LONDON CITY

Evening Post, Issue 122, 26 May 1933, Page 3

LONDON CITY

GOVERNMENT OUTLINED

WIDE POWERS

The administrative powers of tho London City Council in relation to Greater London were explained by Sir T. Vansittart Bowater, formerly Lord Mayor of London, in an interview with the "Sydney Morning Herald." The City of London, he said, had an area of one square mile, while tho Lon-, don metropolitan district had nn area of about 117 square miles. The Lou-j don City Council was administered by 26 aldermen and 206 councillors. The city was divided into 26 wards, each of which elected an alderman and a varying number of councillors according to population and property values. The aldermen were elected for life, but tho councillors were elected annually. Every alderman had the opportunity of becoming Lord Mayor of London, as that office went round in rotation. It was compulsory that the Lord Mayor should be an alderman, and have served as a sheriff of London. The allowance for the Lord Mayor was £10,000 a year, but the cost to the occupant of the office was at least £30,000 a year. Epping Forest, Burnham Beeches, West Ham Park, and many other open spaces were administered by the' London City Council. The City Council owned and financed a big school for boys and another for girls, the London School of Music, and the Guildhall, and provided many other facilities for the education1 and recreation. of tho citizens. This was done without any charge to the city ratepayers. The funds came from "city cash," which was the revenue from money which from: time • immemorial had been left by different people for certain purposes to-; be administered by the London City Council. Even the salary of the Lord Mayor was defrayed out of this fund. The rates of the city were nominally low, . but actually they were considerable, as they were based on the annual rental valued For most of the buildings the rental value was high. It was fortunate for' the ratepayers that fqrmcr citizens, having the welfare of London at heart, had endowed it so lavishly. . The London City Council liad control of all traffic matters within the city, and appointed its own Police Commissioner and police. The Govern; ment had no right of interference other than '-that" the police of England generally were under the supervision of the Home Secretary, but he never interfered, with the administration ,of the force in London. The London courts were under the supervision of the London City Council. .: The relations between the London City Council arid the adjoining municipalities comprising Greater London were always cordial. When any matter of common interest had to be considered a conference of Mayors of Greater London was convened, at which tho Lord Mayor of the City of London; presided. The aldermen and councillors of the municipalities in the London metropolitan area were elected by tho ratepayers to look after administrative matters and not on » political grounds. Generally politics were kept out of- the municipal councils, but the London County Council was elected on political lines. '.