Chapter LV - St. Leonards 1856
St. Leonards Commissioners' Meetings, 1856
The first quarterly meeting of the year was held at the Victoria Hotel, on the 25th of March, when there were present Sir WoodbineParish, Alfred Burton, Esq. and Messrs.Carey, Southall and Chester. Mr Bridgeland, of Hastings, having received for work at the East Ascent wall, £20 and £30, the balance of £35.15s.4. was ordered to be paid to complete payment of contract. Mr. Robt. Deudney was also to receive £24 3s. for carting away snow and beaching the roads, whilst Messrs. Hughes and Hunter were to be paid £14 10s. 10d. for the cartage of beach. Another bill ordered to be paid was Mr. Carey's £7 14s. 9d. for repairing groynes. William Tutt was to be paid 3s. per week to watch the entry of coals into St. Leonards and report twice a week to the Collector.
The second quarterly meeting was held on the 4th of June and the following Commissioners were present:- Alfred and Decimus Burton, G. H. M. Wagner, C. H. Southall, J. Carey and Mr. Parks. Mr. Gausden having complained of an offensive smell at the outlet of 120 Marina, an order was passed for it to be seen to at once. Rate-defaulters were ordered to be summonsed as follows: Stanton Noakes, £2; Jas. Drury, £2; Henry Beck, £12; Jas. Beck, £7 10; and Frederick Beck £6. The last three tradesmen became bankrupts, and as if to prove the aphorism that "misfortunes never comes(sic) singly", the father had been called upon by the Board of Guardians for his portion of surety for Everett's defalcations.
At a ratepayers' meeting on the 30th of September, new Commissioners were elected in the persons of Daniel Smith, Esq, James Harwood, Esq, and the Rev. J. A. Hatchard, to take the place of the disqualified members - Arthur Ogle, Esq, Jas. Foster, Esq. and W. F. Burton, Esq.
On the same day, the Commissioners held their quarterly meeting, and ordered the drain pipe at 120 Marina to be lengthened to obviate nuisance. A letter having been received from Mr. Shorter, clerk to the Hastings Local Board, re Mr. Batstone's drainage, and Mr. Laing the new surveyor to the Local Board being present, it was resolved "That though the Commissioners do not feel bound to lay down any further drains under their contract with the Local Board of Health, they will accede to the request in Mr. Shorter's letter, to the extent of 75 feet." This referred to the sites laid out by Mr. Batstone for six houses fronting the Archery Gardens entrance; also for another villa
