§ Mr. ROWLANDSasked the President of the Local Government Board whether until recently parish councils were able to put in and pay for hydrants that were, in the opinion of the council, necessary for efficient protection against fire; whether the Board will not now allow expenditure by the council for this purpose, and some parish councils have been surcharged; and whether he will state the exact position of a parish council in the matter?
§ Mr. BURNSFire hydrants cannot lawfully be provided at the cost of the rates in a rural parish except where the rural district council have been invested with the powers of an urban authority in this matter under Section 66 of the Public Health Act, 1875. These powers can be conferred by an Order of the Local Government Board, made on the application of either the rural district council or the parish council, if there is one, and it is competent to any rural district council upon whom these powers have been conferred to delegate them to the parish council.