The Express.
London, England, 1867-06-19 00:00:00

THE COMPOUND RATING QUESTIOh.

Yesterday afternoon a specially convened con-
ference of the local authorities of the metropolis was held
in the Court-house, Marylebone-lane, for the purpose of
receiving and acting upon the report of the committee op-
I9inted to oonrider the proposed alteration of rating occu-
piers of small tenements instead of owner. There was a
very full representation at the conference, and Dr, Bach.hoffner (of Marylebone) eras elected to preside. Ilr. Green:
well (vestry clerk of Maryletme) read the report of the
committee, which, after relating the circumstances of de.
potations to the Poor-law Board and Mr. Gladstone (re.
ports of which are published), submitted as the result of
the deliberations of the committee the two following
propositions, one of which the House of Corn.
moos, it was suggested, should be asked to embed,
in the Reform Bill in the form of a clause:—" That in
cases in which the owner of any premises is now
by any act or acts to be rated linstead of the occupier
the name of the owner for the time being shall be pineeei
upon the rate books, together with the name of the or
copier and such owner shall be liable to the payment of
two-thirds .of the rate in case default is made by the oc-
cupier for two months after the making of the rate, and
all the powers of the act or seta under which such owner
would be liable to be rated if this act had not passed, may
be put in force for the purpose of enforcing such liability
to the extent of two-thirds of the rate. That it shall be
sufficient in the rate books and in any legal proceedings
consequent upon non-payment of the rates to designate
the occupier of any premises for which the owner is
jointly rated, whose name may be unknown as
the occupier without name or further description
stating such name to be unknown. and such name sh.ll be
noted in the rate-books as soon as the same shall be aster-
tained, without prejudice to the validity in the meantime
of any rate duly made." " That the occupier for the time
being shall be liable only for such proportion of the rues
as accrues during the time of his occupancy ; that when
the owner of any dwelling-house or other tenement lets
the same upon condition of the occupier paying the rates,
sad the owner pays any portion of the rates in pursuance
of this act, he nig add to any rent due or occurring doe
for the occupier in respect of the said dwelling-house or
other tenements any amount paid by him on account of
the rates to which he may be rendered liable by the act."
In the above propositionsthe committee had set forth their
views, but they submitted that the more simple and
practical method of saving the parishes from Ices,
which was the consideration with the committee,
would be by rating both the owner and occu-
pier of tenements let at a rent not exceeding
twenty pounds by the year, or for a leas term than a year,
or where the rent was received at any shorter period
than three months. The occupier would thus be peraomdly
liable for payment of the rates, and on payment by him-
self or by his landlord, who would be deemed his agent,
would be entitled to the vote. The committee, therefore
recommended that the above two propositions be placea
before the metropolitan members' and that they be re-
quested to consider which of the two would be most ac-
ceptable to the House of Commons. After considerable
discussion, both propositions were adopted, the following
rider being added to the second a—" But in rating such
tenements, an allowance or deduction shall be made from
the rateable return for the water rates, landlords' taus
and rates, and collection of rates incident to such class of
tenements."