I ..I . Fabian Tract No. 6o. THE LONDON VESTRIES What they are and What they do. WITH MAP, TABLE OF VESTRIES, .AND _-\. COMPLETE ST.ATE:\IE:\T OF THE CH.A TG ES I:-\ LO~DON GOVER:\:'IIENT U~DER THE LOCAL GOVER::-\:\.IENT _-\.CT, 1894. PUBLISHED B\' \ THE FABIAN SOCIETY. PRICE ONE PENNY. LO::-\DO:-.J : Tv n~: uRTAl'\EO oF THE F.~Br~-.: SonET\', :::76 STuANo, W.C. 1\'Q\ E~lHFI< I 89+ THE LONDON VESTRIES WHAT THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY DO. Why the Vestry Election is Important. LoNDON is often supposed to be governed, as far as municipal affairs are concerned, by the County Council. This is a mistake. The greater part of the municipal administration of London, if we measure it by the annual expenditure, is carried on, not by the County Council, but by the forty-three "District Councils," known as Vestries or District Boards of Works." Every year the CountyCouncil spends nearly two million pounds. But the forty-threeVestries and District Boards spend annually over two-and-a-half million pounds of the ratepayers' money, without the ratepayerstaking practically any trouble to see that the right people are elected to do the spending. If we care for a healthy city, clean and well- paved streets, good public libraries and baths and wash-houses, and the payment of Trade Union wages to all persons in London's employment, we must gi,·e as much attention to the election of the Vestry as we do to that of the County Council. Hitherto it has been almost impossible for the ordinary citizen, especially the ordinaryworkman, to take any real part in, or to exercise any effective control over, London's local administration. But the Local Government Act of 1894 (the Parish Councils Act) has altered the whole position, and it will now be as easy to fill the Vestries and Boards of Guardians with men of genuinely Progressive views, as it is the County Council.t * The District Council or local governing body in the City is called" The Commissioners of Sewers," and that in Woolwich is called "The Local Board of Health." The map in the centre of this Tract shows the districts of these local municipal go\'erning bodies. t For the effect of the Act outside London, see Fabian Tract No. 53," The Parish Councils Act; what it is, and how to work it." The Act itself can be obtained from P. S. King and Son, 12 King Street, Westminster, price sd. post free. The Rules m:1de by the Local Government Board for the London Vestry and Guardian Elections can be obtained at the m me address. llow Ln11do11 (joy Ill d , 'l'l111 1111111 llld II q.lll'lll 111 i.lllitlllil (:11\1'11111111111 .Ill lltt ( 1,111 l1 " ' l•••• •lp,d ll lilt I, II••• l 't~t•t l.11w I,,,,,.. ,, otild 1111 ('tlltt•ly.' Vvt IIIII\ (llltt ltlltl I li1 1\' I l t~ li tl\11 lilt' Jll llit IJ I.d •itllllitd It tlhtl llollit II II II It •It 11(11 ,, I 111111111 11 1 ,,,,, 'l'illolll luu lo I T ilt I' II I h I Ill Ill llliil t l( l tl 111 I tit I ' l'litl 1111111 :ttl I oi l\\ l lllftlll, 'I ' h ,, l 'tllllll 1 , \'t~d t lt' t l'lt'i Ill I llllllllt IJ ll il jltl\1'1 '1 Il1 I tit I l l11otl tl 111 \Vtttl\ t1lt•t'lt•d h,· t li1• 11 llll.illt ' I \ 'I I It It' Ill Ill I • 1'111• \\1tllli\\ltil ' '" 'd lllloi id Ill lltldili. 'I'! ttl l 1111111111 ltllll'l '"I1\1\1'1'1 lilt I ill• ( 'tl\'. 'l'ht• ( 111111111 \'tilllllil ,,illtl 11111 lllllt1lt11111\ld \ ' II\ t "'II'"'"'ill11 ,. 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Most of the public work that would, in a borough like Croydon or West Ham, be done by the Towo Council,t and in a populous suburb like Tottenham or Ealing by the Local Board (now called an Urban District Council)! is carried out in London by the Vestry. A London Vestry has become practically a District Council in all but name. Omitting, for the moment, Woolwich and tht: old City, London is divided for municipal purposes into 76 parishes or equiYalent areas, each of which elects between 24 and 120 members, who, together with the rector or Yicar, and the two churchwardens of the parish, constitute the Vestry. But there ::tre two kinds of Vestry in London. In the twenty-nine larger parishes, such as Islington or Lambeth, the Vestry is itself the local municipal authority, or, as we shuuld now say, the District Council. The other forty-seven areas combine to nominate twelYe District Boards of Works, and in these areas (such as Wandsworth or the Strand) it is the District Board of Works which does the municipal work, and corresponds to the District Council. In these forty-seven areas the Vestry itself has Yery little to do§ except to nominate its proportion of members to the District Board of \Vorks. But as these are nearly always themselves Vestrymen and haye the spending of a great deal of money, the election of proper \'estrymen in the smaller parishes is scarcely less important than it is in the larger ones. In the parish of Woolwich, the District Council is not called a Vestry, but a "Board of Health." II It is now elected just like a Vestry, and exercises Yery nearly the same powers. *The rector or ,·icar of the parish and the two churchwardens (appointed annually by the \'estry) remain