Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Clerkenwell, St. James and St. John]
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10
the Imperial Exchequer for Teachers in Poor Law
Schools, Public Vaccinators, Registrars of Births
and Deaths, Pauper Lunatics, Poor Law Medical
Officers, and the Metropolitan Police. The balance
of the Exchequer Contribution Account remaining
after payments of these grants is carried to the
General County Account, and from this Account
the Council have to pay to the Guardians of every
Poor Law Union wholly in London a sum equal to
4d. per head per day for every indoor pauper
maintained in that Union. The share of the Parish
of Clerkenwell of the latter amount for the year
ending Ladyday, 1892 is £7,886, the amount being
based for the first five local financial years on the
average number of indoor paupers so maintained
during the five financial years ending on the 25th
March, 1888.
The precepts of the School Board for the year
1891 amounted to the sum of £16,589 15s. 11d.
The Police precepts for the year amounted to
£7,539 15s. 10d.
It will thus be seen that of the £92,238 raised
during the year, the sum of £67,900 was required
by bodies beyond the control of the Vestry; or in
other words, of the total rates of 5s. 5d. in the pound
for the year. 4s. was for other bodies, and 1s. 5d.
for the local administration, paving, lighting, dusting,
slopping, &c.
An average of 1,349 summonses have been issued
for the recovery of the rates in each quarter of the
year. This appears a large number, but it is quite
evident that a very large proportion of the persons
summoned, are content to wait for the summons,
treating it as the "final demand" for payment,
preferring to pay the small fee of 1s. charged for
the summons and hearing, and to hold their money
as a matter of convenience, as long as possible.