Official publications: Not only information and statistics, but an invaluable commentary are to be found in: (1) the Annual Reports of the various Government departments, especially the late Local Gov ernment Board (up to 1919) and the Ministry of Health (1919-2o onwards) ; the annual reports of the chief medical officers of health of the Ministry of Health and the Board of Education ; and other reports and manuals on particular subjects: (2) see also the reports, Cmd. 2,506 (1925) and Cmd. 3,213 (1928), and especially the Minutes of Evidence, parts , of the royal commission on local gov ernment: the report of the royal commission on London Government, Cmd. 1,830 (1923) ; and the following departmental committee reports: On Local Taxation in England and Wales (Kempe committee), final report Cd. 7,315 (1914) ; On the Transfer of Functions of Poor Law Authorities in England and Wales (Maclean committee), Cd. 8,917 (1918) ; On the Machinery of Government (Haldane committee), Cd. 9,230 (1918), and land drainage (1927), lunacy and mental disorder (1926), public assistance administration (1924), police (1920 and 1924), etc.; (3) for statistics, besides the annual reports see Annual Local Taxation Returns; London Statistics; Statistical Abstract for the United Kingdom for the years 1912-26, Cmd. 3,084 (1928) ; and Statistical Memoranda and Charts relating to Public Health and Social Conditions, Cd. 4,671 (1909), which traces the growth of local finance
from 185o to 1907 and the causes which contributed to it. (See also under such headings as BOROUGH ; MANOR ; POOR Law ; HOUSING, etc.) The parliament of Northern Ireland being empowered to legislate in all matters relating to local government, etc., the former powers of the Local Government Board for Ireland and other departments were transferred to the Ulster Ministry of Home Affairs in 1921. The system of local government follows the English system as established by the Local Gov ernment (Ireland) Act 1898. The 6 main types of local authority are the administrative county, the county boroughs of Belfast and Londonderry, the borough of Bangor incorporated under the Municipal Corporations Act, the municipal towns of Antrim, Aughnaclay and Gilford governed by town commissioners under the Towns Improvement (Ireland) Act of 1854, and the 31 urban and 32 rural district councils. Rural district councils have no power to levy rates. Proportional representation has been abolished in local government elections. A departmental com mittee on local government which reported in 1927, made recom mendations for co-ordinating the local services on a county basis. Local government expenditure in 1924-25 was L7,959,407, includ ing c. £2 millions defrayed out of loans. Rate receipts amounted to L1,931,194 and Government contributions to L1,140,138.