FABIAN TRACT No. 21. 

QUESTIONS FOR 


London Vestrymen.


(RHISED SEPTEMBER 1894-) 

SIR, or MADA!II, 

In connection with your Candidature for the office of 
Vestryman, 1 should be obliged if you would be good enough 
to answer the following question , and return the paper to me. 

I am, yours faithfully, 

..Vame of Elector·-··································-·····················------------


rlddress of Elector ...................................... --------------·-·············· 


QUESTIONS. ANSWERS. 

I.-A DE 10CRATIC BOARD. 

I .-\Vill you vote for evening meetings 
of the \'estry or District Board, o a to 
afford facilities for the attendance of Vestrymen 
and Ratepayers whose occupations 
leave them no spare time during the day? 

2.-\Vill you vote for granting the use 
of the Vestry Hall, or other suitable public 
building, at a nominal charge, for any public 
meeting convened by twenty ratepayers? 

3.-\Vill you insist on the publication of 
det::tiled reports of the sanitary condition of I 
every p::trt of the district, complete returns 
of ::tll local charities, and the admission of 
the press ::tnd the public to all Board meetings? 


4.-\Vill you use your influence in favor 
of ::t ystematic official cam·as of the whole 
p::tri h e::tch year, in order to ensure that 
no qualified person be omitted from the 
rerri~ter of electors ? 

H.-PROPER TRE_-\ T::\1ENT OF 
WORKER. 

5.-Are you in favor of making the 
Ve try employees weekly servant with ::t 
minimum wage of 24s. ? 


QUESTIONS. 


6.-Will you insist upon the appointment 
of a Vestry Committee to which :my 
aggrieved employee shall have the right to 
appeal? 

7.-Will you insist that in all work 
carried out by the Vestry the Trade Union 
rate of wages shall be paid, and the hours 
of work shall be limited to a maximum of 
eight per day, or 4 in each week ? 

8.-Will you, in every possible ca e, prefer 
the direct employment of labor by the 
Vestry to the intervention of a con tractor ? 

9.-Whenever it is found necessary to 
employ a contractor, will you in i t uponthe insertion, in all contracts for upplies :1 
well as for works, of clauses stipulating,
under adequate penalties, which shall be 
rigidly enforced : 

(a) against sub-contracting or s\\·eating; 
(b) 
for payment of Trade Union r:1te 
of wages and observance of Trade 
Union hours and condition , for 
each trade, as specified in a ch~Cdule 
to the contracts ? 
(c) 
that, whenever possible, the workingday shall be eight hours only?
(d) 
that, in all clothing contracts, the 
whole work shall be done in the 
contractor's factory, and none givenout? 
xo.-Vifill you take care that no printingwork is given to any firm not on the Fair 
list of the London Society of Compositors? 

II.-Will you support all Vestry employees 
in securing freedom to join the 
Trade Union of their occupation, or (if 
none such exists) to form a union for themselves? 


12.-Will you insist upon the Vestrymaking an earnest endeavor, by co-operating 
with the Board of Guardians and the 
County Council, to find, in all periods of 
depression and distress, temporary useful 
and honorable employment for those out 
work, by the arrangement of the publicworks in such a way as to increase employment 
at these periods? 

ANSWERS. 


I3.-Are you in favor of granting a 
week's holiday e\·ery year, with full pay, to 
all the permanent employee of the Vestry, 


QUESTIONS. ANSWERS. 

and will you take care that all workmen I 
are allowed reasonable sick pay in case of 
illness or accident ? ! 

I4.-Will you support the maintenance ! 
of a permanent public registry of the un-I 
employed men and women in the parish ? 

1 

Is.-Will you vote for the provision of I 
accommodation in the Town H all or other 

1

public building for the weekly meetings of I 
Friendly Societies and Trade Unions doingpublic work in the district? 

------------1 

'

III.-SANITARY AND OTHER 
REFORMS. 

I6.-Will you support the fullest application 
of the law against insanitary property,
without respect of persons, and the provision 
of efficient and adequate sanitaryinspection ? 

17 -Will you vote for an immediate increase 
in the number of Sanitary Inspectors,
and for a systematic house-to-house visitation 
in order to ensure that every house 
is in a sanitary condition ? 

I 8.-Will you require the registration of 
Tenement H ouses, with a view to secure 
more effective sanitary supervision ? 

I9.-Will you insist on a complete registration 
and thorough inspection of all workshops, 
and the regular visitation of all out-
workers? 

20.-Will you vote for the immediate 
provision of baths and wash-houses in anydistricts at present unprovided with them ? 

2I.-Will you support an effort to ensure 
the regular, frequent and strictly gratuitouscollection of dust, particularly in the poorer 
districts? 

22.-Are you in favor of the provision of 
open spaces and of tree-planting in the 
streets ; of the adoption of noiseless pavement 
; of th'e erection of seats and shelters; 
of providing public drinking fountains; and 
of public lavatory accommodation for each 
sex?· 


23.-Will you. support the exercise of all 
powers of the Vestry and County Council 
for compelling the Water Companies to 
give a constant water supply? 


QUESTIONS. I ANSWERS. 

_____..:._________ _--'-------


24.-\Vill you insist upon the properinspection of all the private slaughterhouses 
in the district, pending their abolition 
and the establishment of Municipal 
_-\battoirs ? 

TV.-MUNICIPAL AND TAXATION 
REFORM. 

25.-Will you resist any attempt at the 
dismemberment of the County Council, or 
any proposal to depart from the plan of the 
direct popular election of its members? 

26.-Will you press for the early Unification 
of London, by the union of the CityCorporation with the County Council ? 

2 7 .-Are you in favor of abolishing such 
compulsory Church Rates as still exist in 
London? 

28.-Will you support the adoption of 
the Public Libraries Acts? 

29.-Are you in favor of placing the ! 
water supply in the hands of the CountyCouncil, either by purcha e of the exi ting 
companies (not at monopoly price) or bythe establishment of an independent sup


ply?

30.-Do you favor a similar policy in 
regard to the Gas Supply, the Tramways, 
and other monopolies? 

31.-Will you seek to put into operation 
any power the Vestry may possess for 
rating unoccupied land and houses? 

32.-Are you in favor of, and will you 
attempt to pledge the Vestry to support, 
the taxation of Ground Values for the relief 
of the occupiers ? 

33.-Will you vote for immediate application 
to the Local Government Board to 
confer on the Vestry all powers given to 
Parish Councils by the Local Government 
Act, 1894? 

Signature of Ca1ldzdate .. ------------------------------------------------------------


For list and particulars of other Tra~s write to the Secretary of the 
Fabian Society, 276 Strand, W.C. Printed lists of questions to be put to 
candidates for the Guardians, School Board, County Council, or Parliament, 
will be sent free. Complete set of 53 Tra~s, price 2s. 3d. post free; 
or, bound in buckram, JS. gd. post free. 

Published by the FADIAN SoCIETY, 276 Strand, London, W.C.