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36
In reply to the Vestry Clerk's observation No. 2, we would again invite
your attention to the express terms of his appointment, by which any
clerical assistance obtained was to be paid for by him out of his income, the
persons to be employed having moreover to be approved by the Vestry.
His statement that he made application to the Law and Parliamentary
Committee for an alteration in the terms of his appointment might be
imagined to mean that he did this at the time when he began to employ
clerical assistants at the Public expense, whereas as a matter of fact he
only made the said application as recently as 8th July, 1889. About £200
a year had meanwhile been paid for clerical assistance, out of what is
known in the Parish books as "Petty Cash," in contravention of the terms
of his appointment and without an express resolution of the Vestry.
Further, no explanation of the terms of his appointment and of the Acts
controlling the same was made to the Auditors under the Metropolis Local
Management Acts, which we hold to have been his duty to represent to
them. In response to his statement that there has been a large increase of
duties without increase of salary, we may state the Vestry never received
any application for such increase.
His statement that he was appointed on the 19th February, 1878,
Assistant Overseer at £150 per annum, and that he received in 1882 an
increase of £50 per annum, might convey the impression that after 1882
£200 was his annual income, whereas the fact is that in addition to the
£200 as Assistant Overseer, he has received from Christmas 1877, an annual
salary of £250, which was increased on 10th September, 1887, to £380 as
Vestry Clerk, making a total for these two offices of £580 per annum. We
therefore submit to your Honourable Board that according to the terms of
his appointment, he should have devoted the whole of his time to these
offices and performed all the duties appertaining to them, except the
collection of rates. Instead of which others have been engaged in the
work of this department at the public expense, while he has undertaken
the duties of Borough Returning Officer, School Board Deputy Returning
Officer, and other offices, with emoluments and perquisites attached thereto,
a full return of which we have been unable to obtain, and which his reply
to your Honourable Board fails to afford; he is besides Clerk to the Vestry.
We must entirely repudiate the implication raised by his observation No. 6,
viz., that the terms of his appointment admitted of his taking up other
offices, provided that these were not "outside the Parish."
In response to his statement No. 3, we specially pray that this should be
enquired into by your Honourable Board, the rather as a similar direliction
of duty has again occurred this year; the Provisional and Supplemental
Lists are not being sent to the Fulham Union Assessment Committee,
within the time prescribed by the Valuation (Metropolis) Act. In order to
obviate the serious results that might arise in consequence of this neglect
of duty, the Guardians have this year appointed another person to furnish
them with the Provisional and Supplemental Lists, and have notified their
intention to charge the Fulham Parish with the cost thereof.