View report page

38
School Board for London Election Bill.—
This Bill has been introduced by the School
Board. As the Elementary Education Act,
1870, gives no power to the Education Department
to subdivide the present School Board divisions,
and as the population and rateable value have
materially changed in eighteen years, it is proposed
by the Bill to redistribute the representation by
grouping the new Parliamentary Metropolitan
Boroughs into 19 School Board Divisions instead
of 11, and increasing the number of members from
55 to 71. The grouping proposed is intended to
have the effect of retaining the cumulative vote but
with diminished power, the cumulative vote being
not more than five nor less than three. So far as
this Parish is concerned, it is proposed to separate
Finsbury from Islington, allotting to it three
members.
The Vestry have also had before them a letter
from the Vestry of Kensington expressing the
opinion that the present local management areas
should be the electoral areas of the School Board,
and that the cumulative vote should be abolished.
The Vestry have agreed with the provisions of
the Bill, and presented a petition to Parliament in
its favour; but there appears little probability of its
passing in the present Session.
London Coal and Wine Duties Continuance
Bill.—This Bill was introduced by the Metropolitan
Board of Works and the City Corporation
jointly. It proposed to continue the
Coal and Wine Dues, which, unless renewed, will
expire on 5th July, 1889, until December 31st,
1900. An alteration was made in the present Bill
from those of preceding years, by providing that a
proportion of the dues shall be appropriated to the