any other
d vvhatever form the teaching may take
—whether secular or religious—in a Board
School we. IR il be arranged in accordance with
the wishes of the people guiding them in their

proceedings, whereas the other schools are pre-
sided over by a few gentlemen, who ere respon-
sible to no one but themselves. The commu-
nity at large would, therefore, see that it has
every ground for believing :that the arrange-
ments in the proposed school would be in accord-
mice with everything they wished for. He,
therefore, thosght they need not trouble them-
selves with the idea that it would interfere with
the religious bodies who :had the government
of the other schools. If they did not make it a
really good school—with an efficient master—
such as would attract children, it would become
a permanent burden upon the ratepayers ; whilst
on the other hand, if it were a good school,
numbers of children would be drawn to it whose
pence would materially assist in defraying the
expenses, lie kuew that if is school was not of
the latter description it was sure is fall back
upon its managers as a heavy burden; and that
, Board, as representing the ratepayers, would be ,
the managers, and it would be upon them that
the loss would fall. To avoid this they must go
to some little expense at first ; for if they did
not put sufficient capital into it, how could they
expect to make it pay. The idea of spending
as little as possible would be likely to defeat ,
their own object, because if they paid the master
a low salary how could the schools prosper
I against tho voluntary schools, which, iu respect
of masters, were particularly fortunate. Having
tully consiaered the question, he was of opinion
, that the best thing for the Board to do was, after
, due consideration, to preceed to the erection of
a suitable building to meet the deficiency, for
he was convinced that such a course would prove
the cheapest in the long run. They would be
in a position to borrow money for this purpose
on exceptionally favourable terms. He would
estimate the sum required at say, ..£2,000, which
Government would let them have at 31 per cent.
—about £7O a-year —by paying which for fifty
years, they would liquidate the entire amount,
both interest and principal. Ho pointed out
that the payment of £7O annually, would be a
very trilling sum when divided amongst the
ratepayers of the township, so that a very slight
increase in the local rates would meet the re-
quirements of the Board. Ho anticipated that
objections would be made to the points he had
laid before them, but he would say that, speak-
ing with special regard to the artisan class—
wliese &Wren would be taught in the schools
—he failed to see any real and tangible objection
which could be raised to the very slightinerease
which would be made to local taxation, when the
direct benefits which they would receive were
taken into consideration. With a view of deal-
ing with such objections, and of taking some
action in the matter, he would move that a meet-
ing of the whole Board in committee should be
held on the X4lh of October, to take into further
consideration the communication from the Edu-
cation Department.
Major Walker, without expressing any opinion
1
upon the question, seconded the motion.
Mr. Prescott expressed himself as being somewhat '
surprised at the remarks made by Mr. Scott, and
Particularly so when he remembered that Mr. Scott
some tittle ago brought a letter to that Board from I
the Rev. Mr. Rogers complaining that the calcula-
tions upon which that Board had been formed were
incorrect, and wished that Board to take the letter ,
into cousideration. Before they proceeded either ,1
with the hiring of rooms or the erection of a school '
building, he conceived it to be their legal as well as
moral duty first to ascertain whether the deficiency '
was true or incorrect. It would not take any three
members of the Board long to find out that there
were not 311 children in the Gigmill district, and
when they asked the Department for information
regarding the returns, they shuffled from the ward
district, and spoke of the deficiency being in the
parish. He challenged Mr. Scott, or any other
member of the Board to go before a meeting of rate-
payers, who would say they would have no building
of schools. Let them ask any working man, foul he
would tell them that the Wesleyans and Baptists had
brought about the deficiency by closing their schoola-
and he was told the Baptist schools alone would hold
SOO children. When the question was first intro,
dared, it was the duty of the overseers, upon whose
testimony alone that deficiency had been declared, to
have :called a vestry meeting, so that the matter
'night have been discussed, and he had no hesitation
in saying that if any one felt so inclined to force the
objection to the election of the Board it would lieu
fatal one to the existence of a School Board in
Stourbridge. The Act of Parliament had not been
complied with. The population of the town was no
more now than it was some years ago, and although
several large shools had been erected in the mean-
time, they were now told that there was deficiency of
school accommodation for 311 children. He could
not conceive that such a statement was correct. He
suggested that the Chairman of the Board should go
to the Education Department, when in London, and
ask to inspect the returns.
Mr. Billingham said they hail got out of the right
track, and the Board was not at present in possession
of the facts they required. They should first ascer-
tain what they wanted before they talked about mak.
ing provision for supplying the want.
The Chairman believed there was some misappre-
hension as to the deficiency of school accominoda.
dation. The documents before him stated that there
was a deficiency for 311 children not exclusively in
the Gigmill district, but "within the reach of the
Giguall district." The remarks made by Mr. Pres-
cott were entirely out of the question, because they
had no alternative but to supply the accommodation
stated by the department. He was of opinion that
it would facilitate business very much if standing
committees were appointed to deal with various
questions, so that business could be brought before
the Board in a definite shape. He would suggest
that such committee should be formed.

_
Mr. Prescott said it could be done that night.
The Chairman thought it woula be best to give
notice of the formation of such committees before the
idea was carried out.

Mr. Wall said -ti.t;t with regard to the proceedings
taken by the Department he thought the tune had
gone past when they would have been in a position
to object to the correctness of the returns. That
ehould have been done at the time that the first
notice was given. From the 4th of June to that
date over three months had elapsed, and he took it
that if they were so disposed they weld not 110W—
the Board being formed—make any legal objection
to the Education Department compelling them to
supply that aeeommodation.
Mr. Prescott kid if Mr. Wall would take the
trouble to read the Act a little further he would find
that the first notice was given in 1573, when a large
I meeting of ratepayers negatived a Schou! Board.
Mr. Walker said it was not necessary.
I A long discussion ensued, during which Mr. Scott
answered various objection.
Subsequently Mr. Scott's resolution was modified
as follows, and passed :—" That the Board meet as
a committee of the whole Board on the 24th of Oct.,
at 7 o'clock, in the Commissioners' Room, to take
into further consideration the communication from
the Edrcation Department."
A resolution was passed, directing the clerk to
apply to the Commissioners for the use of their room
for the purposes of the Board.
Cheques were signed for the payment of Xfil, the
expenses of the School Board election; and an esti-
mate was submiCed of the expenses of the Board for
the half-year ending Lady-day, which were computed
at £si. The Clerk was ordered to issue precept to
the overseers fur the amount.

Mr. Wall gayelnotieo that he should move a resolu-
Inn, at the next meeting authorising the clerk to
obtain a seal, and the necessary books and stationery
required for the purposes of the Board.
The meeting o: the Board was fixed for the last
Monday in October.