assistant commissioner, a secretary, architects, engineers, solicitors, and a numerous staff of clerks, &c. The board is subject to the control of the Treasury.* 5. The Office of Woods, Forests, and Land Revenues. Woods, This department until 1851 was combined with the Office of Office of Works, and has since been placed in charge of Forests, two working commissioners (with salaries of 1,2007. per &c. annum each) who are permanent officers, each taking a share of the duty and oversight, to one being allotted the control of the land revenues, to the other the management of the woods and forests. The property under the management of this department is in the hereditary possession of the crown, and is administered for revenue purposes, subject to the necessary outlay for the maintenance and improvement of the inheritance. The commissioners' powers are very extensive, as the crown lands and royal forests of Great Britain. are of some extent and great value. They are required to report annually to Parliament. This office is represented in the House of Commons by the secretary of the treasury, the commissioners being declared by the Act 14 & 15 Vict. c. 42, sec. 10, ineligible to sit therein. But this arrangement has proved very defective and has occasioned great public inconvenience. The board is subordinate to the Treasury, and subject altogether to its supervision and control. m The woods, forests, and land revenues of the crown were formerly owned and enjoyed, absolutely, by the Sovereign personally. * Rep. on Misc. Exp. Evid. 22702293, 2382-2409, Com. Pap. 1860, v. 9. For a history of the Irish department of Public Works, and statement of its duties, see Minutes, &c., issued under the Excheq. and Audit Departments Act, Com. Pap. 1867, v. 39, p. 379. As to present management of the Board see Hans. D. v. 225, p. 1010. There is also a Board of Con- m See ante, p. 302. Crown property. On the accession of King George III. the revenue of the crown pro perty was surrendered by the Sovereign in exchange for the civil list. A compact was then made between the sovereign and Parliamentwhich has been renewed at the commencement of each succeeding reign-whereby the sovereign transferred to the nation his interest, as tenant for life, in the income of the crown property, the management of the said property being confided to officials appointed by the sovereign and answerable to Parliament, whose duty it became to apply the income thereof in aid of the national Exchequer, during the lifetime of the sovereign, and to keep the capital intact, to the end that the whole might revert to the crown on the sovereign's demise. The officials are the commissioners of woods and forests, who are constituted trustees of the crown property, and are bound, first, to secure as large an income as is consistent with good management for the benefit of the nation as tenants for life of the sovereign; and second, to preserve intact the property itself, in the interest of the sovereign's successors as reversioners. No interference, therefore, with the management of the said estates, for the purpose either of suspending the exercise of the rights which the crown possesses in any particular property, or of dedicating any property to objects unproductive of revenue, would be justifiable, except by Act of Parliament. This principle has always been strictly adhered to, and Parliament has never sanctioned the alienation of any portion of the crown property, whether for local objects or for public purposes, without compensation. The peculiar position of the land revenues of the crown under the Civil List and Land Revenue Acts has been repeatedly recognised by Parliament, and various Acts have been passed compensating the land revenues for crown property taken and appropriated to public uses." Mr. Howard, in his report, after an able and elaborate statement of the principles which ought to govern the administration of the crown property by his department, proceeds to state that a resolution of the House of Commons on behalf of (the public as) the tenant for life, embodying a proposal in relation to the New Forest, would not release' him 'from the performance of his duties as trustee of a settled estate. If the resolution were passed, it would place the commissioner in the dilemma of having either to disregard it, or to violate the trust imposed upon him by Acts of Parliament.' Exception was taken to this portion of his report in the House of 6 Commons, and the chancellor of the exchequer (the responsible Crown minister for the department) declared that while approving of the property. statements of law, and of facts, as given in the report, and above epitomised, he considered any part of it dealing with the relations of the department to this House as ultra vires,' and not sanctioned by government. It was afterwards stated, by the secretary of the treasury, in reference to this report, that Mr. Howard was alone responsible for what he thought and said, although the Treasury were responsible for what he did.' a But the sovereign has an equal right with any subject to acquire and dispose of private property." An Act was passed in 1862 (25 & 26 Vict. c. 37) to remove doubts concerning, and to amend the law relating to, the private estates of her Majesty, her heirs, and successors. (By clauses 8 and 9 of this Act it is declared that the said estates shall be subject to all taxes,3 rates, &c., whether general or local, that would be payable by any subject of the realm; the same to be defrayed out of the royal privy purse.) This Act was amended in 1873, in order to remove doubts as to the right of the sovereign to bequeath private