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13
The subject of the Water supply and rates has much exer- Water,
cised the public mind during the year, and the Vestry appointed
delegates to attend a conference at St. Luke's on the subject.
Reference has already been made to the proposed legislation
on the subject and no doubt something will shortly be done to
put the rating on a more satisfactory footing.
As a consumer the Vestry have raised an objection to the price
charged for water for the public roads and the subject is now
receiving the consideration of the Directors of the Company,
and it is hoped that an amicable arrangement will be come to.
If not the Vestry are firmly resolved to test the question of the
right of the Company to charge so much as 9d. per 1000 gallons
for water supplied for road watering purposes.
During the works of the Great Eastern Railway Company at
Sanitary Work
Devonshire Street the old Portman Place burial ground was
disturbed.
As soon as the Vestry found out that the works were being
Portman Place Burial Ground
proceeded with they took all necessary precautions to have the
work done in a proper manner.
The Jobbing Sewers contract having expired tenders were in-
Jobbing Sewers Work.
vited and after careful comparison of the prices the tender of
Mr. W. Finch was found to be the lowest and was accepted.
The Vestry were compelled to take further steps under the
Artizans' & Labourers' Dwel-lings Act, 1868.
Artizans' and Labourers' Dwellings Act, 1868, in respect of the
houses in Sidney Street referred to in their report of last year,
and made a peremptory order for the works to be done and
they were then done accordingly by the owners.
The Vestry have also taken proceedings under the same Act
with respect to houses in Eagle Place and Frimley Street, and
the owners have agreed to do the necessary works.
The depression in trade has had the effect of greatly in-
Overcrowding
creasing the bad system of overcrowding and the Vestry officers
have had to be very active in finding out the cases and causing
the abatement of what is a most dangerous state of things in a
sanitary point of view.
There were 19 applications for licenses for slaughter houses
Slaughter Houses & Cow Houses.
and 50 for cow houses and all the places were duly inspected,
and where necessary orders for works to be executed served.
In pursuance of their determination to pave Devonshire
street Paving.
Street and other streets mentioned in the last report, the Vestry
invited tenders for the work and the tender of Messrs. Mowlem
and Co., was accepted.
The Vestry to pay for the works have borrowed £2250 from
the Metropolitan Board of Works at 3½ per cent.
The Vestry deducted a sum of £34 3s. 7d. from Mr. Gabriel's
Gabriel's Contract.
account, being the damage which they had sustained by his
default in delivering flints referred to in the last report.
Parliament has during these two last years made a grant in
Grant in aid of Deiturnpiked roads
aid of roads which were disturnpiked subsequent to the year 1870,
and the Vestry have received as their proportion in respect of the
Commercial Road two sums of £128 15s. 6d. each.
The subject of a Municipality for all London was again men-
Munici-pality of London Bill
tioned in Her Majesty's speech from the Throne, on the
opening of Parliament, and there is every probability that a
Bill will be introduced dealing with the matter.