Parish Councils and the Libraries Acts. 311 executing Act in Parish), section 9 (power of neighbouring parishes to combine), section 10 (power to annex parish to adjoining district), and several others; but the chief difficulty lies in interpreting the sections where references are made to the voters. Is the Parish Meeting, or are the parochial electors to be understood in the future as the voters referred to in the principal Act ? Observe that vestry means any meeting of voters. Frequently the assent of the voters is required, but not at a meeting. These and other difficulties might have been obviated if the promoters had consulted those who have had practical experience of the Acts they propose to tinker, and at least the Council of the Association might have been approached on this part of the Act. Sub-section 5 of the same section puts an end to existing Commissioners in rural parishes, where Parish Councils are elected. It provides that where the area under any existing authority, acting within a rural parish in the execution of the Public Libraries Act is co-extensive with the parish, all powers, duties, and liabilities of that authority, shall, on the Parish Council coming into office, be transferred to that Council. And sub-section 7 is not less important. It enacts that when after the appointed day the Act is adopted for a rural parish, and the parish has a Parish Council, that Council is to be the authority for the execution of the Act. In rural parishes where Parish Councils are not elected, it would appear that existing Com- missioners continue to be the authority, and in case the Act is adopted in any such parish, the Parish Meeting would have to appoint Commissioners, but this is not at all clear, for while by section 7 the Parish Meeting has to adopt the Act, by section 19 (3), it is provided that the meeting may appoint a committee of their own number for any purposes which would be better regulated and managed by such a committee, and the legal interest in all property, which, if there were a Parish Council, would vest in that Council, is to vest in the chairman and over- seers. On the other hand the sections in the Public Library Act authorising the appointment of Commissioners are not re- pealed. But these parishes will be few in number, as all parishes having a population of 300 must, and of from 100 to 300 may elect a Parish Council, while even parishes having a popu- lation of less than 100, may obtain power from the County Council to elect a Parish Council. Whether the new Councils will be more suitable for carrying on library work in rural 23
