60 APPENDIX.
the Surveyor who employs them in scraping and sweep-
ing the streets, and in breaking stones. There are now
eighty-eight employed, who are divided into five gangs,
and are paid eight shillings per week each; they are
very discontented, and are thought to do the work which
a much less number could easily do. There are also
eighty-nine men and twenty-two boys employed in
stone-breaking for the repair of the streets and roads.
The men can earn ten shillings or eleven shillings per
week on an average ; it seems a good employment,
they are paid according to their work by measure.
Too much praise cannot be given to Mr. Cook, the
Surveyor, who has reduced the expence of the repairs
of the parish highways, from £2,000 per year to £900,
and some years as low as £500.
The total expenditure, of the Parish of St. Mary-le-
bone for one year ending 30th June 1831, as collected
by poor-rate, amounts to £93,786, but of this several
items must be deducted, such as county rates, expence
of collecting, repairs, interest on bonds, bonds paid off,
new police rate, which amounts to £23,750, being con-
siderably more than double of the late watch establish-
ment, which was declared by a committee of the House
of Commons to be the most efficient of all the parishes.
These expences, amounting to £38,968. 4s. 4d., must
be deducted, leaving the actual expence of maintaining
the poor, £54,818. 2s. 2d.
On mentioning the proper and improper employment
for the poor, I cannot avoid quoting two distinguished
authors who have written on this very interesting
subject. Both of them zealous and indefatigable in