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53
or to the letting of the land for the erection of dwellings for the
working classes under that Act, or the Housing of the Working
Classes Act, 1890; but it is not clear how the two could be combined.
Being a corporation the Vestry can only acquire or hold
lands for such purposes as they are authorised to do by law. If
they exceed their statutory powers in this respect, not only would
any expenditure be illegal and liable to be surcharged but the
land itself would pass to the Crown.
Having regard to the difficulties attending the tenure of the
property, the Committee regret to have to report that the Vestry
are precluded from taking immediate joint action with the
Guardians for the re-building of the property.
Your Committee recommend that a copy of the foregoing
report be sent to the Guardians of the Westminster Union, with
an intimation that if the idea of removing the Workhouse in the
Country, to which allusion was made at the last meeting of the
Vestry, takes practical shape, it would be well worth consideriug
whether the Guardians and the Vestry should not co-operate in
applying for a Special Act of Parliament to enable the Vestry to
deal with the property of the Parish in a comprehensive manner.
JOHN BONTHRON,
Chairman.
In September the Vestry received a communication from
the Guardians enclosing a party wall notice under
the Metropolitan Building Act, 1855, relating to the
rebuilding of 19, Marshall Street, but up to the close of the
year to which this report relates no further steps had been
taken in the matter.
A further communication was received by the Vestry
from the Guardians in October last, intimating that it
might be necessary for them to acquire the four houses in
Marshall Street belonging to the Parish for the erection of
a new laundry, and asking what area the houses occupy