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"many

Lord Salisbury laid down at Newport that “ of those powers now given to the Local Govern- ment Board" ought to be given to these new Local Bodies, and that the centralization of late years should be undone, thereby pointing out that still larger new duties and powers would hereafter be committed to them.

Following on these lines, Mr. Balfour's Bill, in clause 11, sketches the transfer to the County Council of various undefined "powers, authorities, and duties” heretofore "vested in the Secretary of State, the Board of Trade, and the Local Govern- ment Board."

The same Bill confers upon them more definite new duties, not hitherto possessed by Municipal Councils, e.g., as to Sunday closing, closing and buying out public-houses, readjusting local boun- daries, visiting workhouses, charge of lunatic asylums and reformatories, road districting, &c., while the Cabinet inclines to endow them with the new powers of buying and dispensing land for allotments.tc.

It is also well known that the Liberal Party is only waiting for the creation of such Councils to give them large powers as to grouping and classi- tication of endowed and secondary schools, and as to elementary education and school attendance.

These are wide and important duties for the County Councils, over and above all those already belonging to Town Councils, which are also con- ferred upon them, in addition to the other existing non-judicial functions of Quarter Sessions.

Considering, then, these facts, 1 submit that the County Council is a totally different thing from the Municipal Council, whether we look at the con- `ditions, or at the functions of the two bodies, and I feel confident that to place the Council, with all its powers-vast under the Bill, and sure still further to grow-entirely in the untried and uncer- tain hands of those elected by popular vote, must lead to much confusion, bad management, suffering, and expense.

For it must not be forgotten that in many districts of the northern, midland, eastern, and western counties, and also of Wales, the squires will have little chance, and the farmers no chance, of being elected by the labourers, even if they care

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