MarTiet Rights a vd Tolls 
185 
Commissioners appear to be in favour of compulsion. Sir James 
Corry and Sir Thomas Martineau say, p. 123 : — 
"\Ve are of opinion that the most practical and effective reform lies in the 
direction, not of the abolition of market monopolies, but of the transfer of 
all of them now iu the handa of private individuals, or self-elected trustees, 
to the j-esponsible representatives of the inhabitants in their different local 
areas of governmeut. 
Mr. Picton and Mr. Mahouy say, p. 12-5 : — ■ 
All public markets now in the hands of trading companies or corpora- 
tions other than municipal should be taken over by Local Authorities ; and 
the latter, if necessary, should be compelled by legislation to acquire them. 
In support of this view may be cited the opinion of the late Mr. 
Bradlaugh, who says (p. 71) — 
that the Local Authorities should be empowered and required by law to 
acquire all existing rights to hold markets, to levy tolls, and to make regu- 
lations in connection with markets. 
It is noteworthy that the desire for compulsory powers seems to 
be nearly universal amongst Local Authorities, but in practice 
" considerably less than one-half of the markets in England and 
Wales are under the control and management, or in the possession 
of Local Authorities " (p. 69). This question of compulsion is a 
matter of great importance, but it does not sufficiently bear upon the 
character of markets to justify further discussion in these pages. 
What is of more importance to consider is whether, assuming 
the markets to be in the hands of Local Authorities, they should be 
what are called " free markets " — in other words, whether market 
accommodation should be provided by Local Authorities free of 
charge. Mr. Picton and Mr. Mahony are the only Commissioners 
who deal with this subject directly ; they say, p. 125 : — 
Local Authorities should not be allowed to apply the profits of markets 
to the reduction of rates ; but, beyond a small margin for contingencies, all 
excess of profit over expenses, interest, and sinking fimd, should go to 
reduce market rates, tolls, and stallages, and to improve accommodation. 
That is almost exactly the opinion of Mr. Bradlaugh, whose 
views appear on p. 110, and are of great interest, because he was 
the originator of the Markets Commission, and no doubt started it 
with this object. It is curious that, with the exception of Mr. 
Bradlaugh, there is hardly a person of any importance whose evidence 
can be cited in favour of this principle ; but in practice it is difficult 
to find any places where the authorities have acted in any other 
spirit. 
The reason is this : the rate of tolls is not allowed to be exces- 
sive in any case, and wherever the revenue from tolls is large the 
capital expenditure upon markets has been so great that the revenue 
barely provides for the maintenance and necessary extension of the 
market, together with a sinking fund for repayment of capital in a 
period of 30 or 40 years. However, the question of principle must 
be answered, and it is a difficult one. Why should the shopkeepers 
