Tue 21 Jul 1903
Annual inspection be Mr F A Little and Mr H H Mills with Mr Snape on 25 June.
New ropes attached to life buoy and drags. Weeds in Framilode Pound require cutting. Clarke takes grass from bank adjoining towing path at 10s p.a. Asked to graze bank.
Repairs to Walk Bridge nearly completed. Grass on small piece belonging to Company at bridge between towing path and canal cut by occupant of adjoining land. Letter to be sent. Land property of Company.
Bristol Road Bridge, silt washed from road into canal. County Surveyor should be asked to raise side of road next wharf. Needs larger pipes in field on opposite side to carry off water passing through culvert under canal.
Repairs required to walls of dry dock at Eastington. Small piece of bank on side of Whiting’s garden requires piling. Company to give land to widen approach to Eastington Bridge on north side. County Council to bear cost.
No provision in Long Pound for insertion of stop planks. Provision also at Stonehouse Swing Bridge.
Dredging required to bank at Ryeford Wharf.
Sewage coming into canal at two places. Mr Snape to call attention of Medical Officer of Health, Dr Martin, to matter.
Rebuilding wall at Double Locks.
Messrs Strachan agreed to pay 2s 6d p.a. fir gateway.
Mr Boulton to pay 2/6 to keep a tow boat on canal on Framilode Pound.
Leave given to Mr Clark of Junction Inn, Saul, to graze grass on canal bank and towing path. Additional 5s to 10s paid for grass crop.
Letter from Mr Long of Stapleton. Seven fishing licences useless to holders by stoppage of canal.
Sewer ventilating pipe fixed by Stroud Rural District Council at Dudbridge.
Telegram from County Surveyor with request to get silt at Stonehouse Cross Bridge removed from canal at County expense.
Stonehouse police reported clothing in canal 12 July. Apology to Company required from lads named and sent to Sergeant. Prosecution if offence repeated.
Application by Stroud and District Angling Association to angle in canal on Sundays refused.
Lloyds Bank Limited at Stroud authorised to honour all cheques drawn on Company’s account.
Government Auditor of Gloucestershire County Council to have tolls for 3 years ended September 1902 and 1904 received in respect of through traffic over Navigation and Thames & Severn Canal.
Cost of repairing slip at Double Locks £63 19s 8d of which £10 17s 2d was for labour furnished by regular staff.
[July 1903] Committee Meeting held at Wallbridge on Tuesday the 21^st day of July 1903 @ 3 o'clock pm
Present: Mr E P Little Chairman, Mr A B Hooper, Mr W Davies, Mr P J Evans, Sir W H Marling Bart, Mr F A Little
Mr Whittingham in attendance (Solicitor).
The Report of the Annual Survey of the Canal by Messrs H H Mills and F A Little on June 25^th was ordered to be entered on the Minute Book.
Annual Inspection 25^th June 1903
The Canal was inspected by Mr F A Little & Mr H H Mills accompanied by Mr Snape, the Chairman meeting them at Eastington Bridge.
[Entrance at the Severn] The Walls and gates at the junction with the Severn were found to be in good order.
[Warehouse at Framilode] The roof of the Warehouse referred to in last years report has been repaired.
[Pocketts Cottage] The painting mentioned in last years report as being required to be done has been carried out, and it was noticed that new ropes had been attached to the life-buoy and drags.
[Framilode Pound] The weeds in this pound require cutting, Clarke who takes the grass from the bank adjoining the towing path in this pound at 10/- a year asked for permission to be allowed to graze the bank, and he was promised that the matter should be referred to the Committee.
[Walk Bridge] The repairs to this bridge were in progress & nearly completed.
It was noticed that the grass on the small piece of land belonging to the Company at this bridge between the towing path and the Canal had been cut by the occupier of the adjoining land. It is suggested that a letter be written to the trespasser pointing out that the land in question was the property of the Company.
[Aqueduct near Whitminster] The bank requires piling in two places.
[Bristol Road Bridge] Nothing has been done at this bridge to prevent the silt being washed from the road into the Canal. It is suggested that the County Surveyor should be asked to raise the road on the side nest the Wharf, and also to place larger pipes in the field on the opposite side to carry off the water passing through the culvert under the Canal.
[Dock at Eastington] Repairs are required to the walls of the dry dock at Eastington.
[Whitings House] A small piece of the bank on the side of Whiting's garden requires piling.
[Eastington Bridge] This bridge and its approaches were carefully inspected, and it was thought that it might be widened and the approach improved on the North side at a modest cost, the Company to give the land for the purpose provided the County Council would bear the cost of the work.
