THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES 269

so many others that the elector was bewildered, and efficiency
impaired. More recently, the tendency has been to abolish these
authorities, and hand over their duties to Boroughs or Counties,
or to the Districts created in 1872 as intermediate authorities
between Parish and County. Further, the administration of social
services has required closer co-operation with the centre. The
Local Government Acts of 1929 and 1933 together with recent
Acts on housing and transport express these developments.
Two elements can thus be traced in local Government—the
desire of the citizens in their localities for independence, and the
Central Government's desire for efficiency and uniformity. The
English system has reasonable success in reconciling these two.
On the one hand, the local Councillors are elected from the*
neighbourhood and, with a few exceptions, unpaid: but they are
assisted by a paid staff and work under the supervision of
the Central Government. To-day each local authority, beside
performing some duties peculiar to itself, is a unit co-operating
with other local authorities, and with the centre, for the develop-
ment of national policy. The subject of local Government can
therefore be studied either by tracing the performance of each
service, or by examining the powers and duties of each authority,
and not until both processes have been completed does a
satisfactory picture emerge. It will be convenient to describe in
this chapter how the authorities are elected, and some of their
duties; the next chapter will show £ow local Government
machinery is used for maintaining social services. The Govern-
ment of London is reserved till later.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTORS.

The voting registers compiled by the Clerks of Counties and
Boroughs serve for local as well as Parliamentary elections.
Anyone who, whether as owner or tenant, occupies any land,
house, unfurnished rooms or other premises in a given local
Government area, is entitled to vote in that area. The wife, or
husband, of anyone so qualified is also entitled to vote. The