§ MR. J. G. HUBBARDasked the President of the Local Government Board, Whether, seeing that the Metropolis, in comparison with all England, has been and is exceptionally overcharged in its assessment under "The Metropolis Valuation Act, 1869," and that this overcharge of about 11 per cent, is aggravated by the Queen's Taxes being levied, not like local rates upon the net, but upon the gross assessment, he will, at the earliest period, introduce a general Valuation Bill to remedy the defects of the present administration?
MR. DODSON,in reply, said, the Metropolis being fully assessed under the Metropolis Valuation Act, may suffer in its contributions to the county rates if the Valuation Lists be adopted as the basis [for the county rate outside the Metropolis. He was not prepared to acquiesce in the statement involved in the Question that the assessment in the Metropolis exceeded that in other parts of the country to the extent mentioned. As to the Queen's Taxes, they were levied upon a uniform basis throughout the country. Bills for settling the question of valuation had been before the House for 13 years, and although that was not a very encouraging circumstance, he was anxious to deal with the subject at the earliest practicable moment; but there were other questions to be considered in connection with it.