The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-12-19 00:00:00

THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETING.

A meeting of this Board was held at the Com-
missioners Boom in tke Corn Exchange, on Satur-
day evening last. Major Walker presided; and
there were also present : Messrs. Prescott, Billing.
ham, and Stringer.
The Clerk read the notice calling the meeting,
which was to the effect that this was an extraor-
dinary meeting to take into consideration the
course to be sclapted in consequence of Mr. Poets

the builder, whose tender had been accepted, re-
fusing to provide surety. He (the Clerk) after-
wards read the minutes of the former meeting,
which on the motion of Mr. Prescott seconded by
Mr. Stringer, were adopted.
. .

The Clerk then explained that in pursuance of
a resolution to the effect that they would accept
Mr. Foster's tender, he had written to that gentle-
man informing him of the fact, and asking him to
supply the name of his surety. To this Mr. Fos-
ter had replied that he was pleased to find they
had accepted his tender. "Referring to the surety '
I must beg to say it is not in accordance with my
business principles to give sureties. I am pre-
pared to sign a legal contract to carry out the
works." The Clerk replied to this, and told Mr.
Foster that he would lay his letter before the
Board at the next meeting. He (the Clerk) was
very much surprised that he hesitated to give
sureties. To this letter he had received the fol-
lowing reply from Mr. Foster:—" Replying to your
favour of this morning, permit me to say I am
somewhat surprised the Board should request a
surety for works of these dimensions. If it had
been for a job of £lO,OOO or £15,000 I should not
have wondered. However, the principles would
be the same, and I decidedly object to it. If the
Board think well to entrast the work in my hands
I am prepared to carry it out in a proper manner;
but cannot admit such an objectionable custom
into my business."
A desultory conversation ensued, in the course of
which the conduct of the Clerk in the matter, was
commended by the members present; and it was
considered that Mr. Foster had rendered himself
liable by sending in a tender under the conditions
set forth in the advertisement. Eventually a reso-
lution was passed to the effect that they should
hold Mr. Foster responsible for any loss' that might
be sustained by his not acting in accordance with
kis agreement.
The Clerk then read a letter from Mr. Horton,
builder, of Brierley Hill, in which the writer now
offered to erect the Board School for £2,350.
Mr. Prescott referred to the fact that he had
seen it stated in the Daily Post of a few days back
that a school was being erected at Iteddal Hill, for
a cost of £l,OOO. that would accommodate 300 chil-
dren. He wished to know how it was they could
not get their schools built at a proportionate cost.
Major Walker said their schools could not be
built so cheaply as those that were erected by pri-
vate enterprise, because the Department would not
give their sanction to the buildings unless ceitain
stipulations were complied with as regarded struc-
ture and quality; and they would not lend them
money unless the building came up to their
standard.

Mr. Prescott suggested that they should borrow
money from private sources.
The Chairman objected that they should have
to pay a higher rate of interest for it if they had
it in that way.
The subject then dropped.
The Clerk said he had ascertained that the De-
partment would require, before the contract was
signed, that the Board should give all particulars
as to the building, and its internal fittings. They
had as yet had no tenders for internal fittings. He
thought it was advisable for them to borrow the
amount of money they should require in one loan,
because he knew of instances where Boards had
experienced considerable difficulty in borrowing,
when they applied a second time. Besides, the
expenses incurred in negotiating a loan were very
heavy, and these would be doubled if tho loan was
divided into two parts.
This was generally acquiesced in.
Major Walker said the first business which the
Board had to decide, was what was the best course
to pursue now that Mr. Foster had failed to find
sureties.

Mr. Stringer interposed, and asked if it was
decided finally to do away with a clock tower. He
recollected that one of the builders who had sent
tenders had offered to erect it for £9O.
. _

Mr. Prescott said he thought -thi-rihad better be
without it. It would cost £2OO .to put a clock in
it.

Mr. Stringer : No, no, it might be one like mine,
not costing above £2O, with an illuminated face.
The Chairman said a party had stated that the
projected Board school would look very much like
a malthouse. It would not look like a malthouse.
Even without the tower and master and mistress's
residences, it would be a handsome building. If
it had been his own prroperty he might have put
a tower upon it, but as a member of the Board he
could not look upon it in that light.
Mr. Stringer said that what they would do as
private individuals, they would be justified in
doing as public men.
The Chairman combatted that idea. For in-
stance, if be employed a man to do some work for
him at a certain price, and after the job was over
the man complained that he had lost by the job,
he might, if he chose, reimburse the matt out of
his own pocket. As a public servant, however, he
could not remunerate the man for may loss he
might sustain.
Mr. Prescott said he quite agreed with Major
Walker.

The Chairman said they must not allow senti-
ment to enter into their transactions as public
men.

_
Mr. Stringer said that in Kidderminster and
Brierley Hill they had erected splendid schools,
and he did not see why they should set up their
opinion against that of everybody else, elsewhere.
Mr. Prescott again referred to the school which
was being erected at Reddal Hill, and said he
could not see what should make the Board School
so expensive. It would cost more than the Gram-
mar School.

The Chairman said he was not going to advocate
that they should spend the money of the rate-
payers in any lavish manner; but they could not
build their schools at the same rate as those which
had been erectedby private subscriptions, because
the Department insisted on their being built in a
particular way.
Mr. Stringer then introduced the question of
the master's house.

The Chairman -;al.'d that as far as the master's
house was concerned, he could only say that on the
last occasion on which the Board met, the meeting
decidedly objected to building a cldck tower and
the mistress's house. But he did not arrive at the
conclusion that they decided not to build a mas-
ter's house. He only thought it was to remain in
abeyance until they could build one at a more
moderate rate.

A desultory conversation ensued, and the Clerk
read the proposition bearing upon the point, and
The Chairman said from the resolution passed,
there was nothing to prevent them from building
a master's house; but the members did not like
the tower. With reference to the mistress's
house, he considered it an encumbrance, because
in many instances they could not get as good a
mistress, where they had to pay for a residence out
of their salary. At a future time they might build
a mistress's house.

Mr. Stringer said that they would find at a
future time it would cost more to build amistresis
house than now.

Sotue conversation ensued as to whether or not
it was possible to have a mistress's house, erected
at a smaller cost, and the Clerk read the Act
which stated the number of rooms there should be
in the house, and their various dimensions.
Mr. Prescott, remarking upon the dimensions
of the sitting room (12-ft. square), said there were
few cottagers' houses in which the sitting room was
not as large as that.

Mr. Stringer : You see it is not necessary to
build an expensive building.
Major Walker concurred, and said be had not
pledged himself not to build a house, but thought
it would be better to let it stand over for the pre-
sent.
Mr. Stringer said in Kidderminster and Brierley
Hill, they had both master'sand mistress's houses.
Mr. Prescott reminded him that at Kidderminstar
the land was given to the School Board.
The Chairman said it was a great nuisance to
have a mistress's house. He did not feel inclined
to spend £5OO on a mistress's house, because the
rent would possibly be more than they would like
to pay,
Eventually the Clerk WAS directed to write to
each builder who had sent in a tender (Mr. Poster
excepted), asking him if he was inclined to reduce
the amount, and, although they did not at present
intend to build a house and clock tower, what
would be the lowest at which they could erect
them.
This resolution was come to because it was con-
sidered only fair to allow the other builders an
opportunity for sending in reduced tenders, as
Mr. Horton had done.
. _ _

At this point Mr. Bilhngham entered the room,
and the resolution having been read to him, a
discussion ensued, and it was decided to strike out
the clock tower from the resolution, which was
then carried unanimously.
There was no other business.