Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 13.djvu/256

IRELAND [LOCAL GOVERNMENT. the important provision that if the local authority failed to carry the law into effect they might be superseded by paid vice-guardians. The Act came into operation in 1840, and an Outdoor Relief Act was passed in 1847. Full details regarding subsequent additions to the Act, as well as in reference to the whole subject of Irish local government, will be found in the paper by Dr Hancock contributed to Cobdcn Club Essays, 1875. Table LVIII. gives the number of unions for every ten years from 1840 to 1870, and for 1878 and 1879, with the number of outdoor and indoor paupers, and the total expenditure. The figures show a much smaller proportion of paupers compared with population than the corresponding statistics" of England and Scotland, Scotland notwithstanding its smaller population having nearly one-third more paupers, while England has actually about twelve times as many. The difference is to be accounted for by the smaller town population of Ireland, the simpler habits of the Irish, and the prevalence of mendicancy. It is only indeed in years of exceptional famine that there is any great demand on the public purse for the support of the poor : the duchess of Marl- borough s relief fund, 1879-80, amounted to 135,000, and the Mansion House fund to 180,000, probably over 400,000 being spent directly on relief, in addition to the sums advanced on loan for relief works. By the Medical Charities Act, passed in 1851, boards of guardians were empowered to form the poor law unions into dispensary districts subject to the control of the poor law commissioners. The number of dispensary districts is 720, with nearly 1100 dispensaries and about 800 medical officers. Each district is placed under a committee of management, consisting of the guardians of the unions, the ex qfficio guardians who reside and have property in the district, and a number of ratepayers elected by the board of guardians, the number of each committee being fixed by the commissioners. The average annual expenditure under this Act during the five years ending 1880 was over 140,000, and the average number of cases very nearly 700,000. The average number of insane in Ireland during the same five years was over 19,000, of which number the average in asylums was over 8000, and in workhouses over 3000. For further information regarding the whole subject of Irish pauperism and lunacy the reader is referred to the Report of the Poor Law Union and Lunacy Com missioners in vol. xxii. of Accounts and Papers, 1878-79. County Authorities. For purposes of local taxation Ireland is placed under the authority of baronial presentment sessions and juries. The former are for baronies or half-baronies, baronies corresponding to the ancient territories inhabited by distinct tribes or families. The number of these sessions is 326, and they are composed partly of justices of the peace and partly of rate payers, the number of whom is fixed by the grand jury of each county. Since 1836 they have had the primary decision of all questions as to roads and bridges. The power of imposing county rates is, except in the case of the county of Dublin, exercised by the grand juries either at the assizes in the several counties at large, or at the assizes in the several counties of cities and towns. In the county of Dublin this authority is vested in the Easter term grand jury in the court of Queen s bench, and in the case of the cities of Dublin, Cork, and Limerick it has since 1850 been vested in the town councils. The tax levied under the vote of the grand juries is called grand jury cess, and is employed for the mainten ance of roads, and the defrayment of the expenses incurred by the TABLE LVIII. Poor Law Unions and Paupers, 1840-80. Unions. Indoor Paupers. Outdoor Paupers. Expenditure. 1840 4 10,910 37,057 1850 163 805,702 368,565 1,430,108 1860 163 170,549 8,965 454,531 1870 163 230,971 53,885 668,202 1878 163 248,810 75,290 845,608 1880 163 367,354 181,778 929,967 maintenance of laws and the administration of justice. Infirmaries and hospitals are supported by grand jury presentments, aided by treasury grants, and by subscriptions, donations, and bequests. The origin of the grand jury cess dates from the time of Charles I., when the justices were directed to tax the inhabitants for the maintenance of bridges, with the assent of the grand juries. At the beginning of the reign of George III. power was granted to the grand juries to make presentments also for roads. At first the rate was applied only to the maintenance of cross roads, but in 1857 the turnpike system applicable to main roads was abolished. This early accidental legislation in reference to roads has given Ireland at least one solitary advantage over Great Britain which it still retains. Authorities for Groups of Counties. These consist of governors of district lunatic asylums and the trustees of inland navigation and arterial drainage. The asylums number 22 in all, and the governors are nominated by the lord-lieutenant. The navigation works in Ireland were executed at the time of the famine of 1846, and their management isplaced under aboard of trustees originally named by Act of Parliament, thevacancies being filled up by the grand juries. Town Authorities.