The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-02-05 00:00:00

THE STOI3RERIDGE OBSERVER.

Marten, J. Mills, P. Pargeter, G. Rhodes, E. White,
H. Hughes, S. Brooks, W. Forrest, &c., &c.
Mr. Prescott wished to make a preliminary objec-
tion to the enquiry: but the inspector said he was
, ordered to sit there by the Local Government Board,
and he should sit there.
Mr. Pre‘ eNt said the Inspector was taking a con-
siderable responsib;lity upon himself.
-oThe Inspector : I shall hold the enquiry, and
will take the consequences.
Mr. Prescott: Your superior officer) would not
no so. Mr. Prescott proceeded to read a case in the
Standard of 26th:January, as bearing against the
enquiry, but the Inspector ruled it did not.
Mr. Prescott : I say without fear of contradiction
and as a lawer, you have no right to hold the
enquiry.
The Inspector said he would take the objection
and lay it before the Local Government B )ard, and
that was all he would hove to do with it.
The enquiry was then formally proceeded with.
Mr. Taylor made a statement on behalf of the
Commiisioners. and other evidence foilowed, Mr.
frescott and Mr. Elcock cross-examining the wit-
nesses on various points.
The application to the Local Government Board
stated that the contributory places proposed to be
included in the united drainage district were Stour-
bridge, Amblecote, Wollaston, and Upper Swinford ;
and also the Lye and Wollescote, if the ratepayers
of these two places were willing to be included in
the proposed district. The grounds upon which the
joint application was made, was the report of Dr H.
Franklin Parsons, of June, 1880, to the Local Gov-
ernment Board, containing (amongst ()fliers) the
foil recommendatims, viz. :—" 1, Stourbridge
Rural District. The Sanitary Authority should
not delay to take steps to provide efficient sewers
for, at any rate the populous parts of the district.
2, Stourbridge Urban District. The system of
sewers should without delay be improved and ex-
tended, so as to provide effectual means of sewerage
for all parts of the district." The whole of the area
proposed to be included lay in the watershed of the
Stour. From the conformation of the severel dis-
tricts, and the situation of their populations, the
area of the land which might be used for sewage
disposal in any particular one, and to which it
would gravitate, was too limited for that purpose,
and was of much higher value than ordinary agri-
cultural land; and to obt iin other descriptions of
land pumping in each case would have to be re-
sorted to. It was considered that by construction
of the necessary main sewers to carry the sewage to
suitable land outside the proposed district a great
saving could be effected, bothlin the necessary first
cost of land, appliances. &c., and also in the after
cost of collection and disposal of the sewage—much
more so than if a separate system of sewage and
disposal of sewage were adopted for each place, or
two or more of them combined.
Mr. Eloock called Mr. Shakespeare and Mr,
Edwards to give evidence to the effect that it was
not desirable to include Wollaston in the proposed
drainage district.
A deputation from the ratepayers' meeting at the
Lye laid a resolution before the Inspector, which
was to the effect that the inhabitants of the Lye
and Wollescote were averse to having those places
included in the drainage scheme.
Mr. Harrison pointed out that it was generally
considered to be of advantage to have large instead
of small drainage districts and if they were not
united to the proposed district now the probability
was that at some future day they would regret it.
He had no interest in the matter. but if he weie to
advise them his advice would be to join the pro-
posed drainage district.
Mr. W. H. Foley stated that if something was
not done to purify the river, which ran through his
grounds, he and other landowners would take legal
steps to get an injuction against thet e places to pre-
vent the inhabitants from polluting the river with
sewage.
After a lengthy speech in opposition to the
scheme from Mr. Prescott, arrangements were made
for carrying out the provisional order, and forma-
tion of the "Stourbridge Main Drainage Board," in
case the Local Government Board acceded to the
request for making the said order.

SERIOUS WOUNDING CASE.—William Frederick
Law, landlord of the Vauxhall Inn, Stourbridge,
was brought up at the Stourbridge Police Court,
on Saturday, before Mr. R. L. Freer, charged with
cutting and wounding John Gibbons, with bats ut
to do him grievous bodily harm. Gibbons, the
prosecutor, was unable to attend, and according to
the evidence of Dr. Eager, lay in a precarious
state. It appears that Gibbons went to the Vaux-
hall on Friday, and called for a bottle of of ginger
beer. After supplying him. Law noticed that he
was in a dozing state, and evidently the worse for
drink. He requested him to drink the ginger beer
and leave, but Gibbons refused to go, and a struggle
took place in the Lindlord's attempt to put him
out. Gibbons, it is stated, struck Law, and knocked
Mrs. Law down, and the landlord having his blood
up, fetched a formidable knife, with a blade some
eighteen inches or so long. With this be struck
Gibbons twice on the head and once on the wrist,
inflicting wounds of the gravest character. The
wounds on the head were four inches long, and
reached to the bone; and the wrist wound was also
a most severe one. Superintendent Wheeler,
hearing of the affair, ordered Sergeant Jones at
once to arrest Law. Gibbous was in a rueful stats
from profuse bleeding, and required immediate
attention.—Mr. Freer remanded the prisoner till
Friday, when he was brought up before Colonel
Fletcher, and Mr. R. L. Freer. Mr. Wyldham
appeared to prosecute and Mr. Waldron defended.
As prosecutor 'was too ill to attend the case was
again adjourned for a week, prisoner being bailed
out, himself in £5O, and two sureties of £25 each.
DRUNEENNESS.—At the Police Court, on Wed-
nesday, before Mr. R. L. Freer, William Storer, of
the Lye, was fined 2s 6d and costs for being drunk
at the Lye, on the Ist inst. Police-constable Jewson
proved the case.
STEALING ANA-ULSTER. --. At the Police Court,
yesterday, before Col. Fletcher and R. L. Freer,
Esq., Eliza Wood, of the Lye, was charged with
stealing an ulster on the 22nd ult, the property of
Elizabeth Round. Prosecutrix, who lives with her
father at the Lye, said, her ulster was hanging be•
hind her father's door. She missed it on the 28th ult.
The one produced was her property. Dorothy Cook,
assistant to Mr. Moody, pawnbroker, of Brierley
Hill, said the prisoner pledged the ulster on the
27th ult, and gave the name of Ann Shilvock, and
she advanced 3s. Police-constable Eden proved
receiving on the 2nd inst. the ulster and a diserip-
tion of the prisoner. Police-sergeant Payne proved
apprehending the prisoner. Remanded to Brierley
Hill, tili Monday next. Bail being accepted herself
in £lO and one surety in a.
REFUSING TO QUlT.—Samuel Jasper and William
Jasper, were charged with rbf using to quit the Fish
Inn, Cradley, on the 9th October. Police-con,table
Oakey proved the case. Samuel Jones, the land-
lord gave corroborative evidence. Fined lOs each,
to include costs.