The Municipal Year Book. Edited by Robert Donald. (E. Lloyd.
3s. 6d. net.)-This volume contains, as may be supposed, a vast amount of information about the management of municipal affairs in all the cities throughout the United Kingdom. Lists of the governing bodies are given, and amounts of assured values, debts, rates, &c. One very interesting section supplies the results of the recent arbitration re the London water companies. The com- panies clainied X50,939,198, and had awarded to them 242,287,271 in cash and debentures. Two, the West Middlesex and the South- wark and Vauxhall, received more than they asked for, the first 24,296,000 as against 24,200,240, the second 26,090,982 as against 25,674,140. On the other hand, the New River Company wanted 213,260,144, and received £8,725,123. The tables of comparative indebtedness and taxation at the end of the volume are particularly worth looking at. One of the biggest relative debts is that of Sheffield, which owes just five times the amount of its rateable value, 28,165,824, being the encumbrance on 21,612,521. Wakefield surpasses it, however, with 41,167,104 on 2195,267. This amount is only .24,498 less than six times. Stockton-on-Tees, Rochdale, and some other places are nearly in the same plight. In the matter of rates levied the lowest are : Oxford, 4s. 4d.; Lancaster, 4s. 6d. ; Bournemouth, 5s.; Bacup, Blackpool, Barrow-in-Furness, South- port, Newcastle, 6s. 3d. ; Darlington, 5s. 6d.; Belfast and Eastbourne, 5s. 9d. No others are less than six shillings. Those of nine shillings and over are East Ham (9s. 6d.), Halifax (9s.), Norwich (9s. 7d.), Rotherham (9s. 2d.), Wakefield (9s.), West Ham (9s. 10d.), and Wolverhampton, which has the unenviable pre-eminence with 10s. ld.
C.B.
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