The Municipal Year - Book, 1897. By Robert Donald. (Horace Marshall and
Son.)—Mr. Donald has put together in a convenient shape copious information about the administration, revenues and expenditure, property and rateable value, of the principal cities and towns of England. A special division is devoted to " Water-Supply," and others to Gas-Supply," " Tramways," " Housing of the Working Class." 'There is a particularly in- teresting table of comparative rates in upwards of sixty large towns. Dewsbury heads the list with 8s. 8d., Norwich coming second with Ss. 4d., and West Ham third with 8s. ; Stockton-on-
Tees, 7s. 10d.; Sheffield, 7s. ; Swansea, 7s. 9d. ; Rotherham, 7s. 5d.; Wolverhampton, 7s. 3d. ; Leeds, Nottingham, Preston, 7s. 2d. Hull, Manchester, Middlesborough make up what may be called the most costly division. Lancaster occupies the enviable position of being the lowest with 3s. 6d., then Southport comes with 4s., then Chester, Oldham, and St. Helens with 4s 4d., while there are six others under 5s. London comes high in the list with 7s. 6d., being exceeded, as will be seen, by six towns only. Of other towns Doncaster is perhaps the most favourably situated. It has a revenue, apart from rates, of .236,700, equal to a rate of more than 2s. 6d. in the pound.
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