The following report was presented:
'Minutes of Vestry Meeting'
Rushden, January 13th, 1881.

"Pursuant to notice duly given, a vestry meeting was held in the Vestry-hall, at 7 p.m. this day, for the purpose of nominating a rate-collector for the parish, in the room of C. Hewitt resigned. In the absence of the Rector, Mr. Denton was appointed chairman.

"It was proposed by Mr. Skinner, and seconded by Mr. Claridge, that Frederick Margetts be nominated; an amendment in favour of Mr. John Sargent being proposed by Mr. Colson, and seconded by Mr. W. Foskett.

“In the conversation that ensued, it was elicited that the former (Margetts) was only 17 years of age, and this bring considered a bar to his appointment the amendment nominating Mr. Sargent, was put to the meeting and carried. Mr. Sargent was then called into the room. He stated that he had made himself acquainted with the collector's work, and felt quite able to undertake it. The Vestry requiring some assurance of permanency, he undertook not to relinquish the office under twelve months. It was stated that Mr. Hewitt's salary was £25, and the extras £5. Mr. Sargent, having expressed his willingness to accept the appointment at the same remuneration, the amendment was made a substantive resolution, in the following terms, and unanimously adopted:—‘That Mr. John Sargent be nominated to the office of Rate-collector and Assistant Overseer, at an annual salary of £30, inclusive of all duties, no extras of any kind to be allowed’."

On the motion of Mr. Denton, seconded by Mr. Parker, Mr. Sergeant was unanimously appointed to fill the office.

The Annual Vestry for nominating overseers and appointing a waywarden for the ensuing year, was held on Tuesday morning, the Rev. J. T. Barker in the chair. Messrs. G. Skinner and T. Tailby, were nominated overseers, and the Rev. J. T. Barker was elected waywarden.

IRREGULAR VESTRY MEETING—On Friday evening, in consequence of the following requisition being served on the Lighting Inspectors, they called an informal vestry by sending the crier round. The requisition was as follows:—"To the Lighting Inspectors of Rushden, —We, the undersigned ratepayers of the parish of Rushden, request that you will take steps for a public meeting to be called during this the feast week to consider what can be done in the matter of lighting the streets." This bore the signature of 33 ratepayers; Mr. S. Knight, as chairman of the inspectors, was voted to the chair, their being about 30 other ratepayers present.—The Chairman said that there were not two opinions as to the desirability of having the streets lighted, but the question was how it was to be done. He believed at a vestry meeting a resolution had been passed that a meeting was to be held to readopt the Act, but as he was not at that meeting he would ask the Assistant Overseer to state the resolution. —In reply, that officer said there was a minute on the book passed at the June meeting that a meeting should be called to consider the matter whether they would adopt the Act, or for any ratepayer to propose any other method, but it was left to anyone to call the meeting.—A ratepayer thought there had been plenty of time lost.—Mr. Wilkins suggested that if the inspectors had called a meeting in the summer there would have been but a very poor gathering, but now he believed some of those who refused to pay the voluntary rate last year had felt the inconvenience of having no lights, as one of them had consented to pay a share of the expense of lighting the only lamp they had lighted, and was willing they should have three or four burners in it. —Mr. C. Denton thought it would not cost so much to light the streets as to build a hospital to attend to those who received injuries through not having them lighted.—The Chairman said when the Lighting Act collapsed they applied to the Sanitary Authority for urban powers and were refused. A resolution had then been carried to apply for a local board of health, but that had net been proceeded with.—Mr. Wilkins said as the voluntary principle had been tried and failed he could see no other course but to readopt the Act and carry it out to the letter.—The Chairman was of the same opinion, and, after some further conversation, on the motion of Mr. Denton, seconded by Mr. Barton, the meeting unanimously requested the Lighting Inspectors to obtain the necessary requisition for calling a legal vestry meeting for the read option of the Act, it being understood that if any alternative course was proposed to that meeting it could be considered.— The meeting then terminated.

VESTRY MEETING— At the meeting in the Vestry Hall, on Thursday, Messrs. George Skinner and T. Tailby were nominated as overseers of the parish without opposition. W. Tailby expressed a wish to be relieved of the duties, but in response to the manifest wish of the vestry consented to continue in office.

THE ROADS—At the vestry meeting on Thursday it was proposed that the Rev. Cannon Barker be re-elected way warden of the parish. Mr. Barker was very unwilling again to accept the appointment. A way warden possessed little or no power to control the men employed on the roads, and any suggestions in the shape of improvements made at the Board were met with the invariable enquiry—"What good would it do to Bozeat?" The roads generally were in such a bad state that the county surveyor had refused to pass them and the Highway Board instead of receiving £1,000 or more from the county rates during the past year, had only received about £100.—Mr. Packwood suggested that the vestry should, by way of protest, refuse to appoint a way warden at all.—Mr. Perkins stated that more loads of mud were scraped and carted off the roads in the course of a year than there were loads of stone put on.—Mr. Denton said that everyone familiar with the Rushden roads must see that they were lower and in a worse condition now than in the time of the Commissioners.—Mr. Willmot was satisfied that in many parts of the main street there were not more than four inches of metal on the roads.—Mr. Wilkins compared the 16,600 tons of granite advertised for by the Hardingstone Highway Board with the 310 tons wanted by the Irthlingborough Highway Board.—At the close of a lengthened conversation the Rev. Canon Barker consented to act as way warden for another year.—A committee was then appointed to represent to the Highway Board, through the way warden, the opinion of the vestry with regard to the state of the roads in the parish, and of the material and labour used upon them.

VESTRY MEETING—A meeting of the ratepayers was called for Thursday, last week, at seven o'clock in the evening. On assembling at the Vestry Hall, the following notice was posted on the door:— "Notice is hereby given that the meeting of the ratepayers called for the purpose of the Inspectors appointed under 3 and 4 of William IV., c. 90, for producing their accounts, and for other purposes, to be held this evening at the Vestry Hall, will not be held. Dated this 9th day of Nov. 1882.—F. U. SARTORIS and R. 0. BUTCHER, churchwardens."

The Committee hereby invite TENDERS for the systematic Collection of House Refuse.

Regulations and Conditions of Contract may be seen at the residence of Mr Wm. Packwood, Inspector of Nuisances, Park-road, Rushden; to whom Tenders must be sent before 4 o'clock on Saturday, March 15th, 1890.