THE PRISONS ACT 93 



The Poor Law Amendment Bill, a Government measure, 

 was passed after the Government had accepted some amend- . 

 ments moved by the Committee. This Act conferred powers 

 on the Local Government Board, simplified local boundaries, 

 and removed obstacles to the formation of County Boards. 



The Committee had a busy year in opposing some and 

 amending other Bills, and again they w r ere very successful 

 in attaining their ends. Several of these Bills were objected 

 to, pending the establishment of County Boards to administer 

 county finance, rather than for any inherent faults in the 

 measures themselves. 



1877. 



This Session was marked by the passing of the Prisons Act, 

 already mentioned, which transferred all expenses connected 

 with the maintenance of prisons and prisoners. The Local 

 Taxation Returns Act of this year, which the Committee had 

 striven for since 1872, secured uniformity in the dates of 

 subsequent annual returns of Local Taxation. The Training 

 Schools and Ships Bill, which proposed to charge the rates 

 with the cost of new institutions for training boys for the 

 Army and Navy, was rejected on second reading by a large 

 majority. The Summary Prosecutions Bill was refused a 

 second reading by 228 to 164. The Intoxicating Liquors 

 (Licensing Boards) Bill was rejected by 133 to 85, while othei 

 Bills were withdrawn. In March Mr. Clare Sewell Read 

 moved his resolution in favour of establishing representative 

 County Boards, which was unanimously adopted by the 

 House of Commons. It was important, because it was the 

 first occasion when the views of the Chambers on this question 

 were so directly before Parliament, and because the assurance 

 given by the Government that they meant to propose repre- 

 sentative provincial authorities heralded the creation of 

 County Councils. The resolution was worded thus : 



" That no readjustment of Local Administration can be 

 satisfactory or complete which does not refer county business, 

 other than the administration of justice and the maintainance 

 of order, to a representative County Board." 



