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Local Government Board, which are necessary to that complete control of our Poor Law system which is now vested in a central authority. large number of powers relating to Poor Law might be transferred without violating this principle. It is open to question, however, whether it would be desirable to transfer these unessential outworks if there is no intention of surrendering the central citadel.
Note 1.
In the Bill provision is made for handing over the management of the police to the County Councils. But this course, though there is much to be said for it, is not without objections.
In favour of it it may be urged, firstly, that the management of the police is as much an adminis- trative as a judicial matter, and therefore belongs as naturally to the new body which is to administer county business as it does to the old body, with whom is to be left the judicial business of the county. Secondly, that as the boroughs have for the most part at present the management of their police, it seems scarcely possible to refuse this to the new County Municipalities. Thirdly, that it is desirable to add as much dignity as possible to the County Council, and that the proper method of doing this is to hand over to them as far as may be the management of the most important county affairs. Fourthly, that as they will have to raise the money out of which the police are clothed and paid, they will naturally claim to have some control over the force.
On the other hand, it may be argued that (firstly), it is possible that the transference of police control to an elective body in England may give us trouble when we come to deal with the case of Ireland. Secondly, if the police are transferred from Quarter Sessions to the County Councils, it will be necessary either to de- prive those boroughs which are not Quarter Sessions Boroughs merged in the county, but have separate police establishments, of the management of their own police, which in the case of large boroughs like Salford would undoubtedly produce great dissatis- faction, or else to raise the police rate from only the extra-municipal parts of the county, while at
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A
2.
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