Upon the application of the vestry, Sir R. Mayne, the chief commissioner of police, appointed a standing for ten cabs at the King’s Road end of Robert Street, exactly opposite the hall; but unfortunately the post-office authorities were unable to comply with their request that a pillar letter box might be placed near to the hall.
The vestry hall buildings are insured in the Union Assurance Office for six thousand pounds; and the fixtures, fittings, and furniture, in the Manchester Fire Assurance Office for seven hundred pounds.
Ten thousand pounds, the sum originally borrowed, not having been sufficient to complete the building together with the fitting and furnishing, an application was made to the metropolitan board of works for their sanction to a further loan of two thousand pounds; and as it was necessary to accompany that application with a statement of the entire estimated cost, and to fortify it with a memorial from the vestry, those documents, as they contain much matter of interest, are printed at pages 75 and 72–73.
COUNTER’S CREEK DISTRICT.
Since the last report the sum assessed by the metropolitan board of works upon this portion of the parish has been, for the year 1861, four hundred and seventy-nine pounds, eleven shillings and eleven pence; but the vestry have abstained from issuing their order to the board of guardians for its collection. They have, however, in consequence of the receipt of the following letter, upon the recommendation of the Finance Committee, paid the amount for 1858:—
Metropolitan Board of Works,
1, Greek Street, Soho, W.,
17th October, 1860,Dear Sir,—I am directed by the metropolitan board of works to acquaint you that they have directed their attention to the subject of the amounts outstanding on their precepts issued to the vestries and district boards of the metropolis, and they desire me to apprize you for the information of the vestry of Chelsea, that having been unsuccessful in their attempt to carry a measure through Parliament in the past session for conferring upon the board the necessary powers to deal with the question of the redistribution of the Counter’s Creek charges, they have had under consideration the subject of the payment of the amount due from the vestry on the precept for the ordinary expenses of the board for the year 1858, being the sum of £447 4s. 2d. payment of which was, as you will recollect, allowed to stand over until the re-apportionments of the debts of the Commissioners of Sewers had been discussed in Parliament. The board now feel that the time has arrived when it is necessary that they should adopt measures for obtaining payments of the amounts outstanding, and after an attentive consideration of the facts of the case, and having regard to the arrangement with the vestry in reference to the parish contributing to the cost of the Counter’s Creek diversion sewer, the conclusion they have arrived at as to the most convenient course to be adopted is, that the board should proceed to appoint persons to make a rate on the parish in default, for the amount due on the precept, and in the event of the vestry continuing their objection to the payment, that some ratepayer should then raise the question of the liability of the parish by an appeal against the rate, on which a special case might be reserved for the opinion of the Court of Queen’s Bench. I am directed to add that the Board have deferred further proceedings in the matter for a fortnight from the date of their last meeting, the 12th instant, in order to afford the vestry an opportunity of paying the amount in question should they think proper so to do; and meanwhile I am to request that you will be good enough to lay this letter before the vestry, and to favor me with a reply with the least possible delay. I am, dear sir, yours faithfully, John Pollard, Clerk of the Board.
The amount assessed for 1859, four hundred and fifty-six pounds, nine shillings and one penny, was paid by order of the board on the sixth December, 1859, before any portion of it was received from the board of guardians.
January, 1861, the metropolitan board were very pressing for payment of the amount for 1860 (five hundred and eighteen pounds, nineteen shillings, and one penny), threatening immediate proceedings if it were not made before the 25th of that month; the vestry, however, appealed through Mr Tite against this undue pressure, contrasting with it, the treatment received by the vestry of Kensington, who were in arrear many, if not all, of their instalments, and eventually the metropolitan board consented to receive the amount of the precept for their ordinary expenses of 1860 less this sum which was included in it. Thus it is that the sums assessed for the first four years have been collected in the district, and paid to the metropolitan board; but for the two last, 1860 and 1861, they have not been paid to the metropolitan board, nor have any steps been taken to collect the money in the district.
METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS.
The estimate upon which the sums were originally proposed to be raised by the metropolitan board of works for the services of the year ending the thirty-first of December, 1860, gives the following particulars as applicable to this parish:—