The Telegram. — 1893-05-23 (Weymouth, Dorset, England)

TILE BCREASE IN THE COUNTY RATES.  The alderuieu of the County Council of Dorset seem determined to prove that they are more worthy and efficient members of the Council than those who are appointed to that body by the more ordinary process of election. A large meeting was held on Saturday evening in the Corn Exchange, Dorchester, under the presidency of Mr. Alderman Frank E. Pope, to protest against ' the increase of the county rates, and to form a committee with a view of taking action against any further increase in the rates. The first resolution, protesting against the recent increase in the rates, was moved by Mr. W. D. Kent, and seconded by Mr. It. C. Watts, out found its , main supporters in Mr. Alderman J. T. Roulet, Mr. Alderman Duke, and Mr. Alderman G. Wood Homer. The second resolution agreed to appoint a committee to organise a Ratepayers' Defence Associatiou, and it is somewhat curious that the mover of the resolution spoke warmly in favour of the rates being paid by the landlord, while Mr. Hy. Spicer, who supported the resolution, advocated a partition of the rates ' equally between landlord and tenant. Mr. Wood Homer created great consternation amongst the audience by stating that the roads cost 18s per yard to repair annually, but their consternation was turned into merriment a little later when Mr. Homer explained that he had looked at the wrong column, and that the annual average cost was 101 per yard. It is just possible that the Finance Committee of the County Council were ill-advised in raising the county rate as much as 2YI at one bound. This was done partly to clear oft in thc course of this year and next year a deficit which has been accumulating unsuspeetedly during the last three or four years. It may be that if the County Council had been less heroic and had determined to meet this deficit over a period of four or five years, instead of over a period of two, much of the dissatisfaction at present felt would not have been called out. The chairman spoke of the farming interest being "annihilated by the increasing charges," and Mr. Wood Homer spoke of their not being a farmer left to pay them. In fact, several of the speeches were pitched as if truth rates had never been known before, althoegh plenty of farmers can recollect that not many years ago they were paying considerably higher rates than they do to-day. Mr. Pearce Edgeumbe pointed out that the present rate is only a halfpenny higher than the county rate was when the County Counciltook overtheadministration, and he further explained how the increase of 21-d had become necessary. Upon his giving this explanation it was then retorted, "But what ham' become of the increased grant from the Exchequer which the county has been recently receiving I" But the preceding speeches had not been based upon the fact that the ratepayers had not derived the benefit of a reduction which they might have expected from the increase in the Exchequer grant ; they had been entirely devoted to complaining of the rise in the county rate. When the farming interest complain of the present rate as an intolerable burden, it is difficult for them to make out a strong case, as the rates have been nearly as high as the county rate was-7d in the pound—as recently as 1889. When they complain that they are not at the present moment deriving the full benefit of a reduction which they might have fairly anticipated, it is probable that they are upon surer ground, and the result of appointing such a committee as that elected on Saturday must be to clear up in the ininds of many the doubts which have been thrown upon the financial administration of the County Council.  Lord and Lady Seymour were travelling in a train on Thursday frdin Loudon to Louplunoußili when a stone was thrown, which smsehed the window M their compartment, and stinck the other side of the carriage, just wroislng the occupants. A party of Hind cyciists, pupils from Dr. Camp. Roy-.l Normal College for the Blind. started on cycles from the %milieu House on Tuesday, for i;Wininglialii. sight rode on .me machine, an iin another, sad two ou a third, the first rider in each ease being able to see.  • Archibald Keller, aged 23, having intuited a girl name.' Annie Came.lt, to whntn he was engaged, at New V k, four of the girl's corn. panidur stripped him and tied him up tu a folic, one night and borer-whipped him till he cried for mercy. Keller has had m fly to escape further whippings.  During the temporary absence from her sittingroom of Mrs. Raper. of Raper's Temperance Hotel Cardiff. sonic one left o three mouths' old baby in her arm chair. With it was the following note : " Please take me in. Bring nis up well. Father is gone. Mother dexerted me. If you don't like to keep me take me to the workhouse. My name is Maud Joan."  A curious will has been placed on record in Louisville. It was written by a young wonian who recently committed suicide by taking poieen. In the last agonies of death she had scrawled her parting injunctions to her friends in this world on she pillow w4h a pencil, and ch• pillow-case has been duly " died " as the woraa's lamb will and teelanoslik