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acquired the freehold of the property on the northern side
of the Alley, and they now proposed to remove the Alley
about 40 feet farther south, so as to abut on the southern
boundary of their property instead of bisecting it, and they
farther offered to give up sufficient land for widening same
by a foot or eighteen inchcs, if the Yestry would pay them
half the value of the land required. The Vestry again
declined to give its consent, and the applicants again
came forward with a further proposal, viz., to remove the
Alley 40 feet to the southward, to make it a uniform width
of 4 feet 6 inches, the old Alley being only 2 feet 10 inches,
and to bear the whole expense of the alteration. In support
of this proposal the neighbouring inhabitants of St.
John's Street and St. John's Lane petitioned, and after
some further consideration, and communication with the
Holborn District Board, in whose district the new Alley
would be partially situate, the proposal was agreed to.
School Board Elections.—In October, 1886, a letter
was received from the Yestry of St. James', Westminster,
protesting against the recent action of the School Board in
electing to a casual vacancy, in the representation of Westminster,
a stranger to the constituency instead of one of the
Candidates at the last Election, who received a large
measure of support, and asking the Vestry to support their
representations to the Education Department upon the
subject, to the effect that the Department should introduce
a Bill into the next Session of Parliament, providing for
the filling up of casual vacancies on the Board by direct
election by the ratepayers in the division in which the
vacancy has occurred instead of by the Board itself. The
Vestry, consequently, communicated with the Department
in the same spirit, but a reply was received stating that
the present method was introduced to avoid the additional
expense of contested elections.