The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1868-04-14 00:00:00

WIDIRSDAY.
inter COURT.
(Wm Tho Lord Point Air.)

This Court opened at telt o'clock. In aharging Use
Grand Jury, his lordship observed that there was a
decided increase of crime in the county, °assisting in
the petty pilfering of small property, which heattributed
to the distress prevailing amongst the poor. It was
satisfactscry, hoverer, to know, that there was a great
diminution in the offences against the person. Turning
to the question of the incidence of tamtion, which is
now being agitated, the noble lord said :—There is one
branch of our duty to which I think I may usefully
allude, beams it may saes a great deal of trouble sad
expense, U it is properly put before you. You know
that this Court is the court of appeal under a vast
number of laws, and amongst other portions of out duty
we bare to hear appeal' noon the asessanents for the
poor-rate, and other rates which are made dependent
upon the poor-rate. Now, a good deal of mistake of
the law has been put abroad. Well-intentioned
excellent men give us their opinions on the state of the
law, bat unfortunately they hare not studied it
so as to know they are telling tha world that which is
really the law ; therefore it may be desirable that
you should be informed by me what la the real
stets of the law upon this subject, to that, *halm
you may be members of an asseament eominittee
or merely ratepayer., you may see it is your duty
as members of an ilkalisiainent committee simply to deal
with the law as it stands, sad that ratepayers would not
be jammed In appealing against your judgment, Sulam
they aaw that you Ittareittrained the law In a wee that
was not justillabk. ohs it is Of great nonasquerse
that them should no midair* as to what the law
really is. Now the foundation of all them mistakes is
the eonfusitio that men make between the words
" asmemment" and "rate." The assessment is laid down
by Ad of Parliament to be the taxation of oertela
property ; the rale is the proportion to be paid by the
owners of the differeut properties In the different
localities where they reside; and, therefore, Use eon.
fusion made between these two expressions kale men
very often to think that in talking of the rates t•tiy rn
talking rightly, when really they ought to be
about the samarium.. Prow, the amtvament is (071u=
upon the 43rd Let of Eligebeth, shapter 2, and there
hat been no variatios whatever in the kw of austement
sloes that Act was peered excepting that there has
been an annual Act of Paramant exempting the rating
of what is called stock-in.trade. With that exception
there has been no allergies whatirm in the law of
assessment mime the 43rd o( isebetl the alteration of
the law has only been with reforest* to the mode of rating.
The last Ad of Parliament whiab ratan to rating is the
6th sod tth William IV., cap. 96, width endeavoured to
mire various difficulties as to the ratinLof a perish; and
under that Act the rates are made. When you are told
to raise • rate of 6d. la the period that min is meAs In
the manner directed by the 6th and 7th William IV.
Rat the assessment stands prelim', to it did ender the
43rd of Elisabeth, exempt that elkok.in-trade is exempted
from rating by a epesial Act of Parliament. As to the
43rd of Elisabeth, I will read you the clause out of the
Act of Parliament. My reason for doidg this is became
a gentleman has been tolling the world, and kaa pat it
tato print, that

"?b. wird' of We dird of lanaboth—the foundation of
U.. Poor Law and aulnennon A.—do not ..on motion
lends or bonne. It. words are that, every Whatnot nand
be toted for the whet sad entpioyment of the poor, ' amoral,
to hi. meta' It maned net whether tbe Inhabitanto of
then rubes were Leann of omen, or ottoman the anew'
ntosin• wen In money or In land and how's Nor don It
atter now, tam It amo be shown that Inane soloing trout
roomy ie net wane°

Yon shall hoar whoa Lb* AA a Neikammt Hew
ear :
' Do It snaeted by the authority of this Mileset Parliament
that the shurchnneas of envy pariah, and four, three, or
two substantial bonsioldsrs Mere, as *MI be thought meat,
Telpete te the proportion end gramme of the same
parldi.mtdo=te hs nominated yesrly gainer
or week,
after gamer, under the bend and nil of
two or man Psalms of the Pelee In the suns county, elision(
one to be of Ms Quiorins. dwelling In or near the mans parish
or division wham the mins parbil don be, Mall be failed
01 the Door of the mme mein : And they or the
greater part of than nog take order from time to lists, by,
sad whh the softest of two or more justices ef tin Pesos, so
I. aforesaid, for meting to wort the children of all ouch
whose parents shag not by the said churehwardos said Ore,
men, or the greater= Ulm be thoorbt able to lump
and nriondo their she for setting to work
all web persons, mined or unierried, basing no mean to
malninin them, and is, no ordinary and daily trod* 01 111. so
Etheir long by. And ohs to raise westly or otherwise
Mutton of inhabitant, porra, Moir, and ohm, and
ery woolly Mom,—