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2. That clerical assistance which should have been provided by the
Assistant Overseer, at his own expense, according to the terms of his
appointment, and which has cost at least £200 a year, has been paid out of
the Overseers' Petty Cash, and charged solely to the Local Rates, whilst a
great portion of such clerical assistance is given to matters relative to the
Poors Rate. We further find that although under the terms of his
appointment it is clearly defined he should give his whole time to the
duties of this office, he has accepted other appointments of profit, which
clash. Consequently, he is unable to properly attend to the duties
devolving upon him as Assistant Overseer and Vestry Clerk.
3. That the Supplemental Lists last year were not sent to the Assessment
Committee within the time specified by the Valuation (Metropolis) Act,
and that the correspondence between the Assessment Committee and the
Overseers (hereto appended marked B) respecting the delay was withheld
from them by the Vestry Clerk, and consequently placed the Parish in a
very serious position.
4. That the Assessment of a late Churchwarden was raised last year
in the Rate Book and Provisional List, in order to qualify him for a
Vestryman, and the increase afterwards omitted from the Supplemental
List contrary to the Valuation (Metropolis) Act, 32 & 33 Vict., cap. 67,
section 46, sub-section 1.
5. That the Vestry Clerk absented himself from his duties two days
assisting at the County Council Election in a neighbouring Parish, and
denied the same when questioned by the Vestry in Vestry assembled.
6. That the Vestry Clerk, while he is a highly paid official, has broken
the terms of his appointment for some years past, and your Petitioners are
unable to obtain satisfactory information as to the other offices held by
him, and his emoluments and perquisites attached thereto. The Vestry
Clerk was appointed by the Vestry on November 14th, 1877, to perform all
the duties enumerated in the Vestry Clerk's Act, 13 and 14 Vic., Cap. 57,
and in an Order of the Poor Law Board, dated the 11th of June 1870; on
February 19th, 1878, he was appointed Assistant Overseer under the
provisions of the Poor Law Amendment Act, 59 George III, Cap. 12,
section 7; the terms of these appointments being that he should devote his
whole time to perform all the duties of the offices, except the collection of
Rates, and not accept any other appointment, and to obtain such assistance
as he may require at his own cost, subject to the approval of the Vestry.
Your Petitioners humbly pray that your Board will institute
an inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the Rates
Department of this Vestry, and the neglect of duties of
the Vestry Clerk and Assistant Overseer.
Appended Documents Marked A—Clerk has not produced Copy.