Parish Councils and the Libraries Acts. 313 This would include the transfer under section 7, sub-section 5, of the powers, duties, and liabilities of any existing authority (e.g. t Library Commissioners), acting within the parish, and under sub-section 7, the execution of the Act where it is here- after adopted. That this was intended or contemplated by the promoters, seems to be very doubtful, and possibly the Local Government Board would not be disposed to grant such an application. At any rate, it may be presumed that no transfer will be made without consulting the existing library authority, but it must be pointed out and borne in mind that the tendency of legislation (and rightly so, I think) is in the direction of reducing the number of authorities exercising statutory juris- diction in a district, but it is open to the possible objection that the Committee would have to be composed entirely of members of the Council or Sanitary Authority to the serious loss, in many cases, of valuable service from co-optative members who are now appointed under the Public Libraries Act because of their interest in library work. Recent legislation has not been marked by that clearness of language and effect which in these days might reasonably be expected to prevail, and the Local Government Act, 1894, forms no exception to the rule. In some cases it is hopeless to attempt to understand or explain it, and I conclude this paper with a protest against tinkering Acts of Parliament by side-winds in a general Act relating to entirely different subjects, and without the slightest consideration of the effect it will have upon all the provisions of the Act it seeks to " amend." H. W. FOVARGUE. Town Hall, Eastbourne.
