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E. & F. N. SPON, 46, CHARING CROSS.

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LONDON

PHIPPS & CONNOR, PRINTERS, 13 & 14, TOTHILL STREET

WESTMINSTER

ALTHOUGH at the present time there exist several most comprehensive and erudite works on the Law and Practice of Rating, which are highly appreciated by those professionally interested in the subject, a desire has been frequently expressed by laymen, and more especially by the Members of Assessment Committees, that general information as to the principles of rating public undertakings should be published in a concise form; the author has therefore endeavoured to accomplish this object as far as practicable within the limits of a pamphlet, by an exposition of the mode now generally adopted in the rating of Gas and Water undertakings, premising, however, that, although necessarily varying in detail, the same general principles are equally applicable in the case of Railways and public works generally.

The question of the transfer of Water Works undertakings from private to public authorities has become so prominent during the last few years that the Author trusts that his remarks upon the subject may prove in some degree useful to those interested, either as Shareholders in Water Companies or as representing the interests of the public on the all-important question of Water Supply. J. Q., Jr.

29, GREAT GEORGE STREET,

WESTMINSTER,

February 1880.

REMARKS

ON THE

RATING OF GAS AND WATER WORKS.

ACCORDING to the Law of England the expense of maintaining the poor is chargeable upon all descriptions of real as distinguished from personal property, and although, with one exception, the Acts of Parliament relating to this subject do not give a definition of the term real property or "hereditament," it is well established by custom that for rating purposes it includes all descriptions of fixed capital vested in land, the occupation of which is beneficial to the owner; in other words, which would command a certain rent from anyone not being necessarily the owner, but the occupier of such property or hereditament. The general basis being thus clearly established, subject to points of detail, the whole subject resolves itself into the question of the amount of rent which would be given for any particular property, whether such lie in the nature of land, houses, railways, gas or water works, canal, docks, or in fact any property other than personal.

The meaning of the term "rent" is defined, so far as rating purposes are concerned, by the Act of 6 & 7 William IV., cap. 96, which defines the "net annual value" of the rateable hereditaments as "the rent at which the "same might reasonably be expected to let from year to year

* The definition of "Hereditament," contained in the Schedule to the Valuation (Metropolis) Act, 1869, is as follows. "The term 'heredi"tament' means any lands, tenements, hereditaments, and property which are liable to any rate or tax in respect of which the valuation list is by 'this Aet made conclusive."

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