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(1) That the Accountant should be responsible, under the Vestry Clerk, for all
the Vestry's financial work and the keeping of the accounts, and should
devote his whole time to the duties of his office.
(2) That the salary should be £200 per annum, rising (subject to the Vestry's
approval), by five yearly increments of £20, to a maximum of £300
per annum.
The vacancy was duly advertised, and 99 applications were received.
The following six candidates were selected by the Committee for the Vestry to
appoint from:—
E. A. R. Adams, Chief Book-keeper in the Borough Accountant's Office
of Corporation of Sheffield.
W. H. Bates, Assistant to Clerk to Guardians of Maidstone.
J. Goulding, of the Borough Treasurer's Office, Preston.
H. Richards, of the Borough Accountant's Office, Nottingham.
D. Smith, of the Borough Treasurer's Office, Birkenhead.
W . L. Smith, of the Borough Accountant's Office, Great Yarmouth.
On the 19th May the Vestry unanimously appointed as their Accountant, Mr.
Ernst Alexander Reginald Adams, who entered on his duties on the 15th June,
1891, providing a guarantee of £1,000 in the Provident Clerks' and General
Guarantee Society. An agreement under seal was entered into between the Vestrv
and Mr. Adams, providing for three months' notice on either side, and comprising
the duties of his office.
(2) RATE COLLECTORSHIP OP KINGSLAND AND HAGGERSTON WEST WARDS.
On the 7th April, 1891, I reported that proceedings under the Criminal Law
Amendment Act, 1883, had been taken at Worship Street Police Court, against
Mr. John Jones, the Rate Collector of the above Wards, whereupon the Vestry
suspended him from his office and appointed Mr. Joseph Riley, temporarily, to
collect his rates. On making a thorough scrutiny into Mr. J. Jones'accounts, I
reported that certain defalcations had occurred, and that owing to the absence of
any adequate check upon his returns of empty properties and absconding ratepayers,
that these defalcations had been going on for some time. On the 14th
April the Vestry discharged Mr. Jones from their service, owing to the defalcations
in his accounts, and he was subsequently convicted under the Criminal Law
Amendment Act and sentenced to twenty months' imprisonment with hard labour.
The ultimate loss to the Vestry, after the Guarantee Society had contributed the
amount of their policy, was £15, but the disclosures in this case were of the greatest
use in enabling the Vestry to adopt a re-organization of the whole system of rate
collection, which I subsequently recommended in conjunction with Mr. Adams.