Local Government (Ireland) Acts.
xi.
appeal of the Monaghan County Council against the establish¬ ment of the auxiliary asylum at Cootehill was duly considered by the Privy Council, and they decided that the jurisdiction under Section 76 of the Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1898, to fix the site of an auxiliary asylum is vested in the local authority.
We have since been in communication with the Joint Com¬ mittee of the District Asylum with regard to the question of an adequate water supply for the purposes of the new institution, but the schemes hitherto submitted to us in this connection have not been such as could be approved by us.
We recently informed the Joint Committee that we must defer the further considera¬ tion of the dissolution of the Cootehill Union until the question of an efficient and satisfactory water supply has been definitely settled.
Education (Provisio)i of Meals) (Ireland) Act, 1914.
During the year the Education (Provision of Meals) (Ireland) Act, 1914, received the Royal Assent.
This Act empowers County Borough and Urban District Councils to associate them¬ selves with Local Committees for the purpose of providing with meals children attending National Schools within their area; and, when possible, to recover the cost of such meals from the parents of the children.
Further, when the Local Authority are satisfied that any children attending a National School within their area are unable, by reason of lack of food, to take full advantage of the education provided for them, and having ascer¬ tained that funds, other than public funds, are not available, or are insufficient in amount to defray the cost of food furnished in meals under the Act, we are empowered to authorise them to expend out of the rates such sum not exceeding the amount which would be produced by a rate of one half-penny in the pound, as will meet the cost of the provision of the food.
This authority has been given by us to the Corporation of Dublin, and to the Urban Districts of Athy, Kingstown, Listowel, Newry, and Wexford.
The question is, at present, under consideration in a number of the other County Boroughs and Urban Districts.
Some doubts having arisen as to the interpretation of the ex¬ pression " National Schools " in this Act, we have expressed the opinion that the benefits of the Act need not be confined to children attending schools under the control of the Commissioners of National Education.
Trade Boards Act, 1909.
In connection with the provisions of the Trade Boards Act, 1909, governing the action of local authorities in giving-con¬ tracts which involve employment in certain trades, we notified to local authorities certain Orders made by the Board of Trade under Section 5 (2) of the Act, making obligatory in cases in which they are applicable, on all persons employing labour and