members of the \'estry by virtue of their public offices, but the clergyman no longer takes the chair as a matter of right. In certain parishes the Vestry has (under local Acts of Parliament) still the duty of levying a Church rate, and the Marylebone Vestry has exceptional Church duties. t See Fabian Tract No. 27, "Questions for Town Councillors.'' ! See Fabian Tract No. 59, "Questions for Candidates for Urban District Councils." §These smaller Vestries are, however, the authorities for the adoption of the Baths and " 'ashhouses Act, and appoint a Board of Commissioners to carry it out. Theycan also hold a poll as to adopting the Free Libraries Act, and, if adopted, they appointthe Commissioners in this case also. The work of Burial Boards is also an adjunct of the smaller Vestries. They can also exercise any common law powers which a Vestry may possess. ln many cases they appoint some or all of the trustees of the parochialcharities. They can always hold meetings to discuss parish affairs, and they may do valuable sen·ice by making representations to the District Board, the Charity Commissioners, or other bodies, about sanitation, charities, or other matters of local interest. Some of the forty-se,·en smaller areas, such as the Liberty of Glasshouse Yard or the Precinct of the Savoy, have no Vestry, and elect their representatives by a ratepayers' meeting (henceforward open to all local residents). The V\'oolwich Board of Health was formed under the Public Health Acts, before the present London Vestries were established. It derives its powers from these Acts; and the Metropolis Management Act of rSss, which go,·erns the Vestries 6 In the old City the District Coun'Cil is called " The Commissioners of Sewers," and it is not formed by direct election. The Common Council of the City (the old, unreformed Corporation which ought to be united with the County Council) nominates 92 members to act as " Commissioners of Sewers," and these perform, within the City area, practically the same kind of work as a Vestry does elsewhere." What a Vestry does. The 43 "District Councils" of London, whether they are called Vestries or District Boards, are the local sanitary authorities. This means that the whole business of keeping London healthy falls primarily on them. They have to manage the paving, cleaning, lighting and watering of the streets. They arrange for the emptyingof dustbins, the removal of all refuse, and the prevention of nuisances. They must proYide and maintain the local drains. They are responsible for seeing that no man or woman lives in a house that is overcrowded or so unhealthy as to be unfit for habitation. They have power to insist that all workshopst shall be healthy, properly ventilated, not overcrowded, and provided with sufficient water-closets, separate for each sex. They are bound to take care that all bake- houses are kept in a proper sanitary state. They must see that no food or drink exposed for sale within the parish is so adulterated as to defraud the purchaser, or so as to be injurious to health. They can acquire and maintain gardens, playgrounds and open spaces. It is through them that the parish can get public baths and wash-houses, a free public library (by poll of the parish), a public mortuary and disinfecting station, and a cemetery where the dead can be buried with the least possible expense.t In many parishes, moreover, the Vestry performs the duties of the Overseers, and becomes thus responsible for the valuation of all the land and houses within the parish, and for making up the register of Parliamentary and County Council electors. To carry out all these public services efficiently, each Vestry or District Board requires a staff of clerks, doctors and sanitary inspectors ; of street sweepers, paviors and dustmen ; and many other officers and workmen of one kind and another. The duty of the Vestrymen consists in selecting and looking after this staff; in taking care that it is large enough to do all the work well in all the slums where the poor live as well as in the . broad streets and squares ; in and District Boards, does not apply to it. The chief difference between the powers of the Woolwich Board of Health (as an Urban Sanitary Authority) and a London Vestry, is that the former can expend money (up to a penny rate) for Technical Edut cation, under the Technical Instruction Acts, 1889 and 1891. The \'Voolwich Board c accordingly devoted £525 to this purpose in 1 89~. a ~ * On the relation of the City Corporation to the County Council on the one hand, I and the Commissioners of Sewers on the other, see the Report of the Royal Com- c mission on the unification of London. C-7~93 of I8g~. price I/3. t See Fabian Tract No. so," Sweating: its Cause and Remedy." t For an exact statement of the powers of a Vestry or District Board, the :\letro polis :\lanagement Art of 1855 should be consulted. Each of them is required by law to publish an annual report, which can be obtained at the local \'estry Hall, price 2d. 7 watching that every officer does his duty without fear or favor ; in .seeing that the public money is wisely and economically