There was a time, even now not remotely distant, when it was the fashion to hold in contempt the work of municipal bodies, as savouring chiefly of drains and dustbins. That day has passed, and the manifold duties carried out by the various local councils offer scope to the activities of all those who interest themselves in the public affairs of the district where they reside, and the election of representatives for local government purposes becomes every day of greater importance. The ladder of local government, indeed, is a tolerably long one. It stretches from the parish or town to the district, rural or urban as the case may be, and thence to the county. A sketch in broadest outline of the duties laid upon councillors must here suffice to indicate the various opportunities that present themselves to true-born Britons to fight the electoral battles of their country-let us hope for their country's good. THE PARISH COUNCIL. Taking a rural view of things to begin with, we have first the Parish Council, to which every rural parish having a population exceeding 300 is entitled. Smaller parishes may be combined by order of their County Council to form a Parish Council, or they can demand a Council of their own, but usually they content themselves with a Parish Meeting, which must assemble at least twice a year, when every elector has the privilege of representing himself. Big parishes also have their Parish Meeting on or about the 25th March of each year, and once in three years parish councillors to the number of from five to fifteen according to the size of the parish, are elected by the vote of the meeting unless a poll is demanded, when a formal election under the Ballot Act takes place, and candidates enjoy an electioneering campaign literally devoted to parochial politics. In practice the election is usually carried out by show of hands at the Parish Meeting, and the chief ordeal which candidates have to face is the opportunity which the Chairman of the meeting is compelled to give for questions to be put to them by parochial electors then present. With truly paternal solicitude the Local Government Board not only issues detailed Election Orders, but on the occasion of the triennial election communicates to the Chairmen and the Clerks of Councils a memorandum of the chief formalities to be observed. Whether a poll is taken or not, each candidate for a Parish Council must be nominated in writing according to the form required by law. The duties and rights devolving upon a parish council are not inconsiderable. They include the management of parochial property, the appointment of overseers of the poor, the care of parish footpaths, and the right of making representations to the Rural District Council upon sanitary matters within the parish, with an appeal to the County Council in case of neglect. Even where there is a Parish Council, certain powers are reserved to the electors assembled at a Parish Meeting. The Council, for instance must not embark upon schemes involving a rate exceeding 3d. in the pound, or involving a loan without the consent of the Parish Meeting, which also must decide upon any proposal to put into force what в 2 are known as the Adoptive Acts, namely the Lighting and Watching Acts, Baths and Washhouses Acts, Burial Acts, Public Improvements Act, and the Public Libraries Acts. The number of Parish Councils in England and Wales is over 7,000, and, while the legislation of 1894 which brought them into existence, has not achieved all that its promoters expected in the direction of arousing local interest in rural parochial affairs there is plenty of scope for sound public work to be done by members of the Councils. At the next rung of the ladder we find THE RURAL DISTRICT COUNCIL. It possesses large administrative powers over a number of rural parishes grouped together. The Council is the Sanitary Authority for its district, controlling and maintaining the sewerage and draining systems, and exercising other important duties under the Public Health Acts. The sanitation of rural England is in fact in the hands of these Councils, who are also charged with the care of all the roads in their district, other than main roads, which are under the jurisdiction of the County Council, although arrangements can be entered into between the two authorities whereby the Rural District Council undertakes the charge also of main roads, being recouped for expenditure thus incurred. There are about 660 Rural District Councils in England and Wales, the number of Councillors varying according to the size and population of the area controlled. Election confers office for three years, one-third of the members usually retiring in April of each year, but by order of the County Council all members may retire simultaneously every third year. The chairman of the Council is ex officio a magistrate for the county during his tenure of the chair. The elections are by ballot, and candidates must be nominated, in writing, by two parochial electors of the parish. An important provision is that membership of a Rural District Council involves also acting as the representative of the parish for which he is elected on the Board of Guardians. That body is entirely separate from the Rural District Council, but in rural areas it is composed of persons who are also District Councillors. Obviously, then, there is plenty of occupation for the person elected, if he or she is prepared to carry out the work faithfully. THE COUNTY COUNCIL is the highest authority, and exercises its very extensive powers of control subject only to the general supervisory power of the Local Government Board and other central departments which are concerned with certain details of local administration. The opportunities for the public activities of women do not at present extend to the county governing bodies, but with this exception, the County Councils offer the chance of government by the people for the people upon the broadest lines. It is characteristic of local administration in this country that the bulk of the work done is accomplished by means of committees. Perhaps the system is carried even too far, but in the case of County Councils having jurisdiction over a very large area, some such division of the many duties is a practical necessity, as the range of activity is too wide for an ordinary member to master all its details without a greater sacrifice of time and energy than he can properly be expected to make for public purposes. A mere glance at the duties which fall upon the Council of a County makes this tolerably clear. The Council manages county property, and makes bye-laws for the good rule and government of the county. It is responsible for the maintenance of all main roads and County bridges. In addition to administering, by a special committee, the Elementary Education Acts, it has extensive duties with regard to higher education and the provision of industrial schools and reformatories. In conjunction with a committee of the County Justices, the Council manages the county police force. It administers many Acts of Parliament, notably those relating to Weights and Measures, the Sale of Foods and Drugs, Diseases of Animals. It has duties of its own under the Public Health Acts, and it must also see that the District Councils do not neglect their sanitary obligations, and it may itself step in and do the work neglected by a defaulting Council. County Council elections take place once in three years, when all elected members retire simultaneously. In addition to the popularly-elected councillors, whose number varies according to the size of the county, there are on each Council, aldermen to the number of one-third of the councillors, by whom they are elected for a period |