Mr. MONTAGUE, one of the District Surveyors of the City,
has summoned two different parties before the Magistrates within these few days, for refusing to pay him the fees he demanded in virtue of his office ; and in both cases, the Magistrate has refused to "sanction his claim. In one, he claimed fees to the amount of 24/. for viewing some stables; being at the ratio charged for third-rate houses, on the ground of the buildings being above a certain height. This demand was referred by the Magistrate to the decision of another surveyor: by which, we suppose, the parties have abided, as we have seen no more of the matter. In the other instance, Mr. MONTAGUE did not claim his fee directly, but lodged a complaint against Mr. WOOLLATTS, of Holborn Hill, for cutting into the party-wall of his house, contrary to the statute : when it was shown, that the wall in question was not a " party-wall ;" and moreover, that the house having been built before the act under which Mr. WOOLLATTS was complained of was passed, his case did not come under the cognizance of the act. The real griev- ance turned out to be, that Mr. Woom.astrs had not paid Mr. MONTAGUE'S fee for inspecting the alteration; and this omission rendered him liable to triple fees. The Magistrate, however, would not admit Mr. isIosersous's claim at all, as the complaint had been dismissed on the grounds above stated.
This office of "District Surveyors' is a were fee-gathering one. Nobody sees or hears of such a person, but when a new building or an alteration in an old one is begun; and then the fee promptly administered lulls the vigilance of this lynx eyed functionary. There is no fee, we presume, for reporting houses that are un- safe; else we should never hear of families being buried in the ruins of tumble-down tenements, or see so many crazy buildings threatening the heads of the inhabitants. We do not know that Mr. MONTAGUE is any worse than his brother fee-gatherers. Cor- responding instances of activity in the case of new buildings, and others of neglect in the instance of old ones, have been common enough in other districts; and will be, so long as the temptation remains to this one-sided performance of the duties of the office.
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