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50
of Works in March, 1889, the London County Council
were made acquainted with the proposed extension.
The Improvements Committee of the Council in reply communicated
the adjournment of the question as to a contribution
until the Vestry should have obtained the decision
of the Government. Thus the matter stood till January of
the present year, when the Vestry, without any previous
official intimation, had their attention called by Sir Walter
de Souza, to a recommendation of the Improvements Committee
"that the Council do not contribute towards the
"cost of the proposed improvement." The councillors for the
Westminster Division subsequently acquainted themselves
with the facts, and communicated with Mr. Costelloe, and
other members of the Council thereon; and the result of
the timely action taken by these gentlemen was that the
Chairman of the Improvements Committee of the Council
agreed to withdraw the recommendation in question for
further consideration. H. M. Office of Works, who were
then asked for their decision, replied that the scheme had
been recommended to Her Majesty's Treasury, but that no
final instructions had been received or pressed for on the
assumption that as the autumn season had passed, the
execution of the works would in any case have to stand
over until the return of that period of the year. On the
20th February, the Vestry received an intimation from Sir
Walter de Souza, stating that the Improvements Committee
had recommended a contribution of £1000 towards the cost
of the improvement. This further innovation on the part
of the Council in discontinuing, without notice, the practice
invariably observed by their predecessors of contributing one
half the cost of public improvements, led the Vestry to pass
an unanimous resolution "That the proposed improve"ment
at Alexandra Gate be abandoned in the event of the
London County Council not contributing a moiety of the
"cost. At the last meeting of the Vestry, in the year