The Express.
London, England, 1853-12-31 00:00:00

IMPORTANT MEETINO OF PARISH OFFICI
Yesterday a meeting, convened by public adver-
tise:seat, addressed to the guardians, churchwardens,
and other parish offiners of the City of Linden Union, was
held at the London Tavern, and was very numerously
attended. The chair was taken by the Right Itinoursble
the Lout° MATOU, With whom were Sir James Duke, Bert.,
Mr. Marshall, of the Bank of England, and several other
iafiumnial persons connected with the City of London.
Mr. FINLAY, IS moving the fint resolution, thanked the
Lord Mayer for his promptitude in attending the meeting,
and stated that he hail received a letter from Baron Roths-
child, expressing his regent at his inability to attend. The
meeting had been removed from Bow to that place, under
the advice of the rector, who said that the vestry room there
was not tugs enough, bet else wished to pledge the pariah
officers that no reporters whatever should be admitted. He
(Mr. Finlay) felt that he could not comply with such • de-
mand, sad had, therefore, with the consent of the Lord
Mayor, arranged that open meeting. Mr. Finlay then pro-
ceeded, rather indistinctly, to comment upon the manage-
meet of the school, and to complain of the discrepancy of
the rate per child charged to each parish. He found that
while the West London children were charged 6s. 3el. a
bead, the East London 41. 3d., and St. Saviour's 48.6 d., the
City of London was paying 61. 3d. The speaker further
complained of the managers of the school, who, having
professed to take a quantity of land for the purpose of
teaching the children agriculture, had used the land as
pasture and fed their own cows and pigs upon it. With
reference to the removal of the school, he had informed the
deputy chairman of the managers that the guardians and
parochial officers were about taking steps to p t it,
when that gentleman promised that nothing farther should
be done until the result of those proceedings was known.
Subsequently he (Mr. Finlay) had been very much sur-
prised to find that the managers were to meet that day to
receive tenders for the sale of the property at Norwood,
and for the purchase of land elsewhere —this, too, after the
deputy chairmen had pledged himself that nothing should
be dose until the 30th of January. The expense of re-
moval would, with in , be 80,0001 , making a shilling
rate throughout London for twenty years, independent of
the heavy expenditure at Bow. The estimate for that
building had been 28,0001., while the actual expense was
70,0001. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Finlay concluded by moving
a resolution, complaining of the inequality of the pour law
taxation of the City of London, and deprecating any in-
erease of the City burthens by the removal of the schools
from Norwood.
Mr. WHeresion entered into a general defence of the
managers. and quoted the report of the Poor-law Commis-
sioaen in favour of the management of the school. Ile
sated that the circumstances which had occurred in the es-
tablishment during the last two months had rendered as
increase of sleeping accommodation imperative. It was
known that cholera had broken out in the school, and that
there had been some fatal cases ; but the doctor believed
that it bad been brought in by (cur children that had been
recently 'drained. However that might be, the commis-
shiners from the Board of Health had decided that they
wanted accommodation for 300 mere children. They had
temporarily secured the church, but hail come to the reso-
lution to build the required accommodation, staying further
proceedines till these vexed questions had been settled. He
emphatically denied having given any pledge, except that
of keeping the guardians advised of the managers pro-
ceedings from week to week. There was no committee re-
ceiving tendert. ; it was merely a committee appointed to
take into consideration the question of a more suitable site.
With respect to the had, they had 43 acres, of which 7
were cultivated by the children.
Sir Janes Dine asked what was the cost of the land ?
Mr. WHITESIDE said, that three and three quarters acrd
were freehold, and for the rest they had a lease for 14 years
at 41. en acre.
After some further discussion on the nature of the
pledge given, the weight of the testimony being in favour of
the affirmation,
Mr. Witti Josthe complained of the wording of the
resolution, as Rang far beyond the question at issue. He
thought it very ingeniously devised to obtain the sanction of
the meeting to a principle which he believed the majority
of them disapproved of.
Some rather irregular discussion then arose, which was
terminated by Mr. Jones preparing an amendment, leaving
out the enunciation of a general principle, and deterring
further proceedings until the intentions of government
with respect to the law of settlement bad been ascertained.
The Rev. Mr. DlAlle said that the commixioners would
throw the whole responsibility on the man igers if cholera
again broke out in the schools. He believed that if such
an event took place, the managers would be all attachable
by law.
Mr. llama suggested that the superabundant children
thoold be farmed out for twelve months, by which time
par:lament would, no doubt, have come to some decision on
the question.
Mr. Penman approved of Mr. Berry's suggestion, and
complainedthat the royal parish of St Martin's in-the-
Fields paid only de. 4d. a week fur their child ri o, while the
tat) of London paid nearly double that amount. In his
"Was they should bare a school of their owe, as the care