“With respect to the number of separate places for testing the gas, inasmuch as there are thirteen companies included within the act, and each must provide a testing house 1000 yards distant from their works, there must evidently be not less than thirteen of these. {9} But if each local authority also erects a separate one at some central part of its district, thirty-eight of these will be necessary. A power is afterwards given for two or more local authorities to combine, and then the number will probably be somewhat diminished. “All this necessity for a duplicate set of testing establishments is rendered essential by the absurd requirement of the act as to testing the gas at 1000 yards distance from the works. Now as the erection of this apparatus by the companies and the establishment of a permanent testing place away from their works will be very expensive to the companies, it is just possible they may be very glad to be relieved from this expense, and may consent to the testing at the establishment of the local authority being sufficient evidence of the illuminating power as well as the purity of the gas. This is the more probable as it must be perfectly well known to the companies—at least to their engineers—that so far as the company is concerned the gas may just as well be tested in the centre of any district supplied, as at the limited distance of 1000 yards from the works.” Under the provisions of the fiftieth section of this act, the duty is imposed upon the Metropolitan Board of Works of raising the costs and charges incident to its passing; and that board have accordingly levied under their precepts upon the several vestries and district boards, the necessary amounts for meeting the claims received. The accounts sent in by the various parties were submitted to the proper officer of the House of Commons for taxation with the following result:— Accounts sent in. Amount Certified by Costs Allowed. Board to Pay. Taxing Officer. £ _s._ _d._ £ _s._ _d._ £ _s._ _d._ £ _s._ _d._ Mr. Dangerfield 89 19 6 62 6 0 3 11 8 65 17 8 Mr. Wyatt 3666 0 4 3033 18 10 None. 3033 18 10 Mr. Beal . . . £2685 13 6 1272 13 6 676 11 7 None. 676 11 7 Less paid by Mr. Wyatt . . . 1413 0 0 5022 13 4 House Fees on Taxation to be paid by Dyson & Co., (as Parliamentary Agents) 42 0 0 3818 8 1