The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-22 00:00:00

CHURCH RATES IN THE CITY.

A meeting of the vestry of the parish of St.
Slephen's, Coleman-street, the advowson of which
is' in the gift of the parishioners, was held yester-
da..y, for the purpose, among other business, of
making a church rate for the current half-year.
Mr. Woodman, senior churchwarden, occupied
the chair.
The VESTRY CLERK -read a statement, the sub-
stance of which was that the sum of £l4O was at
present in hand towards meeting the expenses of
the church, and that a rate of twopence in the
pound on inhabited and uninhabited houses would
amount to £282, of which £255 might be con-
sidered as collectable. This latter amount, includ-
ing £5 of arrears, would produce £4OO, applicable
for a church rate for the current half-year. The
expenditure for which it was proposed that this
provision should be made included the salaries of
vestry clerk, parish clerk, organist, organ blower,
pew opener, two assistant pew openers, livery of
beadle (cocked hat and gown, 1 ls.)—(laughter)
—and a great number of smal disbursements con-
nected with the staff of the church.
Mr. ELLIOT then moved, and Mr. PERKINS
seconded, a resolution, that a rate of twopence in
the pound be declared for the current half-year.
Mr. RICHARDSON said he felt bound to protest
against the rate as illegal and immoral—illegal, be-
cause the items which had just been read had no-
thing whatever to do with maintaining the fabric
of the church, for which alone a rate could be
legally made ; and immoral, because the rate was
made in defiance of the conscientious objections of
those ratepayers who were not Episcopalians, and
declined to avail themselves of the ministrations of
the reformed church. (Hear, hear.) For himself
he would say, that if he were an Episcopalian he
would be ashamed to ask other people to put their
hands into their pockets to pay for his religion.
Mr. PERKINS contended that there was nothing
illegal in the rate, as the salaries of the parish
officers were fixed by a committee of the vestry
appointed for the purpose, and that if parishioners
objected to them their proper course would be to
attend at the Easter meeting and oppose the re-
appointment of the officers. The parish of St.
Stephen's, Coleman-street, was peculiarly situated.
The advowson was in the hands of the parishioners,
whose property the church actually was, and surely,
under these circumstances, they were bound to keep
up their own property. (Hear, hear.)
A PARISHIONER—Yes ; but this money is not for
keeping up the fabric of the church. It is for
salaries and other disbursements which the law
declares to be illegal.
The CHAIRMAN—They are not illegal if the ma-
jority of the vestry votes for them.
A VESTRYMAN—They are illegal, because you
know you cannot recover them against persons who
have conscientious objections to pay them.
Mr. RICHARDSON expressed his surprise that,
under present circumstances, such a proposal had
been brought forward at all. (Hear, hear.) He
looked upon the whole thing as a rank piece of
injustice, contrary to reason and to the word of God.
A PARISHIONER called attention to the fact that
the rates in the parish were increasing every year
more and more, and wished to know where they
were to stop ?
The CHAIRMAN said it was impossible for him to
enlighten the applicant on that point. All he
knew was that the church could not do with less
than a 2d. rate.

After some further discussion, in the course of
which some strong language was used by the non-
conforming portion of the meeting, the question of
a 2d. rate was carried, the Dissenters refusing to
vote, but stating that, should the rate be ever pro-
posed again, they would meet it in another
attitude.

THE LONDON GENERAL OMNIBUS

COMPANY.

