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10
In the last report a reference was made to the steps
taken by the Yestry to arouse the interest of the ratepayers
in the election of November, 1891, with the object
of securing the return of candidates pledged to arrest the
constantly increasing expenditure of this Board, and to
the steps taken by the Board, as "a ratepayer," to obtain
the disallowance of the expense incurred by the Vestry
in the matter. This hasty and misguided attempt, which
was continued in the present year, was met in such a
manner as to leave no doubt as to whether the Yestry or
the Board were in the right. In their report upon the
accounts the elected auditors stated:—
"The audit has this year been marked by a refreshing—we
had almost said an amusing—novelty in the attendance of the
School Board for London, by their solicitor, as 'a ratepayer,' to
object to the allowance of certain expenses incurred by the
Vestry in the autumn of last year, in view of the then approaching
election. The skilful arguments of the Solicitor, and his
warning of the probable application for a writ of certiorari, alike
fail to alter the views communicated to the School Board in
December last in reply to their peremptory and dictatorial
letter; but as we furnished the Yestry with a copy of the correspondence
at the time, and as we are now required to state in the
books our reasons for allowing such expenses, we need not
trouble the Yestry further here with the subject than to state
that the amount in question is .£33 10s., of which .£25 was for
6,000 stamps, £7 0s. 6d. for printing and envelopes, and
£1 9s. 6d. for addressing the latter.
"We feel it our duty to add, however, that conceiving ourselves
to be entrusted by the ratepayers with the impartial
oversight in their interests of the Vestry's expenditure—and the
Vestry would probably have been the first to expect it of us—
we should have stood with equal firmness in disallowing the
expenditure had it been illegal or against the interests of the
parish."
Auditors' Allowance referred to in their Report.
"We, the undersigned, being the major part of the Auditors
elected under the Metropolis Local Management Act for the
parish of St. Margaret and St. John the Evangelist, Westminster,
have duly examined the books and accounts of the Vestry of the
said parish for the year ended at the 25th day of March last.
We have also checked and examined the vouchers, papers,