MR. THOROLD ROGERS'S MOTION 101 



of other ratepayers, so the Committee opposed it, and it was 

 dropped. 



It was in this year that Sir Massey Lopes, Mr. Clare Sewell 

 Read, and Mr. Pell retired from parliamentary life, to the very 

 great regret of the Local Taxation Committee, who, in their 

 annual report for this year, offered, their heartiest thanks to 

 these three gentlemen for their long and energetic defence of 

 ratepayers' interests. 



1886. 



In February of this year Mr. Gladstone came back to office 

 with a majority, but only held it for a few months, and in 

 August another General Election gave the administration 

 into the hands of Lord Salisbury. Under these circum- 

 stances the Committee found small opportunity of urging 

 their views. On 23rd March, however, Mr. Thorold Rogers 

 moved a resolution in favour of charging owners directly 

 with at least a part of the rates, instead of their falling directly 

 on the occupier ; to this Sir Richard Paget moved an amend- 

 ment in the following terms, which was only defeated by 

 19 votes in a House of 391 members : 



" That, while the apportionment of the payment of rates 

 between landlord and tenant may be desirable, as part of a 

 complete scheme for remedying the admitted inequalities of the 

 incidence of local taxation, this House is of opinion that the 

 financial injustice complained of can only be removed by a com- 

 prehensive measure, and that such a measure is urgently required." 



The debate thus raised was remarkable for the general 

 concurrence expressed on both sides of the House as to the 

 justice of extending to personal property that liability to 

 local taxation which it then escaped ; and, as showing the 

 advance of public opinion in the direction of the Committee's 

 views, it may be recorded that Mr. Joseph Chamberlain 

 (President of the Local Government Board in Mr. Gladstone's 

 administration) expressed his readiness to accept the general 

 conclusions of the amendment, and spoke as follows : 



". . . The hon. member for Bermondsey had proposed 

 that there should be a division of rates as between owner and 

 occupier, and the hon. baronet included that in his amendment. 





