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county. The same Board then assigns to each borough in the 

 county — not being a county borough — the number of its repre- 

 sentatives upon the County Council. In the rest of the county 

 the Justices of Quarter Sessions determine electoral divisions. 

 The divisions — according to the Act — have to be, as nearly as 

 possible, equal in population, but regard is to be had, not 

 merely to population, but to a proper representation of urban and 

 rural populations respectively, to the distribution of the popula- 

 tion, and to area. The Chairman of a County Council will, 

 during office, be a Justice of the Peace for the county, and the 

 Keturning Officer at an election of County Councillors is to be a 

 person appointed by the Council. The ordinary day for the 

 election will be — as in boroughs — the first day of November, but 

 in every third year only. The first election, however, is to be 

 held in the month of January next, and the Eeturning Officers 

 for the purposes of that election will be the Sheriff of each 

 county. The County Aldermen will be elected by the County 

 Councillors only — no Alderman being allowed to vote for himself 

 or for his brother Aldermen — a distinct advance upon the 

 practice prevailing in municipal boroughs. Besides the powers 

 already hinted at, the County Council will acquire powers now 

 exercised by the Justices out of Session relating to the licensing 

 of theatres and the execution of the Explosive Acts. Amongst 

 the duties which are transferred to County Councils, otherwise 

 than from Quarter Sessions and Justices, may be mentioned the 

 appointment of County Coroner, an appointment which has 

 hitherto been made by a select class — the freeholders of the 

 county at large. One of the principal changes which will be 

 effected by this Act will be the transferring of the control of the 

 county police to a body consisting partly of Justices and partly of 

 Members of the County Council. That Committee will appoint 

 the Chief Constable and will exercise the same control as has 

 hitherto been exercised by the Quarter Sessions. The County 

 Council will hereafter take complete control of main roads, 

 defraying the expenses. Urban Authorities can, if they wish it, 

 have the work deputed to them, but the County Council will "pay 

 the piper and choose the tune." The purification of rivers and 

 streams (a long neglected and exceedingly necessary work) will 

 be undertaken by the County Council and they have power — in 

 cases where a river runs through more than one county — to 

 appoint joint Committees consisting of Members of two or more 

 County Councils to deal with this important subject. Perhaps 

 I need not add that practically all householders and property 

 owners, irrespective of sex, unless a female householder has the 

 misfortune to be married, will have a vote in the election of 

 County Councillors, and that the election will be by ballot. The 

 Lancashire County Council will consist of 105 elected Coun- 



