View report page

124
be ex officio members. I use the word apparently as some little
doubt appears to exist as to whether section 2 of the Metropolis
Local Management Act, 1855, under which these gentlemen act
as ex officio members is impliedly repealed. Sub-section (1) of
sect. 23 says that "there shall be no ex officio or nominated members
of the Urban Sanitary Authority." The question is does this
apply to London Vestries ? If it does, then section 2 of Metropolis
Local Management Act, 1855, would be repealed as being
inconsistent with it. The evident intention of the Government
was, I think, that the Rector and Churchwardens should remain
ex officio members in London, and as no mention is made of
Churchwardens in the recently issued circular of the Local
Government Board, I think it may be taken for granted that both
the Rector and Churchwardens will remain as heretofore ex officio
members of the Vestry.
The Vestry, at their first meeting after the annual election,
must elect a Chairman for the year, and, according to section 22,
such Chairman, unless a woman or personally disqualified, will
be by virtue of his office a justice of the peace for the County of
London, but, before acting as such, he is to take the oaths
required by law to be taken by a justice of the peace other than
the oath respecting the qualification by estate.
The auditors who, as before stated, are to remain in office in
the same manner as Vestrymen until new auditors are appointed
in November, will, in future, be elected under the same qualifications
as those for Vestrymen, and will be subject to the same
disqualifications (secs. 79, 31 and 46).
With regard to the effect the Act will have upon the powers
and duties of the Vestry, I would point out that section 33, which
is made directly applicable to London, provides that the Local
Government Board may, on the application of the Vestry, or of
any representative body within the district, make an order conferring
on the Vestry or some other representative body within
the district the appointment of overseers and assistant overseers,
the revocation of appointment of assistant overseers, any powers,
duties or liabilities of overseers, and any powers, duties or liabilities
of a Parish Council. Whether there are any powers or duties
which the Vestry might with advantage seek to have placed upon