The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1868-03-31 00:00:00

PORTLAND.

LITICIAIT INATITOTL —The readinproom will be
opened today (Tueaday), and will be supplied with the
daily and local papers and monthly periodicals. The
subscription is 'Oa 6d. per annum, and already there
ere upwards of fifty members. A good library is
established in oonnection with the London Library
Company. Visitors to the island ere admitted to the
reading-room on the payment of one penny. Capt.
C. A. Nanning ham kindly consented to be president,
and altogether the institution is started tinder the
most favourable auspioes, and with every promise of
moots&

ST. GgOlina'n VeSTItT tatiTtio.—On Thursday
afternoon last a vestry meeting was held at St. George's
Church. The meeting was called according to custom
for the purpose of nominating ratepayen to fill the
office of overseen for the ensuing year. There was a
full attendance of ratepayers, and after some degree
of trouble Mr. B. Stone was proposed by Mr. Gibbs to
take the chair, which waa unanimously carried. The
Chairman then read the notice convening the meetine.
—Mr. A. Scriven said he had a proposition to make
after the nomination of overseen. The meeting were
aware at the last meeting of the Local Board of Health
he brought forward the subj.et of rating the stone
which was faked away by Government and shipped for
Portsmouth and Chatham. The amount shipped last
last year amounted to over 20,000 tons, which un-
fortunately for the parish was not rated, through the
negligence of the proper person who ought to look after
the welfare of the parishioners. The stone wee quarried
from the Government land by the convict., therefore
Government was realizing an immense profit. He (the
speaker) thought it was not fair for Government to be
excused 'ovine the rates whilat the other owners of
property were paying heavy taxation. He contended
Government was liable to the pooes•rates equally as
much as theme who had pirate land from which the
stone was raised.—The following gentlemen were
then nominate I as overseers i—Messrs I. l'omben,
A. &river', W. Comben, B. White, F.. Score, J. Cook,
B. Smith, J. White, B. B. &riven, W. Gibbs, H. Flew.
—Mr. B Comben said they had met for the purpose of
nominating overseers. but be considerel • special
vestry should have been callei for the porpoise of
aftertaining the validity of ntingGsvernment property.
In looking over the papers he found on the ProlunM
tion of Alderman Salomon. that • motion was
owacd in the Howe of Commons In 1861, in
Whiah it stated that all lands and buildings °coupled for
publiepartment wen to be assessed to tie loud rates and
to be paid sosordingiy. The motion was oppcmed by
Mr. Peel, who explained the principleon which Govern-
ment had acted, vie., that they (Government) were
willing to contribute towards the local rates, when it
could be shown that the value of the property exeseded
one-seventh part of the rateable value of the pariah
properly. He (the speaker) contended a meeting ought
to be immediately convened to consider • matter of No
much importance. which, if carried, would be a boon to
the rahpayers of the island. It was well known that
Gi Torment had more than one-seventh part of the pro-
perty of the pariah, which was rateable before, and in
his opinion Government ought to contribute towards the
n• . He was positive if a meeting was called, and the
palish officers were to wows the Government property,
the parish would be saved a large amount of rates—(hear,
hear).—Mr. Pearce said some time since Government
sent down an inspector to examine the rate-book and to
make an investigation as to the rating. Al that time
be understood Government were willing to pay rates on
land ahich formerly was rated. Since then no farther
correspondence had taken plat*, and the parish had
ceased to bear anything more upon the subject.—Mr.
A. Scriven said it was not likely Government would pay
rates until • demand was made upon them by the proper
authorities. —Mr. IL B. &riven said the parish should
first prove that Government was pommeled of more theta
one seveoth part of the property of the island.—Mr. A.
Swiven said there would be no difficulty about that.
He was very sorry Mr. Comben had taken the matter
out of his hands, as he had given notice of his intention
of bringing forward the matter at the Board of Health,
as well as at the commencement of the meeting. Mr.
Comben in his opinion had not touched the main point.
The question he considered was one of considerable
importance to the rate-payers of Portland. inasmuch as
the Crown was now receiving about £2600 per annum
from the tonnage does, thus depriving the parish
of about £333 61. 84. in rates due on the stone
chipped from the Breakwater, and for which the parish
officer, had made no claim. Hit considered a demand
should be made not only for the amount due on stone
for the past year but for the flee previous year,—(hear,
hear). If they could recover that sum a great burden
would be removed from the ratepayers. He could not
see why they should pay the overphis when Govern-
ment was reaping so much benefit out of the property
of the pariah. When the lease of Messrs. Steward and
Co.'s Crown land expired, they would still further feel
the ill effects of their negligence. He trusted they
would avail themselves of the opportunity of levying
rates upon norernment property.—Mr. W. Gibbs said
he hoped the rah-payers would earn out the snow.
Sons made by the C.erk to the Local Board of Health
(Mr. Howard) —After some further conversation, the
meeting seemed satisfied with the statements of Mr. A.
&riven and Mr. Combos, and it was resolved that a
special vestry meeting should be forthwith called to
discuss the propriety of rating the Government pro-
party. The meeting then broke up.