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cation coming before the Justices, they refused to grant it.
This court is the last one remaining between Kemble Street
and Long Acre, and it might well have been demolished by
the Metropolitan Board of Works when the Scheme for
dealing with the Great Wild Street area was under consideration,
for it is the earnest desire of all parties in the
neighbourhood that it should be stopped up, and the evidence
of the Police was strongly in favour of such a course being
adopted.
Maintenance of Asphalte Carriage-way Pavements.
The subject of the Maintenance of Asphalte Carriageway
Pavements in the District, is one that has during the past
few years caused the Board and its Officers very great
anxiety, as in consequence of the great increase in the
traffic through the streets in the District and the alterations
in its character, the Board have found that the expense of
maintaining the carriageways has very largely increased,
and that in those cases in which they did not avail themselves
of the provisions contained in the contracts, and call
upon the companies who laid down the pavements to maintain
them at a specific charge, mentioned in the contract,
that they have had to expend very large sums in repairing
the carriageways in question. The Board, therefore, in the
month of July, 1889, on the suggestion of their Officers,
requested the Works Committee to consider whether it was
not desirable that the Board should enter into contracts for
the maintenance of the carriageways in the District at a
fixed annual charge, and after consideration of reports from
the Officers upon the sums which have been expended, and
upon the condition of the various carriageways, it was
resolved to enter into arrangements with the Companies