Parliamentary Publications . 



121 



sum raised on account of poor rates was £22,063,539, or 2s. gd. 

 in the pound. This rate was highest (3s. 5§d.) in the eastern 

 division of England, and lowest in the northern division, 

 where it averaged is. njd. only. Of this sum of £22,063,539, 

 however, considerably more than half was paid as contributions 

 required by precepts to other local authorities — principally as 

 payments for county, borough, and police rates — the amount 

 raised for the purposes of the poor-law authorities being 

 £9,273,805 only, of which again some portion was devoted 

 to purposes partly or wholly unconnected with poor relief. 

 The gross expenditure immediately connected with this relief 

 was £11,286,973 ; of this sum "receipts in aid" represented 

 £2,667,871, leaving £8,619,102 (including salaries, but ex- 

 cluding the maintenance of pauper lunatics) as the net 

 expenses, directly connected with relief, borne by the poor 

 rate. 



The most important of the other items contributing to the 

 receipts of local authorities were £6,570,343 from the Local 

 Government Board out of the Local Taxation Account ; 

 £1,332,091 out of Estate Duty under the Agricultural Rates 

 Act, 1896; Treasury subventions amounted to £3,888,524; 

 tolls, dues, and duties, to £3,893,260; revenue from water- 

 works to £3,480,035, and from g'asworks to £5,407,329, various 

 smaller items making up the total. The main heads of 

 expenditure (other than poor relief) were £8,244,961 on 

 education, and £8,443,996 on highways and their maintenance; 

 £7,186.556 on water, gas, and sewerage works; £5,037,636 

 on police, etc., etc.; while £14,706,246 represented payments 

 in respect of principal and interest of loans. 



Of the receipts more intimately connected with agriculture 

 during the year 1898-9, it may be noted that market rents, 

 tolls, stallages, etc., yielded£823, 232; slaughterhouses, £30,683, 

 bridge and ferry tolls, etc., £ ] 59,487 ; small holdings, allot- 

 ments, and commons, £1,381. 



The expenditure, not defrayed out of loans, includes a sum 

 of £43,239 under the Contagious Diseases (Animals) Acts. 

 Sewerage and sewage disposal works cost £1,716,518; 

 markets and fairs, £396,332 ; bridges and ferries, £273,474 ;. 

 slaughter-houses, £21,773 5 land drainage, etc., £298,686. 



