Star.
London, England, 1828-03-08 00:00:00

required for the formation and repair of the footways,
and mach of that used in paving the Macadamized

streeets, have been prepared or broken, until lately, in
a part of the ground belonging to the workhouse,
which was lent to the Vestry for this purpose by the
Directors and Guardians (k). This ground the Direc-
tors and Guardians have been obliged to reclaim ; and
had not the Vestry been provided with a spot to which
their workmen and stone-breakers could be removed,
that work must hart been stopped, and the M hole pav-
ing establishment broken up. flow injurious to the
parish such a cessation would have been will be easily
seen, when it is known that every stone for the Mac-
adamized streets is broken by paupers, who would,
otherwise receive parish relief. They are thus wholly,
or in a great measure, kept off the peril.' books, and
enabled to earn their living by honest industry ; while
the parish is provided with the material for its streets
and footways, prepared under the inspection of its
own Surveyor, upon much more advantageous terms
than it could otherwise be obtained. The number at
paupers employed in breaking stones throughout the
year has averaged sixty weekly.
It may be mentioned, as an incidental advantage
arising to the parish from the purchase of this ground,
that it enables the Directors and Guardians of the poor
to keep many idle, but able-bodied paupers off their
books, who apply for relief under pretence of being
unable to procure work. This class of applicants
are sent to the stone yard (1), and With what effect,
a single instance may be sufficient to prove. From
the 7th to the 26th Febsuary, tickets were given to
fifty-one paupers of this description, authorising them
to obtain work at the stone-yard in breaking stones;
of these tickets fifteen only were presented, and of the
fifteen persons thus employed ten only are now at
work. Such have been some of the practical advan-
tages resulting from the purchase of this ground. But
it has been insinuated that more was paid for it than its
real value, and that the Vestry had been influenced by
an undue regard for the interest of the respectable
individual (ati of shorn it was bought. The parishi-
oners then should know, that the price paid for the
ground was thirty years purchase, at a valuation of SOL
per acre; and it is notorious to builders, and persons
acquainted with the subject, that land in the neigh-
bourhood has been let at a much higher rate.
It should also be known, that after the purchase had
been completed, and the money paid, the individual
from whom the ground was obtained, when he heard
that some members of the Vestry had expressed doubts
of the expediency of the measure, immediately offered
to return the money, and take back the land.
The remainder of the debt is chargeable upon the
paving and highway rates. The debt upon the paving
rate is produced by the necessity of a large outlay at
first, for Istaterialsior paving new carriage and foot-
ways. And it is so evident, that the whole of this charge
cannot with justice be laid on the rates of any one year,
and that it is a charge which must frequently occur, as
new streets are formed and built, that it is unnecessary
to dwell for a moment on the subject.

The debt upon the highway rate bas been gradually
accumulated in consequence of the difficulties Which
the Veatry have felt in making an adequate assessment,l
owing to the ambiguous, and, as it has been supposed,
contradictory language of the 19th and 25th sections
of the Act, 3 Gt0.1V.c.84. And the money now owing
on that rate aas raised in pursuance of the directions
of the 20th section of'►hac Act.

The Vestry have been censured for charging the
repairs of the Alpha and FA road leading to &John's
Chapel on the Church rate. These are Church roads.
They are expressly made as approaches to the parochial
burying ground, along which funerals are daily passing.
It was therefore deemed right that the expense of their
repairs should be charged upon the church rate. It
should also be known that, in the contract for the pur-
chase of that land in 1807, a covenant was introduced,
stipulating that these roads should be originally made
at the expense of the vendor (a), and then for ever
kept in sepair out of the church rate. Nor could the
Vestry obtain the land on any other terms. The present
Velars, then, cannot be justly blamed for complying
with, and acting upon, covenants which were made

twenty years ago.
But it is urged, as an incontrovertible proof of the i
esuavagance and inconsideration of the Vestry, that the
rates have been raised elevenpence in the pound this i
year. It is true that the poor rate has been raised Is. IJ.
in the pound ; and the paving rates have been lowered
2J. in the polled; so that the total increase of the rates
is lid. in the pound. It is also true that an increased
poor rate is not a burden which fells on the parishioners
of St. Mar y.la-bonne alone; it is an evil to which the
whole kingdom is unhappily subject. It has been the
good iortune and the boast of the parish hitherto~ that
its rates have been remarkably low. For that advan-
tage. then let the Vestry, now so loudly accused of
mismanagement, inconsideration, and .extravagance,
have its due share of praise. Even now, the parochial
taxes of this parish are.comparatively low; and when
all the ea curnstances of the case are fairly considered,
no small share of commendation ought to be given to
that continual watchfulness and careful manageinent
which still keeps them down.
The poor rate, it should be remembered, must ever
be a ti,,ctuating rate. It is raised, among other pur.
poses pointed out by law, for the necessary relief of the
poor ; and as the number and wants of the post increase
or diminish, so will it rise or tall. The rate at present
is 2s. 3d. in the pound. In the year 1801 it was 25.4 d.
when the population of the parish w as taken at 63,982 (o)
—From the year 1801 to 1814 the rite fluctuate,i
between 2s. 4d. and Is. 9.1. In the year 1814 it nas
again raised te 2s. Id. and after many alte.ations in
the intervening years, it was lowered in the year 1824
to 13.2 d. at wh;cli sum it continued for the two follow-
ing years. It mill probably be again diminished : on
doubtedly the Vestry will lower it if they can. They
did not raise it until difficulties of no common kind
convinced them that the measure was not only neces-
sary to provide for the immediate and Fressing claim,
ef a greatly increased body of paupers; but to restore
tteir balances to a state which,might enable them to
give time for cellteting at least a portion of the rates
of the current year, without having recourse to.tem-
porary loans from their bankers.
When it is known that at the end of the last year
(k) The stone used hi the first conversion of the pavements of
O:M7d-street and Portland-place into Macadamized road', was
broken on the spot: but this cannot be done in narrower streets.
(1) An able-bodied 131.12 can earn 12s. per week by breaking
stones.
(In) The whole, or nearly the whole of the landed property of
the parish was in the hands of Vestrymen. If then the Vestry
wanted land within the parish, they were obliged to apply for it to,
members of their own Pody.
• • (~) k Buy be observed, that the vendor was not then a Vestry.
Bien, nor even resident in the kingdom ; nor was Iris agent then a
member of the Vestry. or living in the parish.
(o) In the year 1921, the population amounted to 90,040, and
k is supposed to be at present from 112,000 to 11.1,000.

INNowilmi