expendedwithout jobbery or waste ; and in constantly contriving how, by an intelligent use of the great powers given by the law, they can raise the Standard of Life of the most downtrodden section of the people whose affairs they have to manage. For carrying out all this business the Vestry or District• Board appoints committees of its members. This is generally done at the beginning of each year of office, when the hour of meeting should also be fixed. There are usually separate committees for Sanitation or Public Health, Finance, Assessment, Works or Highways, and Parliamentary business. Most of the important work of administration is ·done in the meetings of these Committees, and Progressive Vestrymen must take care to get themselves and those who agree with them appointed to these Committees, and then to attend their meetings not less regularly than those of the Council. Many Vestrymen have hitherto voted against Progressive measures in Committee {where reporters are not admitted), which they have not ventured to ·Op!1ose in public. The time of meeting, if not settled by the Vestryitself, can be fixed by each Committee ; and it might always be in the evening. The Chairman of the Vestry or District Board, who is appointed at the same time as the Committees, will become (unle~s .a. woman) a Justice of the Peace during his year of office. But this honorary distinction does not, in Lon'don, carry any important powers or duties, except that of annually settling, in full Sessions, the grant of public-house licences. The most important duty of the forty-seven smaller areJs is the appointment of the Vestry's representatives on the District Board of Works. It is especially for the purpose of securing_good men in this appointment that the Progressives fight these smaller Vestry elections. The appointment is made at the fir~t meeting of the Vestry after its election, and the number to be ·Chosen varies from one to sixty, according to the population and rateable value of the parish. It is customary to choose from .among the Vestrymen, but this is not necessary, as any person qualified to be elected a Vestryman for the parish is eligible. In order to secure the appointment of good Progressives, the Pro· gressive members of the Vestry ought to meet privately beforehand, .and decide whom they will nominate and vote for. The Neglect of the Past. Previous to December, 1894, the Vestry elections have, in most parishes, been held in a .very hugge:-mugger way . . The gen~ral public got no proper not1ce that an 1mportant electiOn was gomg on ; the arrangements for voting were extremely imperfect; and a highrating qualification prevented working men from becoming candidates. The result was that only a few people even_knew that any election was takina place and still fewer took the trouble to vote. Often there was no c~1test ~t all, and the " old gang" remained in office year after year, spending the public money just as they liked. It. is greatly to the credit of London Vestrymen that, under these Circumstances, .\ r d t hv public work ha~ h ·t.:n done ' ·n a~ wdl and as hont.:~t l\ as it ha~ h •t.:n. nut th · Vestr) m ·n h:l\ · usuall1 car ·d nu1r~.: .tholit kt.:eping dm\'11 th~.~ rat ·s than t hal eycry poor man should h:t\'L' :t health) IHlliSl' to lin· in. Somt.:timcs, too, till' own ·rs or the slums 11 ere t h 'lllM'h ·s \' •strym •n. And so it ·:un · about that in \'el') tvw p:u islws h:ts the· Vt.:str · ·mploycd ·nnugh sanitary iuspe<.: tnrs, .md e\ e11 those appoint ·d h.t\ · sl'idom h ·t.:n encouraged 01 lll'g~:d to 1\\,tk • ,\real en(1rl to rendt:r e\ t:l'\' man's dwelling· p ·rf ·ctly IH:alt h). Th · map '' hich a comp:tni(..•s t.h •st: pages sholl's, in Yi\'id l'Ontrast, t lw bl.tek spots of o\'crcr wd ·d l.nndon wht:rc \'igorous ~.mit.tr\ administration is mm t sor ·I) ne ·d ·d. In hard!) :tn) parish 11.1\l.' .Ill)' spt: ·ial workshop inspectors b 't.:ll appointt.:d,' and no s\ stl.!m:tt ic t: ITort h.ts b • ·n mad · tn s · • that e\ t:n man and ,; on1:\1\ h:td .t ht::dthy workshop to lahlH' 111. Tit~: · bakehouses, ((10 1 h:t\ • h •vn \01') largt:ly lll'gkctetl. ln man) a 1\al'l' w eou rt, wher~.· t hv poorest peopk '"' dl, lht.: clust,bins :trt.: not empl i ·d lor months at a time, the wat ·r-·losets ar~.· alloll'ed to remain out ol ord ·r, th • drains sm ·II, and :til mann •r of lilth pollutt.:s the air. This is lweaus · tht: \'estrym ·n ar · not doing tht.:ir dut). 1\l:tn\ ol tlw smaller streets ;\lT h:tdl\' p:\\ ·tl, dark, and oftt:ll \cry dirt ·. \Vhcn thL· SilO\\ comc;., little or no attt:mpt is madt.: to s11·cep it :l\\·ay.' 1\ll thi~ negll'l'l b) the \'t.:stry may S:l\l.' tlHlnL')'• hut it mt:;tns dis ·omlort and miser) and dise.tsc to th • poor. .\ p:trish '' hich •\cets :1 ~kepy Vestry ma:-lind its mom·y-rate go do11 n, but ib death r:ttL' 11 ill el'tLtinly g(\ up. ,\ntl whil:->t th · London \'•stri ·s and District nllards h:\\c fail •d to m:tkc ., 'I') st rcl.'t and house :tnd workshop It •alt h_\, the) hav · laik•d cwn nwn· gri •yousl · in thcir oth·r dutie~. [,ondon has JKD,ll7.1 pt.:opk dw ·lling in on •-ro l t11 home;., :tncl tl2X,q..p .1re dt:cl:tn;d b, tht: \~egis! rar-Ccn ·ral to be \i,·ing in the OYer ·row l ·d ;.talc of t\1 () Or 1\IOre to .l I'Olll\\. nut on\y in 2 1 parishl'!:\ .Ire thcr ' :\11) public h.tth~ or wash-houses, and not one of thest: is free. London h.t:-. 