THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES 2/1

slight; they may maintain a Parish Hall and a Library, look after
a village green, and protect local rights of way. Sometimes they
take advantage of an Act which enables them to see to the lighting
of the village, and higher authorities may hand over to them
the care of the water supply, and the repairing of footpaths. If any
of these matters has been seriously neglected there will be excite-
ment at the Parish Meeting, but usually Parish Councils carry out
their necessary, if huihdrurn, duties, without earning either
gratitude or resentment. There is sometimes a difficulty in finding
persons prepared to serve on the Council, and provision is made
that residents in another Parish may be elected so long as they
do not live more than three miles away.. A Parish may have a paid
Clerk, but no other paid officials.

THE DISTRICT.

A group of Parishes forms a Rural District, and if the develop-
ment of industry turns a Parish into a small town, that Parish
may request the County Council to make it into an Urban District.
The Councils of Rural and Urban Districts are elected in April
by ballot; as only one-third of the Councillors retire at each
q.nmia1 election, three years are necessary for the re-election of
the whole Council. The Chairman may be one of the Councillors,
or chosen from outside; in either case he has the powers of a
J.P. during his term of office. The Districts enjoy greater dignity
and power than the Parish. They are used by the Central Govern-
ment as housing authorities, and so have the power to acquire
land and to build, and the duty of dealing with slums and over-
crowding. As sanitary authorities they must deal with the water
supply and sewerage, the cleaning of streets and footpaths,
and removal of refuse. Some of these duties they may hand on
to the Parishes; on the other hand, Parishes which consider that
the District Council is not sufficiently energetic, may request
the County Council to hold an enquiry, and perhaps take over
the duties itself.

While trunk roads are maintained directly by the Ministry of