The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-01-11 00:00:00

TI7ANCIL

Mr. FAII4I:IIARSON read the report of the Finance Com-
mittee
• •

" The committee having examined the treasurer's accounts
for the pout ,tutrter And the expenscc to have amounted to
£.4.40S 111. 21. whilst the receipts have been as follows :
Delaney in hand Michaelmas Sessions last, C 1,250 0.; a county
rate at three f irthings in the C will at Michaelmas Sessions,
£2921 Ice 3.1 fine and fee.. tws Ito 5.1 ; Treasury order for
prosecution of prisoners and conveyance of convlcte. £llO7 10e
?I : from the visiting Justices of the Lunatic Asylums. being •
payment In addition to £6,400 already received, in aid of
coon.). rate, C 1,7706 total receipt., 001 0. 10d. Deduct the
above mentioned fermate of 4,403 It. 3.1 there will remain
a belmee of C 1,791 13. 7,1 m,allable for the purpowe of the
coming quarter. The committee recommend • rate at a half-
pcnnv in the C. amounting to £1,040 Ile ad, to be order.' to
be p.d.i ,ote week before the tient Sessions "
Ti.. ellAlitata remarked that they had to InoM to the
additional expense of • bridge, and al. the Assizes. WaS
the rate sufficient ? . .

Mr. FARRCHAILIION 'mud the committee hail taken these
mt sermipt,anil he thoitsht the rete.woold.suffiee.

The Earl c.f ELDON wished to ask the chairman of the
finance mitten whether he had received an account of
any proneedings before the Court of Queen's Bench against
the Mayor and corporation of C,orfe Castle for holding
Itre e,.t.r. !tertian, . . . .

Mr. F sativiisason was understood to litre a negative.
Tho Earl of Eton,' &died whether it was intended that
thew charges should be brought into the county balance
sheet t

The CLERK of the PrAcs said that at the next quarter
ne:odons, the whole question would be presented to the
Coot. .tt present it was rub joulize,
_ . . . . . .

Lord ELDON wkheil to know if there was any minute
authorising these nrweedings t If not, who gave directions
for them tube taken
_ __ _

The CLF.RK of the PEACE was not prepared to answer,
until the next Qlarter Sevsions.
The Rev. C. W. ilivouin said this was a matter that
demanded some Immediate public explanation. Others
might be behind the scenes ; he was not. All he knew warn
that the county of Dorset had been engaged in civil pro-
ceedings. utuiuccessful proceedings he believed, but he
never hear that the Court of Quarter Sessions ordered
these proceedings to he institJted. It seemed strange that
such proceedings should have existed • but he suppoeed the
answer would be that they had been instituted by order of
the Licensing Committee. He was not aware that the
Licensing Oorurnitte, hail more powers than any other
committee, and if the Gaol Committee or the Lanatic
Asylum Committee were to institute proceedings, at law,
he believed they would be subjected to the very unpleasant
prooess of having to pay the costs out of their own pocket
The CHAIRMAN sant that, as chairman of the Licensing
Committee, he begged to state that at the next Quarter
Sessions, he should be happy to lay the whole matter
before the Court. At present that could not he done,
because the matter was sui indigo.
Lord ELDON asked if it would he very Inconvenient for
the whole matter to he adjourned to the Midsummer
Sessions I He understood the proceedings were taken on
the 3rd June, In& and de did not know why they had not
had the bill in before, if they were to have it in at all.
The Rev. C. W. BING 11•11 : May I ask whether these
proceedings are still going on /
The CHAIRMAN said it was very inconvenient to place
the matter before the Court now. If it would affect in
the slightest degree the county expenditure, it ought to
he brought before the Court ; but no future expenditure
was anticipated. It was desirable te get the advice they
were waiting for, . .

-Mr. -1317(07.1Alilencied it had always been the course to
ask the leave of the Court, before even obtaining the
opinion ot couneeL
The CHAIRMAX said if they would have the patience to
wait till next sessions, they would have an opportunity of
judging whether the Licensing Committee had done right
or Wrong. . . . .

Mr. BINGHAM asked whether all the committees had
the right to obtain legal advice when anything disagree-
able happened
The CHAIIIIIA.N said it seemed the Licensing Committee
had.
LOANS.
_

