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17,661. That was the calculation that I made in looking
through the lists of your committess appointed this year, it struck
me that those 14 well-known names figure there very largely.
Have you with you a list of your committees appointed this
year?— Yes (producing a list). I have jotted down the business
of each committeeman as far as I know it. How it will work
out I do not know.
17,662. The works committee is a very important committee,
is it not?— Yes.
17,663. I find out that 10 out of the 14 gentlemen, of whom
we have spoken this morning, are on the works committee; that
is very much higher than the average, is it not?— It might
be so.
17,664. That is extraordinarily high, is it not?— But if they
are on the works committee in unusual number it is only because
they have been thought more fitted for that committee work than
other members.
17,665. It is a remarkable fact that being all of them owners
of this particular kind of property they are considered more fitted
for the work of the works committee than anybody else?— I do
not think that you can draw such a conclusion. The fact is that
the works committee has nothing whatever to do with house property;
the works committee has simply to look after the state
of the roads and such matters as that.
17,666. It is generally considered the committee which
forms the nucleus or centre of the Yestry, is it not?— Certainly
not.
17,667. It is so in my own vestry?— It is not so in mine. Being
on that committee they are on it perfectly disinterestedly, because
it does not touch their property in any way.
17,668. Let us take the assessment and appeal committee, which
you said yourself was a very important committee ; I find that
seven out of these 14 gentlemen are on that committee; that is
higher than the average, is it not?— No, I cannot say that it is.
17,669. Half of these gentlemen are on that committee, but half
the vestry are not on that committee?— I think that you will
find that these committees take in most of the members of the
vestry.
17,670. But this particular committee is, as you say, a very
important committee. You rejected the works committee as not
being important enough?— I do not say that the works committee
is not an important one, but I say that it has nothing at
all to do to encourage house owners to be upon it for interested
purposes,