412 = 146 Taxation as affecting the Agricultural Interest. 
supplied a better system. For Poor Law purposes the countr- 
was then mapped out into G50 unions or groups of the parishe 
which formed the older area of this as of other functions o 
local government. The districts so formed are usually uniqu 
in their area, and non-coincident with either county, municipa' 
or other boundaries ; their limits being generally determined b 
the locality of the several workhouses, the use of which was 
prominent feature of the reformed system. 
Its purposes. The primary object of this rate is the relief of destitutiorl 
but to this obligation legislation has added duties more c 
less closely kindred, among which are to be noticed the cofi, 
of providing exceptional treatment for lunatic paupers ; th| 
cost of locally registering births, deaths, and marriages; th 
costs of public vaccination ; the costs of local assessment, an 
those incident to the preparation of jury lists and the registnil 
tion of Parliamentary electors. 
A variety of other local rates are also now collected with an| 
under the general name of Poor-rate, but the above items ai|| 
the chief matters properly so regarded and administered tt 
Boards of Guardians — bodies partly elective from the rabl 
payers on a scale of graded voting, and partly formed 
resident local magistrates. 
Perhaps the best notion of the apportionment of the who' 
7,600,000/. of the Poor-rate (proper), and especially of the sha 
of each of its objects borne by agricultural incomes, may be g 
from the following statement, which is based on the actual figur , 
given for the metropolis, and on the ratios between urban 
rural areas already adopted in the calculations I have submittc' 
Agricultural 
share of the 
poor-rate. 
Number of Paupers. 
Expenditure out of Poor Kate Proper. M 
In the 
Work- 
house. 
Out-door. 
Total. 
Areas. 
Mainte- 
nance in 
Worldiouse. 
Out-door 
Relief. 
Mainte- 
nance of 
Lunatics. 
Other 
Outlays. 
40,000 
59,000 
99,000 
(1) Metropolis 
£ 
464,000 
£ 
245,000 
£ 
183,000 
£ 
60»,000 
103,000 
547,000 
650,000 
j(2) England (ex-1 
< cludiUK the JIc-> 
[ tropolis) . . . . 1 
1,070,000 
2,516,000 
700,000 
1,814,000 
6,:H 
143,000 
606,000 
749,000 
(3) AU England . . 
1,531,000 
2,761,000 
883,000 
2,422,000 
Y.'B 
47,000 
252,000 
299,000 
1(4) Urban Districts,] 
< being 46 per cent. J- 
1 of(2) 1 
492,000 
1,157,000 
332,000 
834,000 
56,000 
295,000 
351,000 
1(5) Ihiral Districts,] 
< being 54 per ceut.> 
I of (2) ! 
578,000 
1,359,000 
378,000 
980,000 
47,000 
249,000 
296,000 
((G) "Land" only,) 
1 licing so per cent.l 
) (if (S), and 5 pi:v| 
( ctlit. of (4) .. ..) 
436,000 
1,145,000 
319,000 
826,000 
3.H 
