Fri 23 Oct 1840
Half Yearly General Meeting. Tonnage £3508 10s 8d. Balance after wages, etc, £2830 8s 7d. Dividend of £14 declared.
Letter from Messrs Richard & Peter Smith suggesting removal of obstructions in the stream from the Ship to end of Wallbridge Wharf and to cut the bank straight. Brook to be inspected.
Every bushel of wheat to be counted as 60 pounds instead of 56 pounds.
New Byelaw that master, owner or person in charge of a boat which is empty, or has cargo not delivered in 48 hours of arrival, who shall remain opposite wharf for 2 hours after being requested to remove it, to be fined 20s and charged 5s for every hour they remain.
Towing path to be shut where not a public footpath.
Mr Hooper reported that a man working as Millman for Mr Hunt of Lodgemore Mills, broke off lock belonging to Navigation on paddles of feeder at Lodgemore across the Painswick Stream, and drew up paddles preventing water flowing into canal. Penalty or punishment to be inflicted.
All clerks to have their sureties inspected. Mr Mason to produce a surety.
At a General half Yearly Meeting of the Proprietors of the Stroudwater Navigation held at the George Inn Stroud on Friday the 23^rd Day of October 1840
John H Warman in the Chair.
The minutes of the last general Meeting were read & confirmed. The several Books and accompts of the Company were produced (as directed by Act of Parliament) and were examined and confirmed. It appears by the accounts that the sum of £3508..10..8 has been received for Tonnage, etc, from the 13^th day of April to the 12^th Day of October Instant a part of which has been applied towards the payment of Wages disbursments, etc, & that there remains in the Treasurers Hands (after paying the last Dividend) the Sum of £2830..8..7.
Ordered that a Dividend of Fourteen Pound be paid on each Share by the Treasurers on the first Day of November next, and that Our Clerk do transmit circular Letters to all the Proprietors to inform them that they may draw upon the Treasurer or apply to Him for payment of the same.
A letter form Mess^rs Richard & Peter Smith was read wherein they suggested the removal of some obstructions in the Stream from the Ship to the end of Walbridge Wharf, and to Cut the bank straight.
Ordered that the Brook be inspected by the Committee and such obstructions (if any) be removed which it shall be found to be proper to be removed by the Company.
Ordered that in charging tonnage on Wheat carried on the Canal, every bushel of wheat shall be regarded as weighing Sixty pounds instead of 56 lb as heretofore.
[Proposed New charge for Bus^l for wheat as Glos & Berkley]
Ordered That it be Enacted as a Bye-law for the good and orderly using of the Stroudwater Navigation - That the Master Owner or other person having charge of any Boat barge or other Vessel on this Navigation which being empty, or having a cargo not delivered in forty Eight hours after arriving at the Wharf at Walbridge, - shall remain opposite the Wharf aforesaid for the space of two hours after he shall have received a request from the Wharfinger of the said wharf to remove such boat barge or other Vessel to a point in the Navigation below the said Wharf - shall for every such offence forfeit and pay the Sum of Twenty shillings, and also a further Sum of Five shillings for each and every hour during which the said boat barge or other Vessel shall afterwards remain opposite said Wharf - such penalties to be recovered in such manner as is provided for the Recovery of penalties, for the obstructing the Navigation.
Ordered that the Committee do forthwith take measures to shut up the Towing path of the Navigation where the same is not a public footpath, for the purpose of preventing the public use thereof.
M^r Hooper having reported that a man working as a Millman for M^r Hunt at Lodgemore Mills did on Monday morning last, about 11 o'clock break off the Lock belonging to the Navigation Company, which was on the paddles of the feeder at Lodgemore across the Painswich Stream, and drew up the paddles or floodgate, and thereby prevented the Water from flowing into the Canal.
Ordered that measures be taken for enforcing the penalty or punishment to be inflicted on persons so offending.
Ordered that all the Bonds entered into for Indemnity against the Acts of the Clerks and Servants of the Company be produced at the next Committee meeting, and order taken for the supply of fresh sureties in the room of any who have deceased. And that Sureties be furnished by M^r Mason for the due performance of his duties, in such a form as the Committee shall deem proper.
