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70
that the tender of Mr W Downs was reduced to £7,507 and that
of Messrs Balaam Brothers to £7,360 ; and the latter was accepted
by the Vestry on the 4th March, 1896
Railway Rates and Charges — Withdrawal of Rebate—Little progress
was made during the year towards a settlement of the dispute
between the Vestry and the Railway Company The Clerk reported
at the end of the year that the Board of Trade had again extended
the time for appearing before the Railway Commissioners, and that
he was in negotiation with the Mansion House Association with the
view of preparing a case to be brought before the Commissioners,
failing an agreement with the Company
A cheque for the Vestry's annual subscription of five guineas to
the Mansion House Association on Railway and Canal Traffic was
drawn on the 15th May 1895, and a further sum of £3 10s was
paid the Association on 26th June for copies of minutes and
proceedings in its test case as to private siding rebates On the
13th November the Vestry authorised the Clerk to accept the
Association's invitation to him to become a member of the permanent
special committee appointed by it to deal with private sidings,
rebates and analysis of rates
The Railway Company continued to bring forward in its quarterly
accounts the rebate deducted by the Vestry, the sum total of which
amounted to £4,248 0s 3d at the close of the year under report
Depot Inquiry—The resolution of the Vestry of the 12th June
1895 reinstating the loaders at work (see p 60) contained the rider—
"and that the whole system of the working of the Depots be
"referred to a Committee of the whole Vestry for inquiry and
"report" The first step taken by this Committee led to the
adoption of the standing order printed at page 14, ordering a card
of membership to be given to each Vestryman entitling him to
inspect any premises belonging to or work carried on by the Vestry
A special Sub-Committee of 15 members—five from each of the
three standing Committees—was then appointed to consider the
following subjects of reference :—