Wed 19 Feb 1913
Inspection of canal re telephone posts etc. Statement of telephone officials did not agree with facts. Another interview arranged.
Stroud Electric Lighting Co decided to strike out Stroudwater Navigation from Schedule of the Order. Subsequent application to Board of Trade Act 1882.
Through traffic year ending 30 September 1912 £368 4s 7d. £377 12 11d average for last years. Decrease of £71 11s 2d. No payment due.
£150 to Gloucestershire County Council.
Messrs Smith & Bingham of Ebley intending to use small traction engine to haul manure over Oil Mills Bridge, asked Company’s permission. Company accepted no responsibility.
Sir Alfred Apperly’s firm had abandoned idea of having a coal wharf on canal. Serious difficulty in getting boats loaded with Forest coal. All mills experiencing same difficulty. Large foreign vessels coming to Sharpness and carrying off coal in some cases booked by Stroud Valley traders. Very serious for canal as well as manufacturers. Sir W H Marling had already tried to get it altered.
Mr J F Kenworthy of Sheepscombe declined to pay 14s charged for repairing damage to canal property. ‘Extortionate’. Offer to pay off in settlement. Committee accepted no reduction.
Midland Railway Co have closed all their wharves and yards on Saturday afternoons. Local agent to close entrance gates to canal wharf at Stonehouse. Reply to Mr Snape’s telegraph to Midland Headquarters at Derby, ‘closing gates Stonehouse matter under enquiry’.
Certain railway traders trespassing on canal wharf by railway siding. Tonnage rate charged in future on railway borne coal carted over Company’s property.
Traffic 1 October 1912 – 19 February 1913 £455 18s 9d, 1912 £437 3s 15d, 1911 £412 7s 4d, 1909-10 £431 17s 4d, 1908-9 £390 14s 8d.
Bank Credit Balance £3469 16s 2d, 1912 £538 2s 7d, 1911 £417 7s 3d.
[1913 Feby] Committee Meeting held at Wallbridge on Wednesday the 19^th day of February 1913 @ 3.30 o'clock pm
Present: Philip Jas Evans, W H Marling, F S Whittingham, Edward P Little, F A Little, Walter J Stanton.
[Telephone Posts, etc, on Canal property] The Clerk reported that the whole length of the canal from Wallbridge to Whitminster had been inspected with reference to the telephone posts, etc, and as the statement of the telephone officials did not agree with the facts, another interview was arranged in order to mutually settle the particulars.
[Stroud Electric Lighting] Mr Whittingham reported that he and Mr Snape had met the promoter of the Stroud Electric Lighting Company on the Canal property affected by the proposed bill and that he had since received a letter from the Solicitors to the undertaking stating that upon consideration it has been decided to strike out the Stroudwater Navigation from the Schedule of the Order, leaving any dealings with it to a subsequent application to the Board of Trade under section 13 of the Act of 1882.
[T&S Canal traffic] The Clerk reported the result of the Statement he had been instructed to prepare in response to the requirement of the County Council (under Sec 43 of the Thames and Severn Canal Trust Act 1895) as to through traffic for the year ending September 30^th 1912. It appeared that £368..4..7 was the amount of such through traffic for that year and that £377..12..11 was the average for the three years last past. The latter figure compared with the average of the three years ended Sept 1894 (£449..4..1) showed a decrease of £71..11..2 and therefore no payment was due under Section 46 of the Thames and Severn Canal Trust Act 1895.
[T&S Canal £150 Contribution] An application from the Gloucestershire County Council for £150 under sec 44 of the Thames and Severn Canal Trust Act 1895 was submitted and approved and the Cheque was ordered to be drawn.
[Oil Mills Bridge] A letter was produced from Messrs Smith & Bingham of Ebley intimating their intention to sue a small traction Engine to haul manure over the Oil Mills Bridge and asking the Company's permission. The Committee decided they could accept no responsibility in the matter and Mr Snape was instructed to write them a letter which M^r Whittingham would draw up to this effect.
[Loading coal at Sharpness] A letter was read which had been received from Sir Alfred Apperly stating that for the present his firm had abandoned the idea of having a coal wharf on the Canal owing to the serious difficulty in getting boars loaded with Forest Coal. It was stated that the complaint was a general one, that all the mills were experiencing the same difficulty and that it was due to the large foreign vessels coming to Sharpness and carrying off the coal which in some cases has been booked by Stroud Valley traders and sent down from the Collieries for them. It was recognised that this condition of things was a very serious one for the canal as well as the manufacturers and SIr W H Marling said he had already made endeavours to get it altered and would do what further he could.
[Gas House Bridge] M^r J F Kenworthy of Shepscombe had written declining to pay the 14/- charged him for repairing damage done to Canal property on the ground that it was "Extortionate" and offering to pay 7/- in settlement. It was decided that the Committee could accept no reduction of its charge.
[Stonehouse Wharf] It was reported that the Midland Railway C^o had closed all their wharves and yards on Saturday afternoons and their local agent had received instructions to close the entrance gates to the Canal Wharf at Stonehouse. Mr Shame had telegraphed to the Midland head quarters in Derby to which a reply by telegraph had been received as follows, "closing gates Stonehouse matter under enquiry".
A question also had been raised as to certain railway traders trespassing on the Canal Wharf by the railway siding and this had been satisfactorily arranged. Mr Snape was instructed to charge a tonnage rage in future on railway borne coal carted over the Company's property.
[Traffic] It was reported that the Traffic amounted to £455..18..9 for the period form Oct 1^st 1912 to Feby 19^th 1913 as compared with 437^£..3^S,,5^d for the previous year, 412..7..4 for the same period 1910-11, 431..17.4 for 1909.10, 390..14..8 for 1908.9.
[Balance at Bank] The credit Balance at Bank stood at 469^£..16^s..2^d against 538..2..7 last year and 417..7..3 same date in 1911,
