e, by an act of 1907, transferred to parish councils.

Public libraries.

The urban district council execute the Public Libraries Acts for their
district, and the rate for the expenses of the acts, which may not
exceed 1d. in the L, is in a borough in the nature of a borough rate,
and in any other urban district in the nature of a general district
rate. Under the acts not only public libraries, but also public
museums, schools for science, art galleries and schools for art, with
the necessary buildings, furniture, fittings and conveniences, may be
provided for the inhabitants of the district. Land may be acquired,
and money borrowed, for the purposes of the acts.

A great number of other statutes confer powers or impose duties upon
district councils, such as the acts relating to town gardens,
agricultural gangs, fairs, petroleum, infant life protection, commons,
open spaces, canal boats, factories and workshops, margarine, sale of
horse-flesh and shop hours.

The parish and the parish council.

Before the passing of the Local Government Act 1894 there was really
nothing in the form of local government for a parish. It is true that
the inhabitants in vestry had certain powers. They could adopt various
acts, which will be more particularly referred to hereafter, and they
could appoint the persons who were to carry these acts into execution.
They elected the churchwardens and overseers, the highway surveyor, if
the parish was a separate unit for highway purposes, and the waywardens
if it was included in a highway district. But there was nothing in the
nature of a representative body exercising any powers of government in
the parish regarded as a separate area. Under the act of 1894 this was
changed. In every rural parish, that is to say, in every parish which is
not included within an urban district, there is a parish meeting, which
consists of the parochial electors of the parish. As already stated,
these are the persons whose names are on the parliamentary and local
government registers. If the parish has a population exceeding 300, a
parish council must be elected. If it has a population of 100 or
upwards, the county council are bound to make an order for the election
of a parish council if the parish meeting so resolves. Where there is no
parish council, as will be seen hereafter, the various powers conferred
upon a council are exercised by the parish meeting itself. Two or mor