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to secure a uniform Assessment throughout county. This object, which is very imperfectly attained by existing machinery, is very desirable even under existing circumstances, but it becomes of paramount importance if the county rate is to be largely increased, as it will be under this Bill, and if contribution to county purposes is made by personalty as is proposed by a Bill now in course of preparation.
The new system will differ from the old system, partly by the substitution of Committees of the County Council for Committees of Boards of Guardians; partly by the necessity which this Bill imposes upon the Assessment authority of con- sulting the Surveyor of taxes, much in the same manner as he is now consulted in the formation of the Valuation Lists of the Metropolis, and partly by the substitution of the County Court Judge for the Special Sessions and Quarter Sessions, as the Tribunal of final appeal within the county, when the appeal is on the question of value.
It has been thought desirable while assimilating the county system to the Metropolitan system in the formation of Valuation Lists, to adopt also the Metropolitan system of quinquennial valuations.
The new licensing system will differ from the old licensing system not so much by the alteration of the functions now vested in the Magistrates, as by the endowment of the County Council, and Committees of the County Council, with powers not hitherto enjoyed by any local authority. It is not intended that the County Council, or its Com- mittees, shall exercise judicial functions, nor that they shall pronounce upon any question which bas to be determined on evidence taken on oath. Such questions are to be left, as heretofore, to the Magistrates, but the County Council will have absolute power to determine whether there shall or shall not be Sunday closing within the county, and over what area such Sunday closing is to prevail; and they will be able absolutely to regulate the number of public-houses in any locality, subject only to the restriction that full compensation shall be given to any publican deprived of his licence solely on grounds of public expediency.
It is not proposed to hand over to the County Council any of the powers now exercised by the
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