272 THE BRITISH APPROACH TO POLITICS

Transports and other major roads by the Counties, the unclassified
roads, for which no grant is made by the Ministry, mast be
maintained by Urban District Councils. In the countryside,
although the County is the responsible authority, it frequently
delegates the work to the Rural Districts.

For the performance of their tasks, District Councils often
find it desirable to own, or share in the management of gas,
water and electricity undertakings, or tramways. They also
require a number of paid officials, e.g., a Clerk, Treasurer,
Medical Officer of Health, Sanitary Inspector, and Surveyor of
Highways. An Urban District Council has additional powers,
such as that to provide allotments, libraries and public baths;
and the Councils of Urban Districts whose population is
over 20,000, control their own elementary schools. Whefe the
population exceeds 25,000 a Stipendiary Magistrate can be
appointed. So there is a gradation of powers till there is little to
choose between the larger Urban Districts and the smaller
Boroughs.

THE COUNTY.

The 1888 Act, when drawing the boundaries of the Adminis-
trative Counties, followed the ancient County boundaries, save
that some Counties had to be divided to make conve$ient local
Government areas—as Yorkshire into three Ridings or Sussex
into East and West. Every Administrative County is divided into
Electoral Divisions, each returning one Councillor at the elections,
which are held once every three years at the beginning of March.
The Councillors, when elected,- choose a number of Aldermen
equal to a third of their own number; frequently Councillors
themselves are made Aldermen, and this necessitates a by-
election to provide a new Councillor. The term Alderman goes
bad; to Saxon times and originally meant men chosen for their
age and experience to assist in Government. To-day the term
has no reference to age, but as Aldermen hold office for six
years, one-half retiring at the time of each Council election, they