The Local Government Act : a series of explanatory articles, reprinted from the Times.

Date:
1888
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Local Government Act : a series of explanatory articles, reprinted from the Times. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    16/104 (page 12)
    the municipal corporations and to convert their loans into stock, so many of the county councils will doubtless, upon their accession to office, turn their attention to the question of existing loans, and see whether, by creating county stock, they may not be able both to reduce the rate of interest and to extend the term over which the loans are being repaid. The justices of Essex not very long since obtained special legislative powers in this direction, and last Session the Surrey justices introduced a Bill, which they only withdrew in view of the changes contem- plated by the Local Government Act, then passing through Parliament. But whether the county councils set their houses in order in this respect or not, the transferred licences and probate duty grant should enable a substantial reduction to be made in local taxation generally. Indeed, it will be obvious that the £3,CCC,0G0 handed over out of the Imperial Exchequer must, in one way or another, help the local ratepayer. Hitherto reference has only been made to tha changes actually effected by the Act itself or JLikely to flow from its operation. When the contemplated further powers are transferred from the Local Government Board and the Board of Trade to the county councils,then these bodies will become of still more importance and will be far more powerful than they are as imme* diately created by the Act. They are, in fact, huge machines capable not only of doing their own work, but of furnishing the motive power for the vast and complicated mechanism that must exist throughout ail the country districts of England and Wales. By the Bill it was proposed at once to transfer certain important powers to the county councils. But jja Comniiirfcee these cowers were struck Qut. and