Mr. W. Rathbone has published a plan of local government
which would, he thinks, remedy many evils and attract to it many superior men. He would divide the counties into convenient Districts, and in each district he would have a Council, to be elected, one-fifth by the magistrates, two-fifths by the ratepayers who elect guardians, and two-fifths by the householders at large. To this Council he would entrust all powers now exercised by any local Board, including the control of education, and he con- tends that it would make an excellent Municipality for all but the largest towns. We fear that unless the district is conterminous with the Parliamentary division of a county, it would never be sufficiently watched, and would require some strong check on its expenditure and taxation. We should prefer making the Magis- trates a second Court, with power of veto whenever a measure had not been carried by a two-thirds majority. Even then it would be necessary to restrict the power of getting into debt, which is going to be the temptation of our municipalities. They can " place " their bonds too easily.
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