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17,549. And Mr. Abrahams?—I think he does own several.
17,550. And Mr. Hasleham?—I believe he does own some, but
very little.
17,551. And Mr. Eustace?—Yes, he did formerly, though Mr.
Eustace never attends now.
17,552. Has Mr. Coker any?—I believe he holds some little.
17,553. Mr. Squire has only two, has he?—Only two, that I
am aware of.
17,554. Has Mr. Gribson any?—He is the agent for the Penton
estate.
17,555. But he has a good many houses of his own, has he not,
besides the Penton houses?—I am not aware. I believe he has
some, but I do not know what.
17,556. Mr. Javens?—I should say he owns some, but I do
not know what; he has one, or two, or three. In fact, I should
say that most of the people on the local boards are men of property
somewhere or other.
17,557. In some way or other; but there are a very large
number of persons in the parish of Clerkenwell who have places
of business, shops and works, and manufactories, large and small;
and there are a large number of people who own their own
houses, and people who live in a whole house. I hardly expect
you to answer that question, but might it not be argued, and
have you not heard it argued by some, that there is an undue
representation in the case of this particular parish of this special
kind of interest which is known as house farming?—I am not
aware that there is. It is just as open to people owning another
class of property to become members of the local board as to any
others.
17,558. But these gentlemen appear to interest themselves
more in these little unknown elections than other people, and
they are returned by a very small number of votes?—I am not
aware that it is so. There are a great number of people of other
trades on the vestry; these you refer to are quite the minority.
17,559. There is a great number of publicans, is there not?—
Yes; I do not know a parish where there are not publicans, and
as a rule they are the heaviest rated.
17,560. We know some parishes where the publicans are most
admirable members of the board: for instance, in the adjoining
parish of St. Pancras, the gentleman who is known as the
"King of Diamonds" is an instance; but in Clerkenwell you
have more than in other parishes, have you not?—I am not
aware what other parishes have, but we have some of the most
respectable men in the parish as publicans, and as I have already
said the publicans aro the most heavily rated people in the