838 REPORT— 1887. 



instituted by the people themselves, and in our later history by the settled systems 

 of government immediately instituted by our colonists, and the sincere imitations 

 exhibited by the people of the United States of America. Lately there is a 

 growing tendency to centralisation in what may be termed the home departments 

 of government, caused by the creation of many new local government areas and 

 authorities since the Reform Bill of 1832, and all placed under imperial control. 

 In counties there are now usually twenty -two difl'erent kinds of local government 

 districts, controlled by the Privy Council, the Home Office, the Local Government 

 Board, and the Board of Trade. 



The Public Health Acts of 1872 and 1875 by the institution of the urban and 

 rural sanitary authorities have indicated a remedy for these incongruous areas and 

 authorities. 



After indicating the authorities at present existing in counties and the methods 

 of taxation in vogue it is proposed that county councils shoidd be formed, to be 

 constituted by the present justices of the peace in each county and five elected 

 representatives from each urban and rural sanitary authority in their area ; the 

 urban authorities consisting of the town councils, the improvement commissioners, 

 and the local boards of health, and the rural authorities of the representatives of 

 the rural districts on the boards of guardians of the poor. A tabular view ia 

 submitted of the counties of England and Wales, with the number of urban and 

 rural sanitary authorities in each and a comparison of the justices of the peace 

 with the proposed number of elected representatives, together with the total 

 number of members of the proposed county councils. Though apparently the 

 justices would outnumber the elected representatives, this is only nominally so, as 

 it is officially stated that about 80 per cent, of the justices must be deducted 

 through repetitions (as being ou the commission for more than one county), non- 

 attendance through age, non-residence, &c. The existing state of things shows 

 that the number of justices in each county and the number of the urban and 

 rural sanitary authorities are very much in proportion to the extent, the financial 

 importance, and the population of the areas, and the niunber of members of each 

 council would of course vary in that proportion. 



Such an arrangement would tend to unify county government and relieve the 

 Imperial Legislature. The councils woidd take over the civil administration of the 

 magistrates, the duties of overseers, the control of highways, county bridges, 

 lunatic asylums, and county buildings, and the assessment, rating, and general 

 financial arrangements. They would regulate the local administrative policy, the 

 police, the licensing, and the poor-law systems, co-ordinating the general and 

 municipal public health requirements of boroughs and rm-al districts, and formu- 

 lating the exigencies of the School Board requirements of their areas. They would 

 report to the Imperial Legislature on all private parliamentary Bills affecting their 

 districts, public endowments, and charities, and submit a county budget. It is 

 proposed that all magisterial functions should be placed in the hands of well- 

 trained and well-paid lawyers. Thus outside the courts of law or judicial 

 business they would, under the direction of the principles laid down by the 

 Imperial Government, direct tlie local administi'ation of their areas generally. 

 The variety of procedure would bring out the differences of custom, usage, and 

 political tendency. Questions of local option and other legislative measures of 

 the utmost importance, upon which the time of Parliament is now annually spent 

 without effect, would be tentatively passed in the county areas, with the advantage 

 to the Imperial Legislature of practical experience locally of the measures proposed. 



Centralised administration and subventions from Government have necessarily 

 a tendency to encourage an increased though not always a thoughtful expenditure 

 of public money. If that portion of local taxation which is now collected by the 

 Imperial Government was allocated to the local authorities for collection, such as 

 the game, gun, and dog licenses, house duty, drink licenses, taxes for carriages 

 and armorial bearings, and the subventions were withdrawn, a healthier public 

 spirit would certainly be induced. The subventions by the Imperial Government 

 in aid of local government in England and Wales in 1885-6 amounted to 

 3,361,858/, 