The CIIAINMAN called attention to a letter from the
Home Office respecting the means whereby loans could be
obtained from the Loan Commissioners. Happily In this
county they had no want: they were paying off instead
of contracting debts ; but if in any future year the Court
should want to borrow they must take care to make appli-
cation before the 31st December. In calling attention to
the county sheet he remarked they were paying their
justices' clerks salaries to the amount of £l,OlO, while the
receipts were only Eitn 15s. 7d., and it therefore appeared
they were giving the justices clerks £OO more than they
would have received if they had taken fees. Hut it wax
well they should bear in mind the explanation. The fact
was that in addition to the MI there were all the WWI
which were not charged to the parishes, the fees for
signing rates, making parochial orders, kc., and all these
must be added to the L 222 to make up the difference.
The scale of fees had also been materially diminished.
Magistrates were apt to say, when they found the fees
ought to be Si. lid, for instance, "that Is too much for
this poor fellow to pay," and by their own action to
diminish the amount due to the county purse, when they
diminished what the convict ought to pay. In arranging
to pay as they had done the excellent men who roust he
employed they must not think they had done an improvi-
dent thing in having made such an arrangement.
Mr. FU)VER sail his lordship's notice of the matter
WWI very useful and very satisfactory. lie himself always
liked piece work, and where it could be dole, it WM much
better than salaries. Still he thought the power which
the justices in Petty Sessions had, of reducing the amount
of fees was a very valuable one. Sometimes it was very
objectionable to enforce the payment of fees, and an
appeal used to he made to the justices' clerk to forego
his fees, which was also very objectionable, The change
had been a very good one, and he hoped the fact was that
the county did not lose very much

Or COUNTY RAT&
The CHAIRMAN then referred to the Ines of the county
rate, and said it must be obvious that the county rate
must he revised. A large amount of property which was
not previously rated had come under the rating by the
operation of new laws, and this made it necessary to
amend the basis. He suggested that the Assessment
Coininittee should be filled, and that they he requested to
proceed to amend the basis. They were told that they
had reason to believe that changes would he made as to
local taxation, and he did not think the committee would
be wasting their time in amending the basis, nor would
they do right in abstaining from amending the basis from
any prospect of alteration of the law.
The following alterations were then made in the com-
mittee .—Kr. Henry Goodden was added in the place of
Mr. W. Eliot, and Kr: W. Calcraft in the place of Mr.
Caleraft, these two gentlemen having requested to be
excused; and Kr. Syndercombe Bower took the place of
the late Mr. Thomas Bowyer Bower.
The Finance Committee's report was received, and •
rate of id. in the .0 was made.
count". coxertaci..tkr...

Major FamorrOiiwread the report of the Constabulary
co9mittee . .

uchers for the bills °Wooed to be paid at the last
•• The vo
Immion• for the police etations, amounting to k3l Ss I Id, have
been produced to your Committee by the County Surveyor. Tb•
bills for the repair. of the sevend police stations named below,
amounting to gal its 104, hate boon pnslueed to your once-
mitt.,., by the County Surveyor, mei, after examination, allowed
tonl "nkrol to ',staid —via, litalwifonl station, £2 is 3J . Cerne
id, £lO 7. Id —CIO 7s ; Cranborne, 3.; Portii".l, c.""ct"
Ina drainage, £7 10s, pointing wall., a 10s.— 1:10; Sturmlnster,
140 Id; Wlmborne, LI IM.-tat Os 10.1. The repairs of the
Blandford station, ordered at the last Midsummer semione, are
not yet completed. Balance in treasurer'. hands £1173 12s bd.
The expenditure for the matting bee been °etiolated
St £4,607 Its. The guperammlion Fund amount+, to
/14,419 Ile id (Mating), Invested on mortgage at 4/ tier cent.
and £1,136 iht (etock). to which will be added (subject to
U.. payment of current allowances) CU as 2d reseteed from
tbe men in the last quarter. The Committee recommend that
a rate of • i In the S. atootutting to &876 Itte 104 be ordered at
these esoleoe.
The report eras raosived aad adopted.

TRZ CRISP 01:6.91•111L•11 &SPORT
Was read by the Clerk of the Peace.
"I have the honour of laying before you the returns of crime
for the past quarter, by which it spews that es persons were
apprehended by the constabulary end were dealt with as folio wry:
Discharged, SI : summarily disposed of, 110; committed for
triad 17—total 178. These returns show. decrease .4 25 in the
number of persons apprehended, as compared with the coTt'fl-
pooling .1 last yessr, the principal cove, .1 decrease
being under the be e1..4 petty lareenies and vagrancy ; and I
have much ph:v.lre Ira being also ah'e to report that there is a
C mantled decrease of enme of a tier's. character throughout
tie, county constalndary district. Ihe Cl, iy Sweepers Act
el 1175 mire bit., operation on the let inst , peel meter the
powers therein given 1 have already granted 25 certificates to
master chimney •tweepil in liunoct. I also beg to lay before the
Gout the returns under the Contagious Disuaises (Animals)
Act for the quarter etelhig 31s1 December last, as also fir the
year 1870, by which It 111,1,11 that during the p st twelve
months foot and moth disease has prevailed tan terious extent
the number of outbreaks having ainounted to 1,213, whilst
104,144 animals have been attacked ; of theme 103 cattle, 177
sheep and 613 swine had died. There are at present 90 farms
effected with the disease. There has aleo been daring the past
year one outbreak of pleUrolmeninoniA, and one animal affected
with this disease was slaughtered by order of the local
authority. During the peat twelvemonths 19 persons were
summoned for • breach .4 the Act."
The Police committee were re-appointed, with the excep-
tion of Col. Ilinghain, who wished to retire.
Some other matters were dispaied of, and the Court
rose, after arranging for the holding of a second Court for
trials of prisoners.

FIRST COURT. WEI/MAD/A%