The Sun.
London, England, 1839-11-02 00:00:00

THE NEW

IMPORTANT MEETING AT CROYDON.
Thursday a meeting, composed of the principal rate•
payers of the parish of Croydon, took place in the
Vestry-room of the old Church, for the purpose of con-
sidering the propriety of appointing a Committee of
rate-payers, to assist the parish officers in making a rate
for the relief of the poor, with such alterations and
amendments on the present assessment of the parish,
made under the sanction of the Poor-law Commis-
sioners, in accordance with the provisions of the New
Parochial Assessment Act, as such Committee may

deem necessary.
The Rev. Mr. LINDSAY, the Vicar of Croydon,
presided.
The circumstances which led to the calling of this
meeting have created very great interest in the parish
of Croydon, and they involve a point of very great im-
portance to all parish officers of places where the new
Parochial Assessment Act has been brought into ope-
ration. It appears that the Board of Guardians of the
Croydon Union having obtained the sanction of the
Poor-law Commissioners to have the parish surveyed,
two professional gentlemen, named Fuller and Foakes,
were engaged for that purpose, and the re-
sult of their assessment has been to raise
the rental of the parish from 48,0001. to upwards of
60,0001. per annum. The inhabitants have generally
felt themselves very much aggrieved at the extent to
which their assessments have been raised, and the
churchwardens and overseers of the parish entertained
so strong a feeling as to the unjust character of the as-
sessment, that they refused to sign a rate, made upon it,
until they were advised to do so by the Vestry Clerk,
with a view to enable the parish to get money to go on
with. The object of the meeting was to endeavour to
get rid of the new valuation, and to substitute in its
place a valuation calculated to give satisfaction to the
great majority of the ratepayers.
Mr. JOHN BLAKE addressed the meeting, and said
that he had come forward as one of the requisitionists
to convene the present meeting, from a feeling that the
assessment of the parish, made under the new Act, was
most unjust and excessive, and that the principle of that
Act was carried out to an improper extent. The
amount was most enormous, and the rate-payers must
recollect that not only was the poor-rate based upon
that assessment, but also the county and highway
rate, and should the circumstances of the
country render a property tax necessary, that
also would be based upon their rental, and he had no
hesitation in saying that if the present assessment were
to be allowed to stand, that Croydon would pay in pro-
portion twenty per cent. more than any other parish in
the kingdom. The object of the rate-payers was to ob-
tain a fair and equitable assessment. The present as-
sessment was unjust, not only as regarded over-assess-
ing some property and under-assessing others, but it
was also defective, inasmuch as a great deal of the pro-
perty in the parish was not rated at all. Un-
der these circumstances be considered it ad-
visable that a Committee of rate-payers should be
formed who would go over the books with the parish
officers, and make such alterations in the different as-
sessments as they considered to be just and equitable.
He concluded by proposing a resolution to that effect.
Mr. RUSSELL said that as the valuation had been
regularly made under the sanction of the Poor-law
Commissioners, be doubted whether they had any power
to interfere with the assessment.
Mr. PENVOLD, the Vestry Clerk, said that the over-
seers had the power of making an entirely fresh rate and
assessment if they pleased.
After several other speeches for and against the pro-
position, the resolution for a Committee to be appointed
was carried unanimously, and Messrs Fuller and Foakes
having consented to give their assistance without any ad-
ditional remuneration, their names were placed upon the
Committee, and after a vote of thanks to the Chairman,
the meeting separated.