estates to the heir apparent, and to secure the continuance of such estates as the private property of the sovereign (36 & 37 Vict. c. 61). In debate on this Bill in the House of Commons, on July 21 and 25, it was proposed to provide that the secrecy at present attaching exclusively to crown testaments should be abolished. But it was ruled that this could not be done unless with consent of the crown.t On July 8, 1870, an address was moved in the House of Commons, praying her Majesty to direct that no public offices be erected on the crown reserve of the Thames Embankment, which had been reclaimed from the river at the public cost. The motion was opposed by the chancellor of the exchequer and by the prime minister (Mr. Gladstone), on the ground that this land was crown property, and was held by the Office of Woods and Forests in trust until the next demise of the crown, when it would revert to the heir to the throne, subject only to arrangements to be made between the crown and Parliament, in the settlement of the civil list. Meanwhile, the commissioners of woods and forests were bound to turn this crown property to the best account, and it would not be competent to the Queen herself to direct them to the contrary. The House, P Hans. D. v. 207, p. 307. a Ib. p. 335. Const. S See Freeman, Growth Eng. Upon the imposition of the income-tax in 1842, the Queen voluntarily assumed a liability for the payment thereof on her personal income, Martin, Pr. Consort, v. 1, p. 134. And t Hans. D. v. 217, p. 1000; Amos, The Post therefore, should not ask the crown to interpose with directions in this matter; any such interference would be beyond the power of the crown. Notwithstanding these arguments, the address was passed on a division." On July 19 the Queen's answer to this address was reported. Her Majesty stated therein that no public offices could be erected on this land without a parliamentary vote; that nothing short of an Act of Parliament could exclude all employment of the land for profit by building; that full opportunity would be afforded to Parliament to discuss any such measure on its merits, and that no step would be taken during the current year to appropriate the land, or to interfere with the final decision of the question. The General Post Office. The Post Office is a branch of the public service which directly concerns the interests of the whole community. It is also a source of public revenue. The gross revenue for the year 1886 was 10,715,978/., and the net revenue 2,514,6351." It has been urged that this source of enriching the State should be applied to extending postal advantages to remote country districts. But the government have hitherto refused to admit the justice of this claim, considering that it would be virtually taxing one part of the nation for the benefit of another; and that if the large revenue thus obtained, without pressure or difficulty, were so absorbed, it would necessitate additional taxation of a much more objectionable character to make up the loss to the State. As a general principle the post office authorities in England refrain from sanctioning any extension of postal or telegraph facilities, unless they are likely to prove self-supporting. This rule, however, is not rigidly adhered to, but every particular case is dealt with in a liberal spirit." On May 2, 1871, the House of Commons agreed to u Hans. D. v. 202, pp. 1753–1786. ▾ Ib. v. 203, p. 485; Ib. v. 209, p. 865; and see Public Offices Site Act, 1882. Com. Pap. 1887, Rep. Post mast.-Gen. p. 9. in * See Mr.Gladstone's observations Hans. D. v. 182, p. 1082. p. y Ib. v. 174, p. 415; v. 194, 1900; v. 186, p. 13; v. 222, p. 311. a resolution urging the desirability of communications between the governments of Great Britain and of the United States, with a view to a further reduction of the rates of postage between the two countries. This led to a general international postal congress, and to the adoption of a treaty, under which, pursuant to the Act 38 Vict. c. 22, from July 1, 1875, reduced rates of international postage in Europe and America, with other postal reforms, have been established. master Although presided over by a minister of the crown, who is usually but not invariably a member of the cabinet, the Post Office, considered as a revenue department, is subordinate to the Treasury. Otherwise, the postmaster-general has the entire control over its The postadministration. His office is accordingly both onerous general. and laborious, as it involves the oversight and direction of an immense establishment. He has also to negotiate postal treaties with foreign powers; to determine questions connected with the establishment of increased postal facilities at home and in the colonies, subject, of course, to the approval of the Treasury in pecuniary matters; to regulate promotions, and to distribute the patronage of the department. ments to The patronage in the hands of the postmaster- Appointgeneral is very great. He has the appointment of all office. his subordinate officers and clerks, with the exception of the 'receiver-general,' who is appointed by the Treasury; and of the various local officers and employés of every grade throughout the kingdom, amounting in all to upwards of 54,000 persons, with the exception of the postmasters in small country places, where the emoluments are so small as to require the office to be held in conjunction with some business or profession. In such cases, it is deemed to be for the interest of the public that the appointment should be conferred upon a resident in the place, and be in the gift of the Treasury, though officially proceeding from the postmaster |