24 The Library. To the Overseers of the Poor for the Parish of We, the undersigned, being ten or more voters in the Parish aforesaid, being a Library District within the meaning of the Public Libraries Act, 1892, do hereby require you (as the authority mentioned in section 3 of the said Act) to ascertain the opinion of the voters in the said Parish as to the adoption of the said Act for the said Parish. Dated this day of 18 (To be signed by ten or more County Electors.) Name Address No. on Register of County Electors. A. B., of &c.,&c. You may, if you please, add to the requisition, " and whether they are in favour of the rate being limited to one halfpenny in the pound," or as set forth on page 45 of the Legislation Manual, but note section 3 (2) on page 4. As regards the payment of a portion of the Technical Education Grant to a Free Library Committee, see the note on page 1 14 of the Manual. This refers more to Boroughs than Parishes. There is no specific pro- vision in the Public Libraries or Technical Instruction Acts, suggesting that Free Library Committees should make application for a grant, but there is nothing to prevent their doing so. On the other hand, while a County Council is not prevented from making such a grant, they cannot be compelled to do so, the funds being in their hands to deal with as they see fit, subject to the provisions of the Statutes. If you are already pro- viding " Technical or Manual Instruction " (see pages 106 and 107) in your Parish, you may ask for aid from the County Council, and the Council may make such grant as it sees fit (see section i [2] of the Local Taxation [Customs and Excise] Act, 1890, p. 114). The grant to East- bourne is paid by the County Council under section I (3) of that Act, but that sub-section does not apply to a parish such as yours. If, however, you are not actually carrying on such work, but only contemplate doing it after the adoption of the Public Libraries Act, then I think the best course in that event would be for the new Library Commissioners to address a letter to the Organising Secretary, or the Clerk of the County Council, to the effect that if the Council can see its way to make a grant in aid of Technical Instruction, the Commissioners would be willing to act as " the local committee " on behalf of the County Council, to make the necessary arrangements. I think, too, you could urge the County Council to make a special grant for one or more of the purposes enume- rated in the note on p. 114. The County Council is not restricted to the making of grants only to institutions receiving aid from the Science and Art Department. It may, and doubtless has, organised its own lectures and classes, and in many counties the councils are only too glad to find a local committee in a parish willing to assist them in their efforts, but I must again observe that it really is a matter of favour, and not of right. The Science and Art Department pays grants on the results of the examinations in science and art classes, as to which you should consult the Science and Art Directory, to be obtained from the Department for one shilling. It also makes grants towards the erection of buildings, the conditions being set forth in the Directory. Subject to the foregoing observations I reply to your queries I, yes ; 2, yes, though such a " rate " is not made in any county to my know- ledge ; 3, yes. Question. MAY WOMEN VOTE AUTHORITY TO COLLECT PAPERS. The County Register recognises two classes of voters, which it defines as County Electors and Parliamentary Electors. Section 27 of the Act
