PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES BY PAY CLERKS. (1)

ORDER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD.

TO THE GUARDIANS OF THE POOR of the several Unions named in the Schedule to this Order ;

And to all others whom it may concern.

Whereas by certain General Orders dated respectively the 22nd day of March, 1877, and the 4th day of June 1877, addressed, among others, to the Guardians of the Poor of each of the Unions named in the Schedule to this Order, the Local Government Board made regulations with respect to the proceedings of the Guardians under the Elementary Education Act, 1876, including the appointment by the Guardians, with the approval of the said Board, of a person or persons, or one or more of their Officers, as Inquiry Officer or Inquiry Officers, to discharge certain duties with reference to applications by parents, not being paupers, for payment of School Fees;

And whereas, by Article IX. of the first above-recited Order, it is provided that "the Fees ordered to be paid as aforesaid shall be paid by the Guardians through the Inquiry Officer or otherwise;" and by Articles X. and XII. it is provided that the Inquiry Officer, if the Guardians require the School Fees to be paid through him, shall make such payments, and shall keep an account to be termed the "School Fees Receipt and Payment Account," and perform certain other duties in regard to such account;

And whereas the Guardians of each of the Unions named in the said Schedule have been empowered by Orders of the Poor Law Commissioners, the Poor Law Board or the Local Government Board, to appoint a Pay Clerk to distribute relief to the Poor within the Union or a portion of the Union, and those Orders or other Orders issued by them prescribe the duties to be performed by such Pay Clerk;

And whereas it is expedient that provision should be made to enable such Guardians to assign to the Pay Clerk the duty of paying the School Fees ordered by them:

Now therefore, we, the Local Government Board, in pursuance of the powers given by the several statutes in that behalf, hereby order as follows:

(1) As to the effect of the Elementary Education Act, 1891, with regard to the duties of Guardians as to the payment of school fees, see note, p. 618.

ARTICLE I. The guardians of the poor of each of the unions named in the Schedule to this Order may, if they think fit, with the approval of the Local Government Board, require the person for the time being holding the office of pay clerk in such union, to pay the school fees ordered by them, either as regards the whole of the union or the part of the union for which he may be appointed to act as pay clerk, according as the case may be.

ARTICLE II. When the pay clerk is required by the guardians to pay the school fees as aforesaid, the following Regulations shall take effect:

1. The guardians may pay to the pay clerk for his services in
respect of school fees such remuneration as may from
time to time be approved by the Local Government
Board, and the remuneration so awarded to him shall
be paid at the times and in the manner prescribed by
the Regulations in force for the time being with respect
to his remuneration for his duties as pay clerk.

2. The pay clerk shall duly and punctually pay to the school
board or school managers, in accordance with the direc-
tions given to him by the guardians, the school fees
which may be ordered by the guardians to be paid.
3. The pay clerk shall keep, in the form prescribed by the
last above-recited Order, the "School Fees Receipt and
Payment Account," (1) in which shall be entered all
moneys received and paid by him on account of the
guardians, under their proper dates. He shall balance
this account once every month, or oftener if required by
the guardians to do so, and shall submit it, with the
proper vouchers, to the clerk to the guardians for exam-
ination, at such periods as they may appoint.

4. The said account shall, together with the proper vouchers,
be submitted by the pay clerk to the auditor of the
union at the same times as the other books and accounts
of the union are submitted for audit; and the auditor
shall audit the same, subject to the Regulations in force
in the union for the time being in regard to the audit of
accounts, which, both as regards the auditor and the
officer concerned, shall, so far as they are applicable,
apply to the said account.

5. The provisions with respect to such account contained in Article XIII. of the first above-recited Order shall apply, (2) with the exception that in the statement by the auditor in the Form No. 5, referred to in that Article, the term "pay clerk" shall be inserted in connection with the column which relates to that account.

