MR. GOLDSMIDasked the President of the Local Government Board, To state to the House the course he proposes to pursue with regard to Clauses 15 and 16 of the Public Health Bill, which by imposing additional charges on the rates, contravene the Resolution relating to Local Taxation agreed to by the House on the 16th of April, to the effect that, "it is expedient to remedy the injustice of imposing Taxation for national objects on one description of property only?"
§ MR. STANSFELDsaid, his hon. Friend had put his Question on the Paper under some misapprehension as to the effect of Clauses 15 and 16 of the Public Health Bill. Those clauses would not impose any additional burden upon the rates; but would merely distribute in a different form charges under existing Acts of Parliament, or which might be imposed by other clauses of the Bill. But even if the clauses referred to did impose additional charges, they would not come within the terms of the Motion of the hon. Baronet the Member for South Devon (Sir Massey Lopes) to which the House had assented. If his hon. Friend referred to the Motion adopted by the House, he would find that its terms were to this effect—
That no legislation with reference to Local Taxation will be satisfactory which does not provide, either in whole or in part, for the relief of occupiers and owners in counties and boroughs from charges imposed on ratepayers for the administration of justice, police, and lunatics, the expenditure for such purposes being almost entirely independent of local control