1 .~ ~o,ooo pt:opk who ar~.· hclow th • '' Pt)\erty Line."' But nl)· ~ 1 p.1rislll'~ ha\1.' pnl\ ided public libraries or reading rooms forth · great cl.ts:-. 11 ho e:m lwpe for no oth •r aeces;. to knowledge or liter:ttlll'l'. Tn ouh ,10 p.trislll's ar • there puhli • mortuaries, ::.tl that tlw de;u\ tn:t) lw :1t ont.:l' r '1\lO\ ed from the '1'()\n\ed hom •;. of th • liYing. EH·n d ·at h is made an occasion f11r priYat · protit, and a quitL' 1111n ·e~.·ss.uy t11ll 011 th · ponr, l'or onl~ ;~ parishe~ han· public l'l'l\\<'tLrit ·s. and i11 IHlllL' nl these is burial fr'-'<'. l ' h~,• \ V!'l ll) tll ''"'lP.. ingt~Hl .1ppnintc..~d. in tHq.!, '""' "'"lllH'Il ,, ... " '~rk,lli'P in-..pt·ctltts 11.-lhn.tl t:tl'l'n, l.atnlwlh, \t il1· Fnd, Fulh.un, '\~,•ll inl,!toll, t'.tddin~l<'ll .tnd l'hl'l'"'' ;\11.' p.1tlh'UL11Iy ddit•ic.-·nt in ~.tnil,\1\ ln'ip~ctl'H :-.. ' · \ tHkt 1 h, t'uhtk t i<'itIth { l.\llh\ /,/;• ,, , //ahm ol /.'"'" '"' ~\I.H•tnillatt : t~q_;). +'"I' , _;, hd. <'.II h. attd nllli'' • ~ '· ; and !'Itt ' '""'"'' l'n•gt 11111, hy :-;idtlt') \\ ~,•hh (:-;<•nn<·n ,·h<•tn, 1~<11): ' '· and~'· lld. Th<• map . To allow the use of the Town Hall, or any other suitable public building, at a charge to cover actual expenses only, for any public meeting convened by twenty residents ; and to make its accommodation available for the meetings of local Trade Union, Temperance, Friendly Society or Political Organizations on the same terms. But the Vestry must be also A Good Employer. 1. All the employees of the Vestry should be put on the regular establishment ; engaged by the week (or longerperiod) ; placed under the recognized Trade Union conditions as to the wages, hours, etc'. ; accorded properholidays with pay ; and in no case paid less than 24s. per week for an Eight Hours Day. 2. Direct employment by the Vestry should be the rule wherever practicable, in preference to contracting. 3· Where contracting cannot be avoided, in all contracts for supplies as well as for works, clauses should be inserted stipulating under adequate penalties, which shall be rigidly enforced : (a) against sub-contracting or sweating; (b) for payment of Trade Union rate of wages and observance of Trade Union hours and conditions, for each trade, as specified in a schedule to the contract ; (c) that, whenever possible, the working day shall be eight hours only ; (d) In all contracts for clothing or boots, that the whole work shall be done in the contractor's factory, and none given out ; t < 4· No printing contract should be given to any firm not on .... t the Fair List of the London Society of Compositors. ~ ' · .An earnest endeavor should be made, in co-operation with a the Board of Guardians, to find, in all periods of depression E and distress, temporary useful and honorable employ- cl ment for those out of work, by the arrangement of the public works in such a way as to increase employment at these period . The \'cstry, moreoyer, should do its best to support Municipal and Financial Reform. It should r. Press for the early Unific::ttion of London by amalgamating- the City Corporation and County Council, as recommended by the ~oyal Commission. 2. Resist any proposal for dismembering the County Council, or for any system of indirect election. _,. Support the municipalization of the \Vater Supply, Tram- ways, and Gasworks, and oppose any proposal to allonthe supply of electric light to fall into private hands. + Promote the relief of the ratepayer by the direct Taxation of Ground Values in the hands of indil-iduals, and by a Municipal Death Duty. '· ,-\pply to the Local Government Board to confer at once on the London Yestries all the powers of Parish Councils" including the appointment of overseers, the managementof free libraries, baths and washhouses, and cemeteries, the provision of allotments, and further control OYer parochial charities. How the Vestry is now Elected. Henceforth it will be the Londoner's own fault if he does not get a healthy city. The Parish Councils Act of 1894 has swept away the old \·estry, and from December, 1894, onward, the people will be free to choose their District Council in a Democratic way. Dates of Elections. On December 15th, 1894, a completely new \.estry is to be elected, all the old members retiring. The first election after that date will be in March. 