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18
Finance Committee, who, after careful consideration of the same,
reported as follows:—
"We recommend the Board to protest against the so-called Equalisation
of Rates Bill. It is an entire misnomer, and, if carried, will
inflict grievous injustice, and increase the rates on districts least able
to bear them The Bill would inflict an annual payment
by St. Saviour's of nearly £3,000 per annum, and increase its rates from
5/2 to 5/5 in the pound; whereas the well-to-do residential parish
of Islington would receive the enormous sum of £21,000, and its rates
would be reduced from 5/2 to 4/11 in the pound, so that these two
districts, the rates of which are now absolutely equal, would show a
difference in favour of the richer parish of 6d. in the pound."
The recommendation of the Committee was adopted, and
copies of the report were forwarded to the Local Government
Board and the Parliamentary representatives of the district.
Taking the valuation returns of the Metropolis for 1893
as a basis for calculation (those for 1891 although issued, being
incomplete) it appears that the sums which the Parishes of
St. Saviour and Christchurch will, if the Bill become law, be
called upon to contribute, are approximately as follows:—
St. Saviour £5,614
Christchurch £2,993
And the sums which the two parishes will receive back by
way of grant are approximately:—
St. Saviour £2,756
Christchurch £2,628
The nett results being therefore that—
St. Saviour's Parish will contribute £2,858, and Christchurch
£365 in aid of the fund; equal, as shown by Mr.
Langston, the Vestry Clerk of St. Saviour's, in a statement
issued by him in September last, to a rate of 3d. and of ¾d. in
the pound respectively.
The contributions from the fund are to be applied, first, to
defray expenses incurred for sanitation under the Public Health
(London) Act, 1891; secondly, for lighting, and the balance (if
any) to the maintenance of streets.
CLINK STREET.
The improvement in the neighbourhood of Clink Street and
Bankend, referred to in the last Annual Report, pp. 16-17, has
now been carried out, and the exchange of lands effected in
accordance with the plan contained in such report and the
agreement with the South Eastern Railway Company.