Fri 28 Oct 1842
Half Yearly General Meeting. Tonnage £2381 8s 5d. Balance after wages, etc, £1651 17s 2d. Dividend of £8 declared.
Drawbacks on coals, salt, slates, grain agreed providing sufficient documents provided to prove “bona fida” claim.
Committee to secure means of feeding and supplying Navigation with water at or near present feeder at Ebley.
Committee Meetings to be held monthly at Committee Room at Wallbridge. Expenses limited to Act of Parliament. Special meeting for survey of canal £5.
Clerk to keep accounts as now done by Mr Hawker. No increase of present amount of clerks’ salaries without removing Mr Hawker.
At a General Half Yearly Meeting of the Proprietors of the Stroudwater Navigation held at the George Inn Stroud on Friday the 28^th day of October 1842
M^r Marin In the Chair.
The Minutes of the last General Half Yearly meeting were read and confirmed. The several Books and accounts of the Company were produced as directed by Act of Parliament and were examined & confirmed.
It appears that the sum of £2381.8.5 has been received for Tonnages, etc, from the 11^th day of April 1842 to the 14^th day of October 1842, a part of which has been applied towards the payment of Wages, Disburstments, etc,m and that there remains in the Treasurers hands (after paying the last dividend) the sum of One Thousand Six Hundred & forty one pounds 17/s 2d:-
Ordered that a Dividend of Eight Pounds be paid on each share by the Treasurer 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.
Ordered That in conformity with the recommend^n of the Committee as reported to this meeting the Committee be authorised to allow Drawbacks after the rate hereinafter mentioned on the Tonnage of the various articles hereafter mentioned passing on this Navigation to and from the places hereafter mentioned on the terms and conditions hereafter mentioned; The Committee taking care that the persons carrying the articles and bound to pay the Tonnage thereof, do produce a sufficient document to show that the articles have "-bona fide_" so passed according to the Terms and conditions; And provided the Thames & Severn Canal Comp^y do carry into effect their proposal to allow a drawback on, or to reduce their Tonnage, in the like cases; On which proposal the Committee have acted in recommending to this meeting the intended drawback:-
That is to say:-
That upon all _Coals_ delivered below Radcott Bridge on the River Thames, or at or beyond Even Swindon on the Wilts & Berks Canal. there be allowed a drawback of _Four pence_ per Ton in the present Tonnage of One Shilling.
That upon all _Salt_ delivered at or beyond Newbridge on the Thames, or beyond Swindon Wharf on the Wilts & Berks Canal, there be allowed a drawback of _four_ pence per Tone on the present Tonnage of one shilling per Ton.
That upon _Manure Salt_ delivered at any place beyond the limits provided by the Act for charging Tonnage for the same, there be allowed a drawback of _six pence_ per Ton on the present Tonnage of One shilling.
That upon all _Slates_ delivered at Cirencester or at any place beyond, there be allowed a drawback of _four_ pence per Ton on the present Tonnage of one shilling; provided the Thames & Severn Canal Comp^y lower their rates to Two pence per Ton per mile.
That upon all _Grain_ brought from or beyond the Junction of the Gloucester & Berkley Canal with this Navigation and delivered at or beyond Cirencester, there be allowed a drawback of _Four pence_ per Ton on the present Tonnage of one shilling per Ton.
That upon _all articles_ now Chargeable with Tonnage rates of _one shilling_ per Ton which shall be brought from any place beyond the Eastern End of the Thames and Severn Canal Tunnell (in Vessels whose preceding Cargo on the up-Voyage passed through this Navigation) and shall be delivered at or beyond the Junction aforesaid there be allowed a drawback of _Six pence_ per Ton; provided the Thames & Severn Canal Company reduce their Tonnages for the same article to _one penny half penny_ per Ton per Mile.
[Committee should be taking steps for better feeding Canal at Ebley Mill or (?...) of the Bank]
Ordered That the Committee do forthwith proceed to secure the means of feeding and suppling the Navigation with Water at or near or in substitution of or addition to the present feeder at Elbey, And that they do take such steps for effecting the same as they shall be advised either by the purchase of Land and the erection of ne works, or by altering the present mode of feeding; or restoring the old channel of the brook and the old mode of feeding; or otherwise as shall be deemed expedient; and that they do take such legal, engineering and other proceedings therein, as the may deem expedient.
Ordered that the General meeting of proprietors be in future held at the Committee Room at Wallbridge and Refreshments be provided there by the Clerk for the Proprietorys who may attend.
That the ordinary Committee Meetings be held Monthly, and the Committee expences be limited to the allowance made by the Act of Parliament except as to the special meeting of the Committee for the survey of the Canal which shall be limited to Five pounds for each Survey.
Ordered that the Committee do make arrangements for providing a Clerk to keep the accounts, etc, as now don by M^r Hawker, at and after Lady day next in order to relived him at his great age and wish his bodily infirmities from the active duties of his office. In case the same cannot be effected without any increase of the present amount of Clerks salaries, and without altogether removing M^r Hawker from his office.