(1) As to the School Fees Receipt and Payment Account, see p. 624. (2) For Article referred to, see p. 622.

ARTICLE III.-In this Order,

The term guardians" includes any body of persons performing the functions of guardians within the meaning of the Acts relating to the relief of the poor.

The term "union means any union or incorporation of parishes under any general or local Act, and any single parish having guardians as above defined, under any general or local Act.

Given under the Seal of Office of the Local Government Board, this Fifth day of September, in the year One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.

G. SCLATER-BOOTH,

President.

DANBY P. FRY,

Assistant Secretary.

A similar Order has since been issued to the Bedwellty Union.

ALLOWANCE OF SCHOOL FEES BY WAY OF LOAN.

ORDER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD.

TO THE GUARDIANS OF THE POOR of the several Unions named in the Schedule to this Order ;—

And to all others whom it may concern.

Whereas, by Section 10 of the Elementary Education Act, 1876, it is enacted as follows:

"The parent, not being a pauper, of any child, who is unable by reason of poverty to pay the ordinary fee for such child at a public elementary school, or any part of such fee, may apply to the guardians having jurisdiction in the parish in which he resides; and it shall be the duty of such guardians, if satisfied of such inability, to pay the said fee, not exceeding threepence a week, or such part thereof as he is, in the opinion of the guardians, so unable to pay;"

And whereas, by Section 34 of the said Act, it is enacted as follows:

"All enactments relating to guardians and their officers and

expenses, and to relief given by guardians, shall, subject to the express provisions of this Act, apply as if the guardians, including the school attendance committee appointed by them, and their officers acting under this Act and expenses incurred, and money paid for school fees, and relief given under this Act, were respectively acting, incurred, and paid, and given as relief, under the Acts relating to the relief of the poor, and the Local Government Board may make rules, orders, and regulations accordingly;"

And whereas, by Section 58 of the Poor Law Amendment Act, 1834, it is enacted as follows:

"From and after the passing of this Act, any relief, or the cost price thereof, which shall be given to or on account of any poor person above the age of twenty-one, or to his wife, or any part of his family under the age of sixteen, and which the said commissioners shall, by any rule, order, or regulation, declare or direct to be given or considered as given by way of loan, and whether any receipt for such relief, or engagement to repay the same, or the cost price thereof, or any part thereof, shall have been given or not by the person to or on account of whom the same shall

have been so given, shall be considered and the same is hereby declared to be a loan to such poor person;"

Now therefore, we, the Local Government Board, in pursuance of the powers given by the statutes in that behalf, hereby order, declare, and direct as follows, with respect to each of the unions named in the Schedule to this Order :

ARTICLE I.—In every case in which the guardians decide to pay the school fee, or any part thereof, under the provisions of Section 10 of the Elementary Education Act, 1876, above recited, and declare the money so paid to be given by way of loan to the parent of the child, such money shall be considered as given by way of loan to the parent accordingly.

ARTICLE II. In every case where the money paid in respect of such fee is so given by way of loan, the same shall be recoverable in accordance with the provisions of the Poor Law Acts applicable to the recovery of other relief given on loan.

ARTICLE III.-In this Order,

The term 66

guardians" includes any body of persons performing the functions of guardians within the meaning of the Acts relating to the relief of the poor.

The term "unions" includes any union or incorporation of parishes under any general or local Act, and any single parish having guardians as above defined, under any general or local Act.

The term "parent" includes the guardian of a child, and every person who is liable to maintain a child.

SCHEDULE.

UNIONS, INCORPORATIONS, AND SINGLE PARISHES.

[The Unions, Incorporations, and Single Parishes included in this Schedule are the same as those specified in the Schedule to the Order of the Local Government Board as to Fees of Non-pauper Children (p. 627).]

Given under the Seal of Office of the Local Government Board, this Ninth day of January, in the year One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.

JOHN LAMBERT,

Secretary.

G. SCLATER-BOOTH,

President.