View report page

27
favor of the proposal, whilst seven were against, and
ten were either in favor of no action or only acknowledged
the receipt of the communication, the Parliamentary
Committee decided to recommend the Council
to obtain the suggested Parliamentary powers. The
Council, however, referred the matter back to the Committee
to consider and report whether powers should
not be obtained providing for the costs of paving works
in new streets being in all cases borne by the freeholders.
Subsequently, upon the recommendation of the Committee,
the Council decided to take no further steps in
the matter.
Costermongers.
The Board have again had under consideration
tne subject of the obstruction caused in the
Balham High Road by costermongers, and as the fines
which are inflicted in the cases taken by the Board to
the police court fail to deter costermongers from assembling
in the road, the Board requested the Home
Secretary to receive a deputation on the subject. The
Home Secretary, however, did not see that any good
purpose would be served by receiving the deputation, in
view of the decision of the High Court in the case of
" Keep v. Vestry of St. Mary, Newington," to the effect
that costermongers cannot be interfered with so long as
they complied with the police regulations; and he
pointed out that the police were always ready to assist
Local Authorities in dealing with any specific instance
of breach of such regulations, and that they had no
legal power to meet complaints respecting costermongers
carrying on their trade in the streets where, from a
police point of view, no obstruction was caused by their
presence. The Home Secretary added that if further
powers for regulating the localities where costermongers
might be allowed to take their stand, or for removing
them from streets where their presence caused annoyance
to the inhabitants, were desired, he was of opinion that