At an extraordinary general meeting of this
company, recently held in Paris, formal resolutions
were passed authorising the transformation of the
company as a French society en commandite into
an English company of limited liability:
The report stated that the total receipts for the
half-year ending June 30 last amounted to £291,604,
and the expenses to £282,523, leaving a balance of
£9,080. On comparing the receipts with the corres-
ponding half of 1857 a decrease of £16,807 was
shown, while, on the other hang, the expenses show
an increase of £5,615 over those of the first half of
1857. The traffic, however, had not diminished,
for in the first half of 1857 about 16,100,000 passen-
gers were conveyed, and in the past half-year about
16,800,000 passengers, showing an increase of
700,000 passengers. In 1857 the omnibuses run-
ning daily averaged 560, the days of omnibuses
103,600, and the mileage run 5,689,023 miles. In
1858 they had an average of 581 omnibuses run-
ning daily, 106,904 days of omnibuses, and a mile-
age run of 5,815,036 miles, showing an increase of
21 omnibuses, 3,304 days of omnibuses, and 126,013
miles. The business had increased, but the amount
received had been less, because it had become re-
quisite to reduce the fares, and the proportionate
expenses had increased, because it was necessary to
maintain their position against their opponents at
any cost. This was the unfavourable side of their
position. The violent opposition had produced
only a diminution of profits, without causing an
actual loss. The amount paid for construction and
leases during the half-year was £4,037. They had
put in operation during the half-year 74 new omni-
buses, and 22 others having the roofs raised, ven-
tilation improved, and handrails placed on the out-
sides. On the 30th of June they had 198 entirely
new and 199 improved omnibuses running in the
streets of the metropolis, and were adding to the
number of new omnibuses weekly. The horse
. stock was in excellent condition. At the beginning
of the year a contagious and very dangerous dis-
ease broke out in the Highbury stables, where they
had 500 horses, and on that occasion they suffered
very considerable loss. The disease was overcome,
but they lost in all 75 horses. On June 30 they
• had 6,385 horses, being 288 more than on the
31st • of December last, and 15 more omni-
buses in operation. They had introduced several
omnibuses of a large size, drawn by three horses
instead of two, capable of accommodating 40
• passengers. The advantages offered by the
corresponding system, so universally appreci-
ated in Paris by omnibus travellers, does not
appear to be equally appreciated in London. The
number of passengers who now take advantage of
the correspondence tickets does not exceed 10,000
Per week—i.e., one-fourth less than the number in
October last. It was a question whether they
should not abandon a system which occasioned so
large an expense and was nevertheless becoming
daily less appreciated by the public. The expenses
of the working of the system amounted to about
£2,000 a-year. With regard to the subject of op-
position; they candidly admit that the opinions of
the projectors of the company had not been corro-
• borated by the results. They thought that any
serious opposition to the company was not possible.
They had bought all the important lines, with the
exception of a few omnibuses, and all the main
thoroughfares of London, traversing the best parts
- of the metropolis, were within the area of the cora-
'pany's operations. Now, to those who had seen
London, and kriew how closely the omnibuses fol-
lowed upon each other it appeared impossible, on
the one hand, that additional omnibuses could be
put in circulation, simply from want of room ; and
on the other, that no one would dream of lowering
the fares, since mono would find therein a sufficient
profit. There -was, besides, in the large means at
command of a company like this, good reason for be-
lieving that no one would engage in opposition to it.
In seeking the various causes which could give rise to
and encourage opposition, they had observed that
the first inducement was the large dividend which
they were able to distribute among their share-
holders, as the result of the first year's operations,
when they were fie e from all opposition, and enjoyed
the benefit of fuill and remunerative fares.
that time it was .difficult to hope thatthey
though
long be permitted. to enjoy their position,t oug
liberally paid for and fairly obtainedhey were
therefore prepare tel to meet a fair opposition,
per-
suaded that the advantages they could offrtothepublic would se.acre its patronage, or that every
one would at least regard with impartiality all who
ran omnibuses ma the public highway. In these
reasonable expect'Antions they were disappointed.
They had put in circulation in the streets of the
metropolis nearly 400 new and improved omni-
buses ; they had r educed and equalised the fares
whenever practical ilo, consistently with the neces-
sity of securing a) !air profit on the business ; they
had offered the pub lie the means of saving 10 per
cent. of the omnibus -fares by the use of the contract
tickets, and a very I Inge number of daily riders had
taken advantage of th e offer ; they had introduced
and put into operal 'ion the system of correspond.
ence, giving passengt s the opportunity of passing
to and from the most. Timote parts of the metropolis
for 6d. ; they had es tit:Wished waiting rooms in the
principal thorout 5 ‘rc s ; and, in short, they had.
studied the conveniei lei 3 of the public in every pos-
sible way. It was bi It natural for them to suppose
that any company w' iich had done so much for the
public would be supp orti ted and appreciated by those
for whose special o venience they had catered,
but, with few excel)• ticins, they had experienced a
spirit entirely the re verse. They attributed a great
deal of support give ms by the public to the opposi-
tion omnibuses to tike fact that they were consti-
tuted as a French c( anpany. This prejudice they
expect will be ob • sled, at least to some extent,
when the conaDanvvii.
; ,converted into an English one
with limitedt y,