A VALUATION BILL 131 



Exchequer towards local educational expenses. For this 

 ratepayers have to thank Mr. Chaplin, and the activity dis- 

 played at very short notice by a number of local supporters. 



19O3-4. 



Nineteen hundred and three was a blank so far as this 

 subject was concerned, but 1904 saw the introduction of the 

 long-desired and long -promised Government Valuation Bill. 

 It was received with a chorus of approval from both sides of 

 the House of Commons, and the Chamber agreed to its main 

 object. On examination, however, it was found altogether 

 unworkable ; the Chamber had numberless criticisms to make 

 upon it, and Mr. Trustram Eve (a member of the Local 

 Taxation Committee) published a pamphlet, which showed 

 the Bill to be complicated, vexatious and wrong in principle. 

 The Chambers had always wanted the net annual value to 

 be the basis of assessment for Imperial as well as for local 

 purposes. This Bill would have left at least five different 

 values upon which the following annual charges would have 

 been based Land Tax, Schedule A, Inhabited House Duty, 

 Schedule B, and Poor Rate. The unfortunate measure made 

 no further progress. 



The Education Code for this year contained proposals 

 affecting the finance of educational administration of course, 

 to the detriment of the ratepayer. Sir John Dorington, on 

 behalf of the Chamber, opposed these proposals, and, after 

 some negotiation, the Government withdrew them and 

 retained the scale of grants in force under the Code of 1903. 



19O5. 



The Agricultural Rates Act was again extended until 

 March, 1910, with but slight opposition from the other side 

 of the House of Commons. 



The Government promised to introduce a new Valuation 

 Bill, but did not attempt to redeem their pledge, and the 

 Chamber expressed their grave disapproval at this continued 

 neglect of a most important subject. At the April and June 

 meetings resolutions were passed expressing the opinion that 



