322 History of Inland Transport 



century, at least, most of them had, in effect, and except in 

 certain circumstances, been relieved by the turnpike system 

 of their common law obligation to keep main roads in repair ; 

 but in proportion as the trusts expired the obligations in 

 respect to maintenance fell back again on the parishes. Under, 

 also, old enactments which still remained in force, not only 

 land and houses but many other kinds of property stock-in- 

 trade, timber and " personal estate " generally were assessed 

 for highways and other purposes. These conditions remained 

 until 1840, when an Exemption Act suspended the power 

 of levying rates on stock-in-trade, and other changes in the law 

 of assessment were made subsequently. 



With the greater activity, from the year 1864, of the House 

 of Commons Turnpike Committee the burdens on the un- 

 fortunate parishioners became heavier than before ; and in 

 the Turnpike Continuance Act of 1870 there was inserted a 

 clause to the effect that the cost of repairing any roads dis- 

 turnpiked after the passing of that Act should be borne by the 

 highway district, where there was one, and not by the parish. 

 In 1874 and 1875 the House of Commons Turnpike Committee 

 " made very strong complaints," Mr Sclater-Booth stated in 

 his evidence, that they would not have proceeded so fast 

 as they had done, and would not have recommended Par- 

 liament to allow so many miles of road to be disturnpiked 

 year by year, if they had not felt satisfied that the Government 

 would have provided some remedy for the injustice they 

 occasioned. " They seemed to me," the witness continued, 

 " to have had no compunction in causing the injustice to be 

 occasioned before any remedy was provided for it ; but, 

 having permitted that injustice to take place, they complained 

 year after year of the action, or, rather, of the non-action, of the 

 Government in not applying a remedy for these grievances." 



No effective remedy was, in fact, provided until 1882. Early 

 in the Session of that year notice was given in the House of 

 Commons of a resolution which declared that " in the opinion 

 of this House immediate relief should in some form be afforded 

 to ratepayers from the present unjust incidence of rates 

 appropriated for the maintenance of main roads in England." 

 Mr Gladstone undertook that something should be done in 

 conformity with the spirit of this resolution, and thereupon a 

 grant designed to cover one-fourth of the cost of maintaining 