[Long pound] It was noticed that there is no provision in this pound (which was empty in consequence of the repairs then in progress at the Double Locks) for the insertion of stop planks, and it is suggested that provision should be made for this purpose at Stonehouse Swing Bridge.
The greater portion of this pound requires dredging, there being a considerable accumulation of mud.
[Ryeford Wharf] Some piling is required on the bank at this Wharf.
[Ryeford] It was noticed that sewage was coming into the Canal at two places and Mr Snape was requested to call the attention of the Medical Officer of Health to the matter.
[Double Locks] The rebuilding of the wall which had fallen in at these Locks was in progress, and the work appeared to be being done well and as quickly as possible.
Signed F A Little.
[Strachan & C^o Gateway at Lodgemore] A letter from Messrs Strachan & C^o Ltd agreeing to pay 2/6 per annum for the 'Easement' (gateway) on the Towing path, Lodgemore (duly stamped) was presented by the Clerk.
[Mr T Boulton boat on Canal Framilode pound] A letter (July 4) from Mr T Boulton of Saul was presented by the Clerk, agreeing to pay 2/6 per annum for the privilege of keeping a 'tow-boat' on the Canal in the Framilode pound.
[Mr Clark permission to graze Canal Bank Framilode Pound] With the written concurrence of the Parish Council of Saul, leave was given to Mr Clark of the 'Junction Inn' there, to graze the grass on the Canal Bank & Towing path, 'providing no damage is done to the bank', on payment of 5/- in addition to the 10/-he already pays for the grass crop.
[Mr Long letter re Fishing Licences] A letter from Mr Long of Stapleton, as to the seven fishing licences, which had proved useless to the holders by the stoppage of the Canal, was read and the Clerk was instructed to suggest that the matter should be considered when application might be made next year.
[Stroud Rural D C Pipe for ventilation of Sewer at Dudbridge] A Sewer-ventilating pipe having been fixed by the Stroud Rural District Council at Dudbridge (see fols 351/3) the letter to their Clerk of the 15^th November 1902 agreeing to pay 1/- per annum was approved.
[County Surveyor re Silt in Canal at Stonehouse] The Clerk produced a telegram from the County Surveyor requesting him to get the silt at Stonehouse Cross Bridge removed from the Canal at the County expense.
[Bathing in Canal at Stonehouse] The Stonehouse Police having reported bathing in the Canal July 12, the Clerk was directed to require in this instance an apology to the Company on the part of the lads named, the same to be sent to the Sergeant for his perusal, prosecution to follow if the offence repeated.
[Application to Angle on Sundays] An application by the Secretary of the "Stoud and District Angling Association" for permission to Angle in the Canal on Sundays, was definitely refused.
[Agreement Stroud UDC sealed] The Agreement with the Stroud Urban District Council as to their Electric Lighting Provisional Order, was submitted to the Committee, and duly sealed.
[Lloyds Bank re Cheques and Account] At the request of the Company's Bankers (Lloyds, Stroud) it was Resolved,
"That Lloyd's Bank Limited, at Stroud, being the Bankers of the Stroudwater Navigation Company be, and are hereby authorised to honour all Cheques drawn on the account, whether the A/c be in credit or overdrawn, sighed by the Chairman for the time being and counter-signed by the Clerk for the time being. This authority shall cover all past transactions."
[Medical O H Nuisance at Ryeford] A letter from the Medical Officer of Health of Stroud (June 27) in reply to a communication by the Clerk, was read, in reference to nuisances affecting the Canal at Ryeford, and the Clerk was directed to reply to D^r Martin asking him to see that the nuisance was abated.
[Tolls supplied Glos C Council Thames & Severn Act 1895] The Clerk produced, in compliance with minute passed at a Meeting of the Committee, of the 16^th June (Fol 364) letters, from the Manager of the Thames and Severn Canal, giving particulars of he information asked for and was instructed to let the Government Auditor of the Gloucestershire County Council have the amount of tolls, sec 43 T&SC Act 1895) 3 years ended September 1902, and the amount of tolls (sec 45 & 46 T&SC Act 1895) 3 years ended September 1894 received in respect of through traffic passing over the Canal to and from the Thames and Severn Canal.
[To omit August Meeting] It was decided to omit the usual Meeting of the Committee for August.
The Clerk reported:
[1 Double Locks Slip] 1 That the cost of repairing the heavy 'slip' which had taken place at the 'Double Locks' since the last meeting (including materials) had been £63..19..8, of which £10..17..2 was for labour furnished by the regular staff.
[2 Walk Bridge repairs] 2 That the repairs to the 'Framilode' and 'Walk' Bridges had been completed.
Cheque drawn:
John Badham: £4..6..5
