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62
WATER COMPANIES' CHARGES.
Upon the invitation of the Vestry of St. George, Hanover Square,
the Vestry appointed some of their members to unite with other
Metropolitan Vestries and District Boards in some common action
with a view to limiting the powers of rating now claimed by the
various Water Companies supplying the Metropolis. A deputation
introduced by the Rt. Hon. W. H. Smith, M.P., subsequently
waited upon the Home Secretary, at his private room in the House
of Commons on the subject. The views of the deputation were
expressed by Mr. William Farrer, a member of the St. George's
Vestry; and the Home Secretary in reply held out no hope of special
legislation in the direction indicated by the deputation.
The subject was thereupon further considered; and Mr. Smith was
requested to move, early in the following session, for the appointment
of a Parliamentary Committee to enquire into the operation of
the Water Assessment Act. Notice of a motion in these terms was
given, and the Vestry requested Lord Algernon Percy to support
the same, when it is before the House, which his lordship promptly
and cordially promised to do.
Although the Vestry are not directly concerned in the case of
"Dobbs v. The Grand Junction Waterworks Company," it may be
interesting to note that judgment in the appeal from a decision of
the Court of Appeal was given by the House of Lords on the
30th November, in favour of the view entertained by the appellant
that the Company is not entitled to charge on a higher assessment
than the net annual value (where the rent cannot be ascertained),
thus practically adopting as the basis of the charge the rateable
value settled under the provisions of the Valuation (Metropolis) Act.
The ground of their Lordships' decision, as given by Lord
Bramwell, is briefly that the "annual value" of a house is not
represented by the amount of rent paid, but "the rent at which it
would let free of all usual tenants' rates and taxes and deducting
therefrom the probable average annual cost of the repairs, insurance,
and other expenses, if any, necessary to maintain them in
a state to command such rent," thus following the definition of