1il96, and thereafter there will be one eyeryMarch for a third of the total number of the Vestrymen. Each Yestryman will be elected for a term of three years, one third retiring annually. The Vestrymen who received the fewest votes at the election in 1894 will retire in 1896, and those who received the next fewest, in 1897. Division of Parishes- Most London parishes are diYided into from two to eight11·ards, each of which has to elect from one to forty V cstrymen_ The County Council can alter the diYision into wards, and the number of Vestrymen, on an application either from the Vestryibelf or on one from 500 rated householders. Who may be Candidates. .Any person registered as an elector in the parish (whether foJ- Parliamentary or County Council purposes), and also any person. \\"hether registered or not, who has resided anywhere in the parish fc·r twelYe months prior to the election, may be a candidate for any s t < ... t ~ a B I ..,.I ward in the parish, whether he resides in or is registered for that particular ward or not. Women, whether married or single, are eligibleunder the same conditions as men. There is no rating or propertyqualification. No alien is eligible until he is naturalized. Who can Vote ? Only those persons can vote whose names are registered in the printed voting register in force for the year. This is the well- known Parliamentary and County Council register, which is made up annually in July. Thus, all Parliamentary or County Council electors (including lodgers and freeholders) can vote for the Vestryin the ward in which their qualifying address is. Married women householders or tenement-occupiers, who would-it is contended- not be entitled to be registered as County Council electors, can (by claiming before 15th July in any year) get put on this register specially for Vestry and Guardian elections only. Election Procedure. Due notice is given of the dates for nomination (usually i\1 February) and polling (usually in March) ... Each candidate must be nominated on a separate form (to be obtained from the Vestry Clerk) by two registered electors of the ward for which he stands. Two electors may nominate the whole number of candidates required in any ward, but not more than that number. This form must be delivered to the returning officer (usually the Vestry Clerk). If there is a poll, the returning officer will appoint the polling stations and make the arrangements tor receivingthe ballot papers in much the same manner as for a Parliamentary or County Council election. All th(;se official expen es of the election are paid out of the rates, and no charge for them is made on the candidate. The Ballot Act and the Municipal Corrupt Practices Act now apply to Vestry and Guardian elections. How to Organize a Vestry Election. Even if every elector took the trouble to vote, it would still be necessary for anyone who wanted a good Vestry to organize the fight. By himself the individual elector is helpless, and unless some stir is made in each parish, very few people will go to the poll, and the " old gang " will get in again and again. The first thing to be done is to form a Committee to manage the election. It is generally best for some Club or Trade Union or other local organization, or some well-known elector, to send out a circular to all the Progressive bodies in the parish, inviting them to appointdelegates to form such a Committee. It is usually desirable to include any Socialist Societies, the Independent Labor Party, the Working Men's Clubs, the local branches of Trade Unions, the Temperance Societies, the Industrial Co-operative Societies, the Liberal and Radical Associations, any local associations of women, the local *At the first election in 189+, the last day for receiving nominations is Tuesday, +th December, at 2 p.m., and the date fixed for the polling i I 5th December. branch of the London Reform U)1ion, and any other organizations in the parish, whatever their differences on other points, that are at all likely to be willing to work together for a Progressive Municipal Program.• When a representative Joint Committee has been got together, the next step is to find suitable candidates to run as Progressives. " Questions for London Vestrymen ,. should be sent to each of the present Vestrymen in order to discover which of them will adopt a Progressive Program.t In most parishes there are some members of the Vestry who have done their best to make it an efficient body, often in face of much odium and opposition. Their administrative experience no less than their past service makes it desirable that theyshould be again chosen. But as each ward has to elect from one to forty members (making from 24 to 120 for the whole parish), probably a great many new candidates will be required. As the Vestry can and ought to meet in the evening,! and as not more than five or six attendances a month are needed, working men and other busy people need not refuse to stand. Every local Trade Union branch (especially in the building trades) ought to supply at least one candidate, preferably the President or Secretary. One or more women should certainly be selected. No owner of cottage or slum property should eyer be selected as a Progressive candidate. As each elector can vote for as many candidates as there are vacancies, and can give no more than one vote to each candidate, there is no advantage in running fewer Progressive candidates than there are vacancies. A "full ticket" for each ward should therefore be selected, if enough suitable candidates can be found. But if not, then a " full ticket '' should be run in one or two of the wards in which the Progressives are strongest, even if it has to be made up of