The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1888-04-07 00:00:00

SIR M. HICKS-BEACH.

Speaking at Bristol on Tuesday night, as President
of the Salisbury Club, Sir M. Hicks-Beach said the
great Liberal party of 1886 had been split up, and the
best part of it was now supporting the Conservative
Government, while the remnant was divided within
itself. Pointing to electoral contests since the last
general election, he maintained that they showed a
change in the opinion of the country in favour of
Constitutional and Unionist views, and that Ministers
had the support of the nation Having referred to
Mr. Goschen's financial proposals, Sir Michael pro-
ceeded to say: Whatever fault might be found
with the Local Government Bill, it could not be
said to be small in scope or little in importance.
He believed the broad lines upon which that
measure was cast commended themselves to the
general opinion of the country. Some people had de
dared it was a death-blow to the English squire; bui
he was certain the ratepayers would recognise the
ability and honesty with which the squires had for
years past done the county work—not for reward or
public praise, but to serve those among whom they
lived—and that their desire to do their duty for duty's
sake would ensure their continued activity, and, per-
haps, increased power in the County Councils of the
future. (Hear.) It had been said that the Govern-
ment's financial proposals in connection with the
Local Government scheme would add to the taxation
of the towns for the benefit of the country districts,
and was a bribe to the landed interest. No more
unfounded statement was ever made. He did not
desire to dwell upon the details of the proposed
taxes, hut he would point out that the wheel tax and
horse tax were not intended as parts of Imperial taxa-
tion, but to be used entirely in relief of the rates for
the necessary expenses which the County Councils and
larger Town Councils would have to meet. It appeared
to him a just thing that the men who kept carriages
and carts should pay more to the cost of maintaining
the roads than the ratepayers who did not. In the
same way he had always regretted that the tax upon
horses was abolished, and he thought that certainly
so far as regarded horses that were used for pleasure
it ought to be re-enacted. But these matters
were largely matters of detail both in regard
to carts and to horses. There must be cer-
tain exemptions, and no man could fairly judge of
*.he taxes that were proposed until he saw what
was actually proposed stated in the words of a
bill before Parliament. Therefore he counselled any
who were condemning these taxes because they
thought they would be seriously affected to wait and
see precisely what they were, and if they were
touched by them to apply to their representative to
state fairly their case to the House of Commons.
He pointed out that towns would benefit more than
the country districts by the considerable giant for the
maintenance of the poor in workhouses; but this was
only just, he thought, looking to the large
gravitation of the poor from the country to the
towns. The produce of the licenses would be paid to
the towns as well as the country districts. There
was, therefore, no ground for the allegation that
the towns were to be taxed for the benefit
of the country. He believed the division would be
perfectly fair between town and county in each case,
though he admitted that there never was a time when
the ratepayers of the rural districts were more in need
of relief than at the present moment. Ile believed
the Local Government Scheme as a whole would com-
mend itself to the judgment of the nation. It would
be a reform of great value, not merely in bringing the
ratepayers in the country into the administration of
local affairs, but as a measure of decentralisation of
the functions of government in England. That was
to be the great measure of the session, but he hoped
also that the Railway Rates Bill, for which he was
more directly responsible, would also become law.

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