The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-08-14 00:00:00

Socat an istrict getus.

STOURBRIDGE BURIAL BOARD.

A meeting of this Board was held in the Com-
missioners' Room in the Corn Exchange, on Satur-
day morning last. There were present :—Messrs.
Shepherd (chairman), Stringer, Haskew, Platt and
Perkin. This was the last meeting of the Board,
as at present constituted; as three of the present
members—Messrs. Shepherd, Billingham, and
Stringer—retired from the Board last Wednesday.
They are, however, eligible for re-election.
The Clerk read the minutes of the last meeting',
and they were confirmed and signed.
The Chairman said the first business would be
the draft of agreement for the purchase of the
site for the cemetery. The contract which had
been drawn up by them and forwarded to the Rev.
C. H. Craufurd, that gentleman had signed,
and returned it to the Board, without making a
a single alteration in it. He thought the Board
and the town ought to feel grateful to Mr. Crau-
furd, for the generous spirit in which he had met
them during whole of these negotiations.
Other members of the Board expressed them-
selves to the same effect, and the subject then
dropped.
The Chairman said with reference to a seal for
the Board, which had been spoken of at the last
meeting, he had communicated with a firm in
London—which was well known in this particular
line of business—and they had forwarded him two
specimens, the cost of which would be for the seal
alone ten guineas; and for the seal with printing
apparatus attached, fifteen guineas. He (the
Chairman) confessed himself rather staggered
at the amount.

The seal was handed round, and some of the
members express d themselves to the effect that it
was more ornate than necessary, whilst others
were of opinion that the only drawback to it was
the price.
The Chairman said the Commissioners' seal had
cost only ,X 5 and he did not think they (the Burial
Board) should exceed that amount.
The whole of the members concurred in this,
and eventually, on the motion of Mr. Haskew, the
chairman was instructed to ask the firm which had
furnished him with the specimens to make a seal
for the Board, at a cost not exceeding .R 5.
The Chairman said with regard to Mr. Parkes,
and the question of compensation for his unex-
hausted improvements on the land which was to
be the site for the future cemetery, he (the chair•
man) had seen Mr. Parkes the morning after the
last meeting, and he had referred him to Mr.
Wooldridge. The latter brought him liord that
Mr. Parkes would leave the question of compen-
sation with the Board, and would be represented
by Mr. Wooldrige on his part, whilst Mr. Taylor
could represent the Board. He had suggested
that they should buy his interest off him at once,
from the present time, and they could let the land
to him until such time as they wanted it for
their own use. He, (the chairman) thought it
would be better to have a surveyor on the part
of the Board to conduct their part of the negoti-
ations, because, when they came before the parish
he would be able to state that they had not paid
any more for the laud than it was worth. The
question was should they have a proposition to the
effect that they enter into an agreement to pur-
chase Mr. Parkes's leasehold interest in the land,
on terms which were to be agreed upon between
Mr. Wooldridge on the part of Mr. Parkes, and
Mr. Taylor on the part of the Board.
A resolution was then put to this effect, a.-:d
carried unanimously.
It was next agreed that a committee of three
persons should be appointed to superintend the
carrying out of these negotiations; and the three
were to be the chairman, the vice-chairtnan, and
Mr. Charles King. Mr. Stringier was afterwards
added to the committee.

Some discussion afterwards arose as to the advis-
ability of taking any further steps just at present
in the matter, and eventually it was considered
that it would be more convenient to wait until
after the election.
The question of electing members in the place
of the retiring ones, next came on.
The Chairman said he thought it would be de-
sirable to ask the churchwardens of Oldswinford,
and the:overseers for -Upper Swinford and Stour-
bridge, to convene a parish meeting to eltct three
members in the place of the retiring ones.
They determined to arrange, if possible, to have
notices affixed to the church doors to-morrow,
Sunday, giving notice that Messrs. Shepherd,
Billingham and Evers retire from the Board; and
giving notice of a meeting to be called for the
purpose of filling up the vacancies thus caused.
The Chairman said he thought it would be ne-
cessary to have a treasurer to receive the monies
of the Board.

On the motion of Mr. Haskew, Mr. Thomas,
manager of the Stourbridge and Kidderminster
Bank, was appointed treasurer to the Board; and
it was decided that he should be required to find
security to the amount of Xl,OOO.
It was also decided that Messrs. King and
Stringer should call the first meeting of the Board
after the election.

This being all the business,
Mr. 'askew moved a vlte of thanks to the
Chairman, for the able and courteous mantle: in
which he ha,l conductei the business of the Bolr4l
during the past year; and expressed a hope that
the chairman and the other two retiring members
of the Board would be re-elected, as they were lot
only efficient and zealous representatives of the
parish, but thy had become accustomed to the
work, and understood it,

Stringee seconded the proposition, and it
was carried unanimously.