candidates residing in other wards of the same parish. At least one or two candidates, however, should be run for each of the other less Progressive wards, in order to make the election a reality, and to educate the electors. The same candidate may stand for more than -one ward of his parish (or even for all the •wards), and it may often be advisable for the Joint Committee to invite popular and well- known local Progressives to adopt this course. When the Progressive candidates are chosen. they should prepare and issue a joint election address, incorporating as much as possible of the Progressive Municipal Program, with the adaptations and additions required by the local circumstances of the parish. If all the candidates for all the wards can agree on a single joint address, the expense of separate printing will be saved. In that case, arrangements should be made to strike off separate copies for * The Secretary of the Fabian Society, 276 Strand, or the Secretary of the London Reform Cnion, 3 Arundel Street, Strand, will gladly help, if desired, in supplying the :addresses of local bodies, and specimen programs, &c. Fabian Tract No. 21, "Questions for London Vestrymen" (revised in 1894) should be used. t It is advisable to enclose a stamped and directed envelope for a reply. t 28 Vestries and District Boards already meet at or after 6 p.m., including Hampstead and Stoke Newington (7.30), Woolwich, Battersea, Fulham, &c. (7 p.m.) 16 each ward, inserting the names of the \l·ard candidates. At least as many copies of the address should be printed as there are electors. As the election for each ward must be separately organized, it will probably be convenient for the Joint Committee to appoint a sub-committee for each ward, to manage the ward contest. The first step will be to deliver by hand the election address of the ward candidates to every elector in the ward. For this and other services there should be got together a sufficient number of zealous workers. Then as much canvassing and distribution of literature should be done as time and staff will permit. A vigorous attempt should be made to call on every elector, at any rate in the working- class districts, so as to impress him with the new importance of these elections. Public meetings, indoor" or outdoor, will be useful , even if small. Above all, a polling card, similar to those used in other elections, and containing the exact address of the polling station for the ward, the names of the Progressive candidates, and precise instructions how to mark the ballot paper, should be deli\·ered to every elector one or two days before the polling day. Tins 1s vel')' zinportant, and should 0 11 no account be neglected. The ballot paper will contain from ten to as many as a hundred names, arranged in alphabetical order, without any indication of the candidates' party or opinions. Even when he has to choose one member of Parliament or two County Councillors, the ordinary elector often finds it difficult to pick out on the ballot paper the candidate he wishes to vote for. Anyone who has ever actually counted ballot papers knows what a large number are always incorrectly filled up. With twenty or forty names to choose from, many electors will be utterly at sea unless they have a very plain polling card in their hands, from which to copy their Xon to the ballot paper. But the issue of the contest will depend, in the main, upon the extent and organization of the work done on the polling day itself. It is very desirable that one man in each ward, or in each parish, should be chosen as Election Agent, and should be placed in chargeof all the arrangements. He should be provided, before the pollingday, with lists of the presumably Progressive electors, entered six or eight at a time, on separate cards. As large as possible a band of volunteer workers should be obtained, and instructed by post-cardwhere to go on polling day. Each one as he arrives should be told off to call upon particular electors, and urge them to poll. If possible, someone (relieved every hour) should be posted outside each polling station, charged to present each elector as he enters with a polling card. Throughout the contest it is very important to observe the very strict law, the Municipal Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Practices) Act,t which has not before been applicable to Vestry Elections. Any • But not in any club, ta\•ern, coffee room or other place where refreshments are sold. t The Act (47 and 48 \'ict., cap. 70) should be obtained by every local Secretary. An excellent leaflet, summarizing the law relating to these elections, can be obtained from the London Refonn Union, 3 Arundel Street, Strand, \'V.C. 17 infringement of this Act may im·oh·e the candidate, or any person acting in his inte~est, in fine or imprisonment, or in the invalidation of the election. The chief points to be observed are the following : 1. No committee or public meeting on behalf of any candidate may be held in any part of the premises of a club, public- house, coffee-tavern, or other place where refreshments (even non-alcoholic) are at any time sold. It is not sufficient to lock up the bar, or shut off the refreshment room while the meeting is going on. 2. No cab or other vehicle may be lzz"red to com·ey voters to the poll. But the owner of any carriage, cart, or other conveyance, not being a vehicle licensed for hire, maylend it free for this purpose. 