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medical officer after inspection thought it desirable that the
committee should be called together, and in that case they would
be called together.
17,655. You have never, I think, made it your business to
inquire whether the vestrymen hold this questionable sort of
property or not, but you have given a considerable amount of
valuable evidence upon this point. At question 3419 the witness
is asked this: "It has been stated that a considerable number
"of persons upon the vestry are interested themselves in pro"perty
of a bad or doubtful kind; is that the case ? " and the
answer is: "Yes, that is so. There are several who hold houses
"in our own immediate neighbourhood in Clerkenwell, and
"some of them have houses in the surrounding neighbourhood
"and district, St. Luke's, and other parts; and it is difficult to
"get a man to move when he is personally interested." Do you
contradict that?— I do not agree with it. I do not understand
such a statement.
17,656. You do not agree with it, but you do not contradict
it?— I do not agree with it. I think it is exaggerated. I should
like to ask what is meant by "a difficulty to get a man to
move."
17,657. The expression is "It is difficult to get a man to
move." I suppose it means to get the sanitary authority to
work?— I do not know what it means really. Certainly there
would be no difficulty in getting the sanitary authority to move.
If that is what is meant to be implied I should contradict it,
most decidedly.
17,658. Passing to question 3421, can you give us any idea
whether the gentlemen who are largely interested in this sort of
property are more regular attendants than the other 72 members
of the Yestry?— I am not prepared to say that they are more
regular attendants than other tradesmen are who form the
Yestry.
17,659. What is the average attendance out of the 72 ?—I
should say that the average, taking the year round, would be
from 25 to 30.
17,660. (The Chairman.) You say that these property owners,
by whom I mean those 13 or 14 that we have been talking of
to-day, are not more regular in their attendance than the other
members of the Vestry. As compared with tho other of the 72
members of the Vestry those 14 gentlemen are on more committees
than the rest on an average, are they not ?—I could not
say that they are ; that has never struck me,