PUBLIC UTILITY SOCIETIES 165 



of a Local Authority working through a Public Utility 

 Society with every prospect of success. The war 

 intervened and stopped operations, but the society 

 remains, and directly hostilities are over will go ahead. 

 In 1913 the following resolution was passed by the 

 Rural District Councils Association : 



" That it is desirable that Section 72 of the Housing, 

 Town Planning, etc., Act, 1909, should be amended 

 so as to confer on Rural District Councils the same 

 powers as are now possessed by County Councils to 

 promote the formation or extension of and to assist 

 societies on a co-operative basis, having for their 

 object, or one of their objects, the erection or improve- 

 ment of dwellings for the working-classes, and to 

 make advances to such societies upon such terms and 

 conditions as to rate of interest and repayment or 

 otherwise and on such security as the council think fit." 



The resolution was passed on the understanding 

 that Local Authorities should only be looked to for 

 the last third of the requisite capital for the sjDciety, 

 the other two-thirds being obtained from the PubUc 

 Works Loan Board in the ordinary way. The wording 

 of the resolution was taken from the precedent con- 

 tained in Section 72 of the Housing and Town Planning 

 Act, 1909 which confers powers on County Councils 

 to invest money in " societies on a co-operative basis," 

 having the objects stated in the resolution. But in 

 fresh legislation these words should be replaced by 

 " societies whose rules are approved by the Local 

 Government Board." 



We think that an adaptation of the principle of 

 combining official with voluntary service by the 

 special form of Public Utility Society in view offers a 

 12 