3· No favors, banners, colors, or flags may be paid for. 4· Not more than two persons may be employed on payment by any candidate in any ward election, unless the ward has over z,ooo electors. The total expenditure on the election, which should be almost entirely on printing and meetings-the clerical work being done by volunteers-ought not usually to exceed £! (or at most £z) per candidate, or less if a large number are run. This amount should be collected before the Election from local ProgressiYes, the Trade Unions, or other societies nominating candidates, and the candidates themselyes. The Poor Law Guardians. The Local Government Act of I 894 also makes important changesin London, as elsewhere, in connection with the Boards of Poor Law Guardians. The qualification for electors and candidates will, henceforth, be the same as for the London Vestries, except that registration or residence anywhere within a Union will qualify a candidate to be elected for any ward of any parish in that Union. The thirty Poor Law Unions do not always correspond with the Vestry or District Board districts, but (with one exception) the ward, or actual electoral area, is the same for both elections. The Guardians may, by petitioning the County, Council, obtain the ad\·antage of simultaneous retirement and election every three years. Progressives should insist on this ; otherwise (except in St. George's, Bloomsbury, and St. Giles'-in-the-Fields and Kensington) the Guardians will retire annually by thirds, like the Vestrymen. The number of Guardians to be elected by each electoral area varies from one to six, making a total of from eighteen to thirty for each Union. The Guardian Elections should be contested in the same manner as is suggested for the Vestry."' * At the election in 1 89+, the last day for nominating Guardians is +th December, at 2 p,m. The day of poi ling will be 17th D~ce':1ber, and (unlike any other election) the poll will be open from 8 a,m. to 10 p.m. .\s n follow; (on th>s orcash>n only) . so closely on the Vestry Electiun, a polhng ca rd contammg the names of the Progre;s>ve candidates should l:>e prepared in conj unction \\ith that for the Vestry. the t\1'0 being delivered together. !8 APPENDIX.-Tab/e grvtng Stalisltcs and Pm·liculars oflhe work of tht 1J Locat .~lmnc•pal A ulhorities in London for the ;•ear I89z-3. ~ 11 11 I~ .....; "' Municipal Area. ~ C> ~ u 00 u -;; ·E"" .-< No 9,058 Woolwich .. . ... 31,000 :'\o Yes I:'\o I No Yes 5,527 14 4 3 2,875 2,812 5,703 2,257 4,071 821 3,681 4,969· 3,111 3,15S. 2,860 2,567 1,933 2,705- 3,833 5,508. 2,370· 2,745 2,586 5,100 4,464 5,181 2,157 3,13S. 2,413 3,735- 1,817 1,892 814 1,320 1,97& 1,86!} 1,650 2,564 2,083 3,566 1,506 2,586 1,192 537 1,814 2,264 1,842 -· ------~ 2'~~,7~7 21 ~ ~~ -;;~ ~25 I 569,773 !l'o .. . 22 22 1a 24 18 1 208 2739·3 ---~ • Included in Hackney. Table givi11g Statistics and Partiwlars of the work of the 43 Local Mu11icipal Authorities i11 London for the Year r892-3. Municipal Area. [ 7ne figure in bmckds indicates the numbe1· of sepm·ate m·eas con- stituting the District Board of Wm·ks.J cQ.,:, ~ ...... i 3 ~ " v 0.. X ~ i di ... v " e 0 () Battersea ... . .. -· -6-2~,-~-2-4-~ ~es IYes _Y_e_s Y~s _N_o_ Bennondsey ... ... 48,166 Yes Yes Yes No No Bethnal Green... ... 35,438 No No Yes Yes No Camberwell ... ... 89,969 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Chelsea... ... ... 53,376 IYes Yes Yes No No City ... ... ... 286,008 Yes No Yes Yes Yes Clerkenwell ... ... 33,236 Yes No Yes Yes No Fulham ... . .. 59,447 Yes No Yes Yes i Yes Greenwich [3] ... 66,985 No Yes No No Yes Hackney ... .. . 86,316 No Yes Yes Yes Yes Hammersmith... ... 54,340 Yes No No No Yes Hampstead ... ... 67,095 No Yes Yes No Yes Holborn [4] ... ... 22,775 No No Yes :'\o No Islington ... ... 116,957 No Yes Yes Yes Yes Kensington . .. ... 132,403 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Lambeth ... ... 128,773 Yes No Yes Yes Yes Lee [4] ... ... 40,495 No No No No Yes Lewish[lm [2] ... ... 55,338 Yes Yes No No Yes Lmehouse[4] ... 24,528 No l\'o No No i No Mile End ... ... 37,763 No 0fo No No No Newington, Surrey ... 49,613 No No Yes Yes Yes Paddington ... ... 91,366 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Plumstead ... ... 37,111 INo No No l\'o Yes Poplar [3] ... ... 57,226 No Yes No 0fo Yes Rotherhithe ... ... 17,396 . Yes Ye• No No No St.George, HanoverSq. 88,04.0 Yes Yes YLs l\'o Yes St. George-in-the-E:~st.. 16,946 No Yes Yes No No St. George, Southwark. 27,249 No :\"o Yes No No St. Giles [2] ... ... 42,899 Yes Yes Yes Yes No St. James, Westminster. 26,654 No Yes Yes No No 1 2"3 -~ sc:-r.O.. U18 ._v 0 "' ... ... v 0 .n~E ~ ,o..z..§ 23,000 8 11,249 ' 4 17,109 I 3 33,849 15 12,214 3 5,750 7 7,363 2 14,906 3 24,886 8 28,422 9 14,300 5 10,028 4 3,867 I 2 37,875 14 23,000 6 38,556 7 7,111 q16,468 6 7,759 3 15,300 3 13,392 3 15,543 3 8,629 4 21,978 ' 7 _Q,226 I 2 11,215 3 5,451 I 3 7,567 ' 4 4,068 5 2,641 2 3,950 2St. Luke ... ... 