The Shropshire Examiner and all round the Wrekin advertiser. — 1877-08-10 (Wenlock, Shropshire, England)

WEDNESBURY LOCAL BOARD OF HEALTH.  The fortniAtly meeting of this Board was held on Monday night in the Town Hall Buildings, Wed. nesbury, when Mr. 11. Williams presided. The Medical Officer (Mr. (harman) reported that the town was in a satisfactory condition, 17 deaths having occurred, two of which necessitated coroner's inquests, leaving 15 deaths from natural causes, representing a death-rate of 14.50 per 1,00. Three deaths were recorded from fever.  The Chairman said it was very gratifying to receive such favourable reports, especially when they considered the stagnation in trade, which was sure to have an effect upon the poorer classes by not leaving them the necessaiies of life, lie regretted that another suicide had occurred amongst them, as these kinds of occurrences were always painful to hear of. The report was then adopted. The Clerk reported that he had received a number of bye-laws from the Local Government Board which they recommended to be carried out in this district.  The Chairman said they stood in need of such byelaws, but for the present he should recommend that they be referred to the Clerk on his return, and f. • the Board to have afterwards fully considered them —(hear, hear). The Chairman said he noticed in the papers that a memorial had been forwarded to the Gas Committee from the inhabitants in Foley-street requesting them to consider the propriety of providing gas during the winter months. He hoped that the committee had not taken any notice of such an irregular proceeding. Mr. James Taylor said it was quite true that a memorial had been sent to the Gas Committee, but as it was an irregular proceeding the committee had ignored the memorial, which would be retuhied to the memorialists—(hear, hear). Various reports were presented to the Board, but they were not of particular interest.  The Chairman said a few days ago an article on the distress in Wednesbury appeared in the Birminghani Daily Post, and he was bound to call the attention of the Board to the article, inasmuch as it was not true. He had no hesitation in stating that the article was a complete slander upon the town, and ho considered it his duty as a townsman to protest against the comments made, which were greatly exaggerated—(hear, hear). It was the duty of the Board to try and find out how such a report was brought about. A s regards the comments on the Patent Shaft Works, he must say that some one had gone to the trouble of wilfully giving false information on the distress that existed, in consequence of men not being at work. It was a fact that the wages were nearly as much as they were in the corresponding month of the previous year, for they were paying at the time the articles appeared £.1,100 'per week, which was about £2OO less per week as compared with the previous year—(hear, hear.) He knew that the poverty in some circles was deplorable, but it was no worse in Wednesbury than it was in other towns —(hear, hear). The distress was nothing near so bad as was represented, that he was positive of— (hear, hear). The article suggested that some organised charity should be formed, but he thought s)me of the employers hadj ado?ted the but work of charity by providing the men with work that was no profit to the employers—(hear, hear). This step had been taken by the employers until trade improved. In the market place on Saturday nights he found that there were large crowds of people; the shops were crowded, especially the liquor shops, and he thought that was a good guide to go by—(hear, hear). Dar. laston, they all knew, was in a worse condition than WeAlnesbury, and that was accounted for by two reasons—viz., the closing of the Iron and Steel Company's Works and the great strike in the nut and bolt trade; but, as regards the latter, as to who were responsible for such a state of things it was not for him to say. The collier i working hours was a vexed question, and he was sure that the staple trade of that district would not be better until the questions were settled--(hear, hear). He really hoped that when a Commissioner was sent over again that the facts would be recorded, and not gross misstatements, for the report had caused numerous communications to be forwarded to him from people in the district, to a certain extent svmpathising with him and asking for particulars—(hear, hear). Dr. Blackwood said he could find cases of distress at the best of times, and if any person was disposed to give him money for distressed persons, he could dispose of it—(hear, hear). Mr. Hunt deprecated the article, as it was untrue, and was thankful to the Chairman for bringing the questions before the Board, as the report had a tendency to pauperise the district.  . . M. Saunders endorsed the remarks made by the Chairman, and added that the distress was not thea so great as it was three months ago. He went through various works that morning and found the men fully employed. Even in Darlaston more work was being done than had been represented. The chairman said he had brought the question before the Board so that the public might know what state the town was really in—(hear, hear). He said there was another question that he wished to bring before the Board, and that was no other than the smoke question—(hear, hear). That question was of great importance in several respects, although in Wednesbury the proprietors of the ironworks were free from the law for making the smoke, but he did wish that manufacturers would adopt some measure by which the smoke might be condensed, for that would have a tendency to improve the appearance of the town. In London in the greatest block of houses were to be found flowers and trees growing, and this was done by legislation in condensing the smoke, which he should like to see carried out in Wednesbury, which he thought could be done with little trouble.  Mr. Perry said much of the mischief tc plants and flowers was caused by the sulphur, and he thought it might be advisable for the Board to try and get rid of that.  Mr. James Taylor said it was a fact that since there had been -a decrease in the smoke the deathrate had been considerably lower. Mr. Mint made a practical speech on the use of various coals for certain purposes, after which Mr. Saunders said the smoke would be greatly reduced if stokers would exercise a little more care. Dr. Blackwood said so far as his own experience went he should say let the smoke continue, and he could assure them that only the other day a clergyman informed him that consumptive people could live a great deal longer in Wednesbury than they could in the country. The question then dropped, and the Board separated.