appealed against the rating of their products. The annual and capital values of the dwellings and shops for 1900 would be about £158,000 and £872,000 respectively :

The

The revenues of municipalities are derived chiefly from rates, but under the Act of 1867 the Government allows an endowment for the first fifteen years following incorporation, the scale being £ for £ of general rates received during the first five years, 10s. per £ during the next five years, and 5s. per £ for the remaining period. Government also contributes grants in aid of roads and other works, and occasionally a special endowment is given. Rates are levied on nine-tenths of the annual value of improved property, and on 5 per cent. of the capital value of unimproved land, except in the City of Sydney, where the maximum percentage on unimproved is 6 per cent. The following table shows the receipts during 1900, the Government endowments and grants being specified :

The burthen of rates is, therefore, 1s. 21d. per £ of annual improved value, and about 2d. per £ of estimated unimproved capital value. The total expenditure for the same period amounted to £836,601, distributed as follows :

The proportion of the expenditure incurred for salaries and office expenses was 8.81 per cent., and for interest on loans and overdrafts it was about 16 per cent., while the average rate of interest payable on the liabilities was 4.69 per cent.

The amount of loans and secured overdrafts outstanding on the 5th February, 1900, was £2,730,934, of which £1,344,004 was due to investors in London, principally by the city of Sydney, while of the balance, £18,849 was floated in Victoria, and £1,368,081 in New South Wales. The unsecured overdrafts amounted to £229,843, so that the total liability on which interest was payable was £2,960,777. The interest charged ranged from 3 to 8 per cent. for the secured loans, and from 4 to 8 per cent. on the unsecured overdrafts. Against the total liability, sinking funds have been established, the total amount at the credit of such funds being £322,059.

VICTORIA.

In Victoria a comprehensive system of local government has been in force for many years. In 1842 the Act of the Legislative Council of New South Wales, which incorporated Sydney, also constituted Melbourne a municipality, and in 1874 the general system was inaugurated. Under this system the State is divided into cities, towns, boroughs, and shires, and the total area under local control is 87,322 square miles, only 562 square miles remaining unincorporated.

The councillors are elected by the ratepayers, and the mayors of cities, towns, and boroughs, or presidents of shire councils, are elected by the councillors. A general rate of not more than 2s. 6d. or less than 6d. in the £ of the annual value may be imposed, but special rates may be levied, provided that general and special rates together do not exceed 2s. 6d. in the £. A further special rate, limited to 6d., may also be charged for works in particular parts of any district.

The number of municipalities with the annual and capital values of property assessed for local purposes for the ten years ending with 1900, were as follows::

484

190. The total capital value of property assessed for municipal purposes figure£ was £169,911,900, while the annual value was £10,283,500, the respectivs for Melbourne and suburbs being £60,255,735 and £4,042,497 given belovely. The values for the metropolitan district since 1891 a during the p and it will be noticed how great has been the decrease shows a small ingriod under review, though the annual value for 1900 value for the last ycrease over that of the previous year, while the capita

ear is the lowest for the decade:

The annual and capital values for the f

4,042,497 60,255,733

for 1891 and 1900 will be found in the foldve principal provincial centres return from property having been estimated ivewing statement, the annu

st. 1900

pat

7

per cent.

efly derived from

rates (which are

The revenue of the local governing bodies is chi taxation, under the headings of general and special levied on the net annual value), licenses, dog fel weighbridge dues, &c. The total amount collected fes, market and during the year was £1,236,124, of which £165,837 anurom all source by the Government, either as endowment or special gal as contribute amount of rates received was £709,122, and £144,572nt, while the from licenses, fees, &c., the total local taxation thus being £853.694. The balance, £216,593, includes sanitary fees amounting to s and also £51,962 received as rents of municipal property. The receipt per inhabitant in incorporated areas amounted to £1 0s. 11d. The amount received as rates shown above represents a tax of 1s. 24d. in the £ of annual value, and 1d. per £ of the estimated unimproved capital value.

was received

The total expenditure for the year was £1,200,805, of which 731,471 were spent on public works, &c., while the amount paid for terest was £181,496. The payments to sinking funds were £16,495, d the repayments of loans from revenue, £12,872, the principal items the balance being-salaries, £134,178, representing 11.17 per cent. the total, and printing, &c., £21,125. The proportion paid as terest on loans and overdrafts was about 15 per cent. of the total, ile the average interest payable on loans and overdrafts amounted about £4 13s. 2d. per cent.

The municipal loans outstanding were £3,827,437, and the bank erdrafts amounted to £70,656, giving a total interest-bearing ability of £3,898,093. The total liabilities were £4,135 719, other ems being-arrears due to sinking funds, £20,403; overdue interest loans, £18,583; and amounts due on contracts, £72,932. The sets totalled £3,444,925, the chief items being-municipal property, 2,191,257; sinking funds, £646,092; outstanding rates, £205,698; nd bank balances and cash in hand, £57,144.

QUEENSLAND.

The beginning of local government in Queensland was the proclama on constituting Brisbane a municipality, the date of which was the h September, 1859, or about three months prior to the separation of he colony from New South Wales. A general system of government y local authorities was inaugurated in 1878, when the colony was ivided into boroughs, shires, and divisions.

The aldermen, councillors, and members are elected by ratepayers in oroughs, shires, and divisions respectively, while mayors of boroughs nd chairmen of shires and divisions are chosen by the representatives. Under the provisions of the original Act, the rates were levied on he annual value, and the maximum general rate was 1s. in the £ for oroughs, shires, and divisions, but the minimum was 6d. per £ for poroughs and shires, and 4d. per £ in divisions. Special rates could lso be imposed for sewerage, drainage, lighting, street-watering, or articular works. By an amending Act passed in December, 1890, the ates thenceforward were to be charged on the unimproved capital value f the land, the maximum being 2d. in the £ for boroughs and shires, and 1d. in the £ for divisions, while the minimum is d. in both cases. The separate rates may still be charged, and if waterworks have been stablished a further rate may be imposed for that service.

The total area controlled by local bodies is 668,252 square miles, eaving only 245 square miles unincorporated. The total capital value was estimated at the beginning of 1901 to be £42,722,000. This epresents the value of land without improvements; if improvements ad been considered, the capital value would have been approximately £70,631,000, and the annual value £4,485,000.

The unimproved capital value is now slightly less than it was ten years ago, as will be seen by the following statement, which shows the assessed value during each year since 1891 :

The capital values of Brisbane and some of the other large boroughs are given below for 1891 and 1900:

North Rockhampton has been included, as it is a suburb of Rockhampton.

The

The receipts for the year 1900 amounted to £640,622, the chief sources being-Government endowments, grants, and loans, £220,925, and rates, £268,478 (levied, as already stated, on the unimproved capital value), leaving £151,219 derived from other sources. amount collected for rates represents 1s. 10d. per £1 of the annual value and 1d. per £ of capital value. The expenditure for the same period was £653,187, the amount spent on public works being £401,708, while repayments of loans and interest amounted to £103,432, salaries and office expenses to £54,960, or 8-41 per cent. of total, and all other disbursements £93,087.

The outstanding loans, including overdue instalments payable to the Government, amounted to £982,406, the whole of which, with the exception of the loans of the city of Brisbane (£305,000), and part of the indebtedness of South Brisbane (£105,000), is due to the