31,537 1No No Yes Yes No SS. Margaret and John , Westminster ... 59,560 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 5,608 3 1 6 1 8 2 5 4 4 St. Martin-in-the-Fields 32,025 IYes Yes Yes No No 1,650 St. Marylebone .. . 98,984 No Yes Yes Yes Yes 15,386 St. Olave [3] ... ... 12,070 No No 1 -'o l\'o No 2,083 St. Pancras ... ... 152,502 No Yes IYes Yes Yes 28,531 St. Saviour [2] ... 20,177 Yes No No No Yes 3,013 Shoreditch ... ... 53,075 No No IYes Ye' Yes 13,932 Stoke Newington ... • Yes No Yes INo Yes 4,767 Strand [6] ... ... 41 ,625 INo Z\o IYes No No 2,148 \\'andsworth [5] ... 101,895 Yes No Z\o No Yes 25,398 Whitechapel [9j ... 44,970 Yes :'\o Yes Ye> No 9,058 Woolwich .. . ... 31,000 :'\o Yes I:'\o I No Yes 5,527 14 4 3 2,875 2,812 5,703 2,257 4,071 821 3,681 4,969· 3,111 3,15S. 2,860 2,567 1,933 2,705- 3,833 5,508. 2,370· 2,745 2,586 5,100 4,464 5,181 2,157 3,13S. 2,413 3,735- 1,817 1,892 814 1,320 1,97& 1,86!} 1,650 2,564 2,083 3,566 1,506 2,586 1,192 537 1,814 2,264 1,842 -· ------~ 2'~~,7~7 21 ~ ~~ -;;~ ~25 I 569,773 !l'o .. . 22 22 1a 24 18 1 208 2739·3 ---~ • Included in Hackney. F F ABIAN SOCIETY.-The Fabian Society conoists of Socialists. A statement of its Rules, ete., and the following publications can be obtained from the Secretary, at tho Fabian Office, 276 Strand, London, W.O. FABIAN ESSAYS IN SOCIALISM. (35th Thousand.) Library Edition, 6/-; or, direct from the Secretary for Cash, 4/6 (postage, 4!cl.). Cheap Edition, Paper cover, I/-; plain cloth, 2/-. At all booksellers, or post free from the Secretary for I/-and 2/-respectively. FABIAN TRACTS . .1 .-Why are the Many Poor? 100th thous. 4 pp., 6 for 1d.; 1/-per 100. :5.-Facts for Socialists. A survey of the distribution of income and the condition of classes in England. 6th edition; revised 1893. 55th thousand. 16 pp., 1d. ; or 9d. per doz. 7.-Capital and Land. A similar survey of the distribution of property. ±th edition; revised1893. 16pp.,1d.; or 9d. doz. Io.-Figures for Londoners. 20th thous. 4 pp., 6 for 1d.; 1/-per 100. "12.-Practicable Land Nationalization. Revised 1894. 4 pp., 6 for 1d.; 1/-100. I3.-What Socialism Is. 80th thous. 4 pp., 6 for 1d.; or 1/-per 100 . .14.-The New Reform Bill. 15th thous. 20 pp., ld.; 9d. per doz. I5.-English Progress towards Social Democracy. By S. WEBB. 1d.; 9d. doz . .16.-A Plea for an Eight Hours Bill. 4 pp., 6 for 1d.; 1j-per 100. I7.-Reform of the Poor Law. By SIDNEY WEBB. 20 pp., 1d.; 9d. per doz. Ig.-What the Farm Laborer Wants. (Revised 1894). 6 for 1d.; or 1/-per 100. :20.-Questions for Poor Law Guardians. (Revised 1894). 6 for ld.; or 1/-100. 21.-Questions for London Vestrymen. (Revised 1894). 6 for 1d.; or 1/-per 100. 22.-The Truth about Leasehold Enfranchisement. 6 for 1d.; or 1/-per 100 . .23.-The Case for an Eight Hours Bill. 16 pp., ld.; or 9d. per doz. 24.-Questions for Parliamentary Candidates. 6 for ld.; or 1/-per 100. 25.-Questions for School Board Candidates. (Revised 1894). 6 for ld.; 1/-100.26.-Questions for London County Councillors. 6 for ld.; or 1/-per 100. 27.-Questions for Town Councillors. 4 pp., 6 for 1d.; or 1/-per 100 . .28.-Questions for County Councillors (Rural). 6 for ld.; or 1/-per 100. 2g.-What to Read. A List of Books for Social Reformers. Contains the b€st books and blue-books relating to Economics, Socialism, Labor Movements, Poverty, etc. 2nd ed.; revised 1893. Paper cover, 3d. each; or 2/3 per doz. 38.-A Welsh Translation of No.1. 4 pp., 6 for ld.; or l j-per 100. 39.-A Democratic Budget. 16 pp., ld.; or 9d. per doz. 41.-The Fabian Society. By BERNARD SHAW. 32 pp., ld. each; or 9d. per doz. 42.-Christian Socialism. By the Rev. S.D. HEADLAM. 16 pp., ld. 9d. per doz. 44.-A Plea for Poor Law Reform. (Revised 1894). 4 pp., 6 for 1d.; or 1/-100. 45.-The Impossibilities of Anarchism. By G. B. SHAW. 28 pp., 2d.; 1/6 per doz. 46.-Socialism and Sailors. By B. T. HALL. 16 pp., 1d. each; or 9d. per doz. 47.-The Unemployed. By JoHN BuRNS, l\I.P. 20 , , , 48.-Eight Hours by Law. 16 pp., 1d. each; or 9d. per doz. 49.-A Plan of Campaign for Labor. A detailed scheme for Independent Labor Representation. 36 pp., 2d. 116 per doz. so.-Sweating: its Cause and Remedy. 16 pp., 1d. each ; or 9d. per doz. 51.-Socialism: True and False. By SIDNEY WEBB. 20 pp., 1d. ea.; 9d. doz. 52.-State Education at Home and Abroad. By J. W. :\L~R'l'IN. 16 pp., 1d.; 53.-The Parish Councils A to 37). I. The Unearned Increment. 2. London's Heritage in the City Guilds. 3· Municipalization of the Gas Supply. 4· Municipal Tramways. 5· Lon- don's Water Tnbute. 6. Municipalization of the London Docks. 7· The Scandal of London's Markets. 8. A Labor Policy for Public Authorities. Each 4 pp. The eight in a red cover fbr 1d. (!.ld. per doz.); or separately 1-per 100. &a-The Set post free 2 3· Bound in Buckram post free for 3 g. Boxes for set of Tracts ls., post free 1s. :3-1 . .Mamfesto of English Socialists. In red cover. 8 pp., ld. each; or !.ld. per doz. P• rN•I• tn thA v<~.lne of 101-and upwards, post free.