- The towns of Ireland were under the govern ment of close corporations until 1829, when they were allowed to adopt popular constitutions. By the Municipal Act of 3d & 4th Viet., the towns containing upwards of 12,000 inhabitants are divided into wards, and are governed by a council consisting of a chief magistrate called mayor, that of Dublin being styled lord mayor, and a certain number of aldermen and councillors for each ward. Eighteen towns are governed according to the Act of 9th George IV., and more than 80 have adopted the Towns Improve ment Act of 1854. Additional powers were conferred on town authorities by the Local Improvement (Ireland) Act of 1871. Harbour Authm-ities are distinct from the town authorities, and consist of a board chosen in accordance with certain special acts. The town authorities, or in counties the poor law guardians, have the power to constitute themselves a burial board for the purpose of levying rates, to be used in the maintenance of old burial grounds or the purchase of new ones. By an Act passed in 1872 the functions previously performed by the lord-lieutenant, the privy council, and the chief secretary in reference to local government were transferred to a local govern ment board, formed out of the poor law board which it superseded. Taxation. The local taxation of Ireland amounted in 1866, the first year for which returns are available, to 2,538,280, in 1870 to 2,728,327, and in 1879 3,368,113. The following are the separate items for 1879 : grand jury cess, 1,128,192 ; fees of the clerks of the peace (exclusive of salary), 11,585 ; fees of the clerks of the crown, 2884; petty session stamps and crown fines, 65,086; dog licence duty, 35,945 ; Dublin metropolitan police taxes, 44,965 ; court leet presentments, 293 ; harbour taxation, 380,350 ; inland navigation, 5679 ; town taxation under town authorities, 622,871; burial board taxes, 3185; poor rate and local receipts, 1,031,992; light dues and fees, under Merchant Shipping Act, and bridge and ferry tolls, 35,086. The amount of rates on real property was 2,619,183, or 77 8 per cent, of the whole; tolls, fees, stamps, &c., 539,174, or 16 - per cent. ; and other receipts, 209,756 or 6 2 percent. The amount granted from the imperial revenue in aid of local taxation in 1880-81 was 1,856,743, in addition to which an annual sum, 1,189,461 in 1880, is advanced on loan by the Commissioners of Public Works from the Consolidated Fund, while 883,116 was advanced in 1880 from the Irish Church fund. Religion. According to the census returns of the commissioners of public instruction in 1834, out of a total population of 7,943,940 inhabitants 852,064 belonged to the Established Church, the number of Roman Catholics being 6,427,712, of Presbyterians 642,356, and of persons of other denominations 21,808. Table LIX. gives returns for 1861 and 1881. The annual average number of marriages according to the forms of the Episcopalian Church for the ten years 1869-78 was 4208, TABLE LIX. Classification of Population according to Religious Profession, 1861 and 1881. Roman Catholics. Protestant Episcopalians. Presbyterians. Methodists. All other Denominations. Total. Number. Per Cent. Number. Per Cent. Number. Per Cent. Number. Per Cent. Number. Per Cent, Leinster... 1,252,553 1,095,459 1,420,076 1,244,876 966,613 831,784 866,023 779,769 4,505,265 3,951,888 85-9 85-6 93-8 93-0 50-5 47-8 94-8 95-4 777 76-6 180,587 157,622 80,860 68,352 391,315 377,936 40,595 31,760 693,357 635,670 12-4 12-3 5 3 5-2 20-4 217 4-5 3-9 11-9 12-3 12,355 12,633 4,013 3,794 503,835 466,107 3,088 2,969 523,291 485,503 0-9 i-o 0-3 3 26-3 26-8 0-3 0-4 9-0 9-4 6,290 6,712 4,436 4,421 32,030 34,494 2,643 2,042 45,399 47,669 0-4 0-5 0-3 0-3 17 1-9 0-3 0-2 0-8 0-9 5,850 6,764 4,173 2,467 20,443 29,221 786 657 31.655 1 39,109 2 0-4 0-6 0-3 0-2 1-1 1-8 o-i o-i 0-6 0-8 1,457,655 1,279,190 1,513,558 1,323,910 1,914,236 1,739,542 913,135 817,197 5,798,967 5,159,839 1881 Munster... }^} 1881 Ulster... loo, 1 | 1881 Connaught ... ( 1881 Ireland... .. } 8 Q Q Q l . ( 1881 1 Including seamen at sea on census night. 2 Including 453 Jews and 1144 who refused information.