12
THE BRITISH EMPIRE : — UNITED KINGDOM
to the assessment and collection of rates forraerl)^ vested in the Board of Guard- ians now devolves on the Rural District and County Council respectively. In urban districts the Councilsof these districts administer matters relating to pub- lic health and rates, in addition to business transferred to them from the grand jury and presentment sessions. The administration of the poor relief Acts is exercised by Boards of Guardians. Each Board comprises the councillors of each rural district in the union, together with speciall}^ elected representatives of each urban district in the union. The cities of Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Limerick, Londonderry, and Waterford, which already possessed repre- sentative councils, are made county boroughs, and are exempt from some of the special provisions of the Act. The towns are partly corporate and partly governed by Commissioners. Certain boroughs have a mayor, aldermen, and councillors, whose powers are regulated by 3 & 4 Vict. c. 108. The ordinary affairs of the borough, such as lighting, watching, and cleansing, are adminis- tered by the Council, which has power to levy rates for these purposes. In such towns as have no charter of incorporation, the local affairs are administered bv a body of Commissioners (appointed under the Towns Improvement Act, 1854, or by a local Act), who have powers generally to discharge the usual municipal functions, and are empowered to levy rates to defray the cost of administration. Towns must have 1,500 inhabitants to enable them to obtain municipal government under the Towns Improvement Act, 1854, and any municipal town may be constituted an urban sanitary district.
By the Lonal Authorities (Ireland) (Qualification of Women) Act, 1911, women are eligible for election and to act on county and borough councils in Ireland in the same manner and on the same conditions as men.
Area and Population.
I. Progress and Present Condition. The population was thus distributed at the census, taken April 3, 1911:
Divisions
England .
Wales Scotland . Ireland Isle of Man Channel Islands
Total .
Area in sq. miles
Males
Feniales
50,890
7,434
30,405
32,360
227
70
16,421,298
1,024,310
2,307,603
2,192,048
23,953
46,036
121,386 22,015,248 23,353,842
17,623,992
1,000,892
2,451,842
2,198,171
28,081
50,864
Total Population on April 3, 1911
34,045,290
2,025,202
4,759,445
4,390,219
52,034
96,900
45,369,090
Population at each of the four previous decennial censuses
Divisions
1871 21 495,131
1881 24,613,926
1891
1901
England ....
27,489,228
30,813,043
Wales ....
1,217,135
1.360,513
1,513,297
1,714,800
Scotland ....
3,360,018
3,735,573
4,025,647
4,472,103
Ireland ....
5,412,377
5,174,836
4,704,750
4,458,775
Isle of Man
54,042
53,558
55,608
54,752
Channel Lslands
90,596
87,702
92,234
95,618
Army, Navy, and Mer-\ chant Seamen abroad/
216,080 31,845.379
215,374 35,241,482
224,211
367,736
Total, United Kingdom
38,104,975
41,976,827
