June 1895.] 



PARLIAMENTARY PUBLICATIONS. 



85 



or 5*8 per cent, of the assessments for the former of these 

 years, and that there was a fall from 1879 to 1894 of 11,736,000^., 

 or 22 * 7 per cent. It is suggested that there was a similar rise 

 in the assessment of land for local rates between 1870 and 

 1879. If so, the reduction of assessments from 1879 to 1894 

 has been for the whole of England and Wales 22*7 per cent. 

 The reduction has varied very much in different parts of the 

 <;ountry, and instances are given showing the per-centage of 

 reductions in various counties. 



It is pointed out that these per-centage reductions do not show 

 the full reduction in value of purely agricultural land in rural 

 districts, a large extent of land in agricultural counties near 

 towns not having lost its value to the same extent as other 

 land. There is also much pasture land of the best quality which 

 has either maintained its value or lost but little. 



In some Unions where the population has largely increased, the 

 fall in the assessment of land appears to be due to some extent 

 to the withdrawal of land from agricultural purposes. 



Even in individual Unions it is probable that the average 

 reduction of assessment of land does not represent the fall in 

 the value of purely agricultural land of the worst quality. 

 There is much land which has maintained its value for excep- 

 tional reasons when other land in the neighbourhood has fallen 

 greatly in value. 



The return brings to light the growth in value of property 

 other than land, especially of railways, and the higher assess- 

 ments of railways have in a very large number of Unions made 

 up for the reduction in the value of land. 



Another point brought out clearly by the return is that, 

 in spite of the fall in the value of land and the great 

 increase of population, there has been a general increase in 

 the proportion of rateable value of property to the popula- 

 tion. There are only seven counties where there has been a 

 slight reduction of rateable value in proportion to population, 

 viz., Essex, Lincoln, Norfolk, Northampton, Suffolk, Wilts, and 

 York (East Hiding). The average rateable value per head of 

 population in these counties was, in 1870, 51. 8'9s., and in 1894 

 it was 51, 2 9 s. 



In the vast majority of Unions there has been an increase of 

 rateable value in proportion to population. For the whole 

 country the rateable value per head of population in 1870 was 

 4^. 12s., and in 1894 it was 51. lis. per head. 



