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106
That by the provisions of the several Acts of Parliament
under which these Companies are constituted, they are empowered
to charge the occupiers of houses for the water supplied on a
rental based upon the "Annual Value," or "Yearly Value" of
the said houses.
That on an appeal to your Lordships in the case of Dobbs
v. The Grand Junction Waterworks Company, your Lordshipsdecided
that the "Annual Value" was the annual value as
expressed and explained in the Parochial Assessment Act.
That your Petitioners believe that in consequence of such
judgment of your Lordships the Water Companies would be
legally compelled to charge the Ratepayers of your Petitioners'
Parish on the Rateable or Annual Value only of their houses, as
assessed in the Quinquennial List, made in accordance with
the provisions of the Valuation (Metropolis) Act, 1869, and the
said Parochial Assessment Act.
That the Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor are
the rating or local authorities of this Parish, and to enable tliem
to ascertain the Gross and Rateable Values of the house to be
assessed cause the Collectors of the Rates to obtain a return
from each Ratepayer of the full particulars of his tenancy, and
having viewed the property they are enabled to arrive, with some
degree of certainty, at the gross and rateable value of the house,
and to assess accordingly, and of such assessment a notice is
given to the Ratepayer. If he has any objection the Assessment
Committee appoint a day for hearing the objection, and if the
Ratepayer is dissatisfied with this determination he is at liberty
to appeal to the Assessment Sessions—a tribunal expressly
appointed for that purpose.
-That the Southwark and Vauxhall Water Company, and
other. Water Companies, notwithstanding the great care and
impartiality of the rating authority, ignore their annual value
and arbitrously constitute themselves into a rating authority for