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expenses of flagging the footpaths referred to in such section
from the owners of property abutting thereon. This repeal
of one of the anomalies which are to be met with in the
Metropolis Management Act had been for years advocated
by the Vestry, as will be seen by a reference to the report
for 1886-7. At the Vestry's instance Mr. McCullagh
Torrens, the late member for the old Borough of Finsbury,
and the Metropolitan Board of Works had introduced
Bills with a view of getting rid of the anomaly, but both
had failed. Great credit is therefore due to Mr. T. H.
Bolton (who by-the-bye was formerly a member of the
Islington Vestry) for his efforts in promoting the Bill and for
his energy and ability in safely piloting it through the two
Houses of Parliament.
Metropolis Management Amendment Act.—This Act by Sec. 3
enacts that Vestries may repair "new streets" without prejudicing
their powers to afterwards put the provisions of
Sec. 105 of 18 and 19 Vic. cap. 120 in force; and, by
Sec. 6, that subsoil under a street is not to be removed
without the consent of Vestry or District Board.
Public Libraries Acts Amendment Act.—This—one of many
amending Acts—-provides that the mode of ascertaining the
opinion of ratepayers shall be by voting papers only, and deals
also with the provisions of the earlier Acts limiting the
amount of rate.
Customs and Inland Revenue Act.—This Act is of interest
to local authorities, inasmuch as by Sec. 26 (2) it provides
that upon a certificate of the Medical Officer of Health of
the parish to the effect that a house built for the purpose of
providing separate dwellings is adequately constructed for the
purpose (the rent of each such dwelling not being more than
7s. 6d. per week) the inhabited house duty skall be discharged.
Housing of the Working Classes Act.—This important Act,
which repeals the various Labouring Classes Dwelling Houses
Acts and the whole of the Artizans and Laborers Dwelling
Acts, consolidating and amending their provisions, is divided
into seven parts.