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66
District Councils, the Vestry in May, 1891, on the recommendation
of its General Purposes Committee, resolved to express its
opinion as to the principles upon which such a measure should be
framed, and referred it to a special Committee to bring up a report
upon the subject. The Committee, while taking note of the heads of a
Bill as settled at the above-mentioned Conference, a scheme for District
Councils proposed by the London Liberal and Radical Union, and a
scheme framed by the Vestry of St. James, Westminster, submitted an
independent scheme a copy of which, together with the Committee's
report, will be found in the Appendix. This report was adopted by
the Vestry; and copies thereof including the scheme were sent to the President
of the Local Government Board and to the Home Secretary, to the
Members of Parliament representing the Borough of Islington and the
various Metropolitan Constituencies, to the Chairman and Members of
the London County Council, and to the various Vestries, District
Boards, and Rating Authorities of the Metropolis.
FREE PUBLIC LIBRARIES.
In May, 1891, the Vestry, as the Local Authority under the
Public Libraries Acts, received a requisition signed by a number of
ratepayers in the Parish requesting that a vote of the ratepayers might
be taken to determine upon the adoption or otherwise by the inhabitants
of the above-named Acts with a view to the establishment of Free
Libraries in Islington.
The Vestry fixed Thursday, the 4th day of June, as the day for the
issue of voting papers, and appointed its Vestry Clerk (Mr. W. F. Dewey)
Returning Officer.
The vote was taken in accordance with the Public Libraries Acts
Amendment Act of 1890 by voting papers, the names on the County
Council Register forming the electorate for the purpose of ascertaining
whether the Acts should be adopted or not. 7,542 persons answered
"yes" to the question put to them, and 10,912 answered "no," there
being consequently a majority of 3,370 against the adoption of the
Acts. There were 1,330 invalid voting papers. The expenses of taking
the poll amounted to £211 13s. 5d.