148 



Social Service in Rural Areas. 



[may, 



This is the maximum allowed, and must cover the whole 

 expenditure of a complete financial year. It may include the 

 provision and maintenance of buildings required for Public 

 Offices, meetings, etc. But subject to this limitation they may 

 further the erection of village halls in the following ways : — 



(a) If the hall were erected by voluntary subscriptions 



they can accept it as a gift for the benefit of the 

 inhabitants of the Parish, and so becomiC responsible 

 for its future maintenance. 



(b) They can contribute towards the cost of erection, as 



a war memorial, with the sanction of the Ministry of 

 Health. 



(c) They can contribute towards the cost of erection, as 



a building which would be partly used for public 

 offices or for meetings, and could raise a loan for this 

 purpose with the sanction of the County Council. 



(d) They can erect the building as a war memorial and for 



public offices or for meetings (with sanction as above 

 mentioned) and receive voluntary subscriptions as 

 contributions towards expenses. 



(e) If the building were to be used partly as a public 



library they can take action by adopting the Public 

 Libraries Act, 1892, which would enable them to 

 raise a id. rate for that express purpose. The adoption 

 must be by the Parish Meeting. 

 (/) A Parish Council may let any building vested in them, 

 but in the case of a building erected at the expense 

 of the rates, may not do so for more than one year, 

 without the consent of the Ministry of Health. 



Under the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Act, the 

 new county agricultural committees are directed to make 

 such inquiries as appear to them to be desirable with a view to 

 formulating schemes for the development of rural industries 

 and social life in rural places, and for the co-ordination of 

 action by local authorities and other bodies by which such 

 development may be effected, and shall report the result of 

 such inquiries to the Board and to any local authority or body 

 concerned, and the expenses incurred by the Committee under 

 this sub-section to such amount as may be sanctioned by the 

 Board with the approval of the Treasury shall be defrayed by 

 the Board." 



This express statutory recognition of the importance of the 

 development of social life in rural places is satisfactory and 



