ment of any child between the ages of ten and fourteen, who has not reached" the standard of education fixed by a bye-law in force in the district," unless the child is employed and attending school in accordance with the factory act or of a bye-law. A person will not be deemed to have unlawfully taken into his employment a child falling within the above description if it be proved (1) that there is not within two miles of his residence a public elementary school which he can attend; (2) that the employment by reason of being during the holidays or out of school hours does not interfere with the child's instruction, or (3) that the employment is exempted by a notice of the local authority* under the following provision of the Act of 1876: "The local authority may if it thinks fit issue a notice exempting from the provisions and restrictions of this act the employment of children above the age of eight years for the necessary operations of husbandry, and the ingathering of crops for the period to be named in the above notice, provided that the period or periods so named by any such local authority, shall not exceed, in the whole, six weeks between the 1st January and the 31st December in any year. The local authority shall cause a copy of every notice so issued to be sent to the education department, and to the overseers of every parish within its jurisdiction; and the overseers shall cause such notice to be affixed to the door of all churches and chapels in the parish, and the local authority may further advertise any such notice in such manner (if any) as it may think fit."

* That is, for our present purpose, the school attendance committee appointed by the Board of Guardians.

M

CHAPTER XVII.

OF PARISH ALLOTMENTS.

By the Act 2 Wm. IV. c. 42, the trustees of lands allotted under enclosure acts for the benefit of the poor, together with the churchwardens and overseers in vestry assembled, were required to let portions of such lands in quantities of not less than a quarter of an acre, and not exceeding one acre to any one individual, according to their discretion, as a yearly occupation from Michaelmas to Michaelmas (at such rent as land is usually let for in the said parish) to industrious cottagers of good character being day labourers, or journeymen, "legally settled," in the said parish, and dwelling within or near its bounds. Then by the Poor Allotment Management Act, 1873 (36 Vict. c. 10), it was recited "that the number of allotment wardens, trustees, or other functionaries appointed for the holding or management of such land is larger than is found convenient for the proper management of the same;" and in order to meet this state of things it was enacted (by sec. 3), that a committee of not more than twelve nor less than six members of their own body (the number to be from time to time fixed by the appointing body) shall be appointed annually by the following authorities; that is to say (1) by the allotment trustees, or by a majority of votes of the allotment trustees present and voting at a meeting, summoned as in this act provided, when the number of allotment

trustees for the time being exceeds twenty; and (2) by the vestry of any parish empowered to make an order in pursuance of the act 2 Wm. IV. c. 4, intituled, &c., when the number of persons for the time being entitled to attend such vestry exceeds twenty. And (by sec. 4) the committee thus appointed is during their year of office to be substituted for and exercise in respect of lands intended for or being such allotments as in this act mentioned, all the powers of the allotment trustees, or as the case may be of the vestry.

It will be observed that the scope of both these acts was limited. They only applied to lands appropriated to the benefit of the poor under the enclosure acts; and such lands were only to be let to poor "legally settled" in the parish. Moreover they contained no provisions adequate to secure the use of the powers which they conferred. The result was that they were only partially carried out, and largely failed to confer upon the industrious rural poor the benefit which the legislature intended. In the year 1882, however, an act was passed which does to some extent remedy the defects we have mentioned, but has, unfortunately, other defects of its own. The Allotments Extension Act, 1882 (45 & 46 Vict. c. 80), applies to "all lands, whether cultivated or uncultivated, held for the benefit of the poor." Its benefits are not restricted to "legally settled poor." And it provides a summary and effective remedy for any neglect on the part of those whose duty it is to carry it out. The interpretation clause provides that "trustees" shall in the act be held to mean trustees,

feoffees, and managers, whether corporate or sole, or a committee of the same in such cases as are provided for in the Poor Allotments Management Act, 1873. It is then enacted by clause 4 that "All trustees in whom lands are vested or by whom the same are held or managed for the benefit of the poor of any parish or place in or adjoining to that in which such lands are situate, and whereof the rents or produce are distributed in gifts of money, doles, fuel, clothing, bread, or other articles of sustenance or necessity, shall, where such lands are not otherwise used for the benefit of the parish in which it is situate as a recreation ground, or otherwise for the enjoyment or general benefit of the inhabitants, take proceedings, subject as herein-after mentioned,* for letting such lands in allotments to cottagers, labourers, and others."

If any of the said lands lie at an inconvenient distance from the residences of any cottagers or labourers, the trustees are by clause 5 empowered to let such lands, and to hire other land more favourably situated for allotments.

The provisions of the act are by clause 7 to apply to lands held for the benefit of the poor of any parish or place situated in or adjoining to the same parish in which such poor dwell; but where the said lands are situated in or adjoining to several parishes, preference is to be given to the cottagers and labourers being inhabitants of the parish or place for the benefit of the

By clause 11, if lands are unsuitable for allotment the trustees may obtain a certificate to that effect from the Charity Commissioners; and they will then not be bound to allot such lands.

poor of which lands are so held; and by clause 8, where any lands are held as partly for the benefit of the poor, and partly for other objects, the provisions of the act are to apply to such a proportion of the entire quantity of the said lands as the amount of the gross income applicable to the poor bears to the entire gross income thereof; and any difference as to the amount of such gross income, or as to the said proportion, is to be referred to the Charity Commis

sioners.

The trustees or the majority of them may (subject to the approval of the Charity Commissioners) from time to time make and, when made, revoke and vary such rules as may be necessary for the appointment and powers of local managers of allotments under this act, whether as tenants or agents of the trustees or otherwise; for preventing the same being built upon or sublet; for preventing any undue preference in such letting; and all other necessary rules for giving effect to the provisions of the act.

One of the most important clauses in the act is clause 10, which enacts that, "If the trustees of any such lands shall omit, neglect, or refuse to give such public notice or to proceed for such setting apart of land as is required by this act, or otherwise to comply with the provisions of this act, any of the said cottagers or labourers, not being less than four, who would be entitled to rent any allotment out of the said lands under the provisions of this act if the same had been duly observed shall be entitled, after due notice to such trustees requiring them to remedy the omission, neglect, or refusal specified in the notice, to