124 NOTES ON THE CONFERENCE OF DELEGATES OF THE
library. The London County Council had a proposal to aid a
certain museum under consideration, and in Dorset the museums at
Poole, Dorchester, and Sherborne had all received aid. From some
counties no information had yet been received, but enough had been
stated to show that there was no insuperable obstacle to the applica-
tion of money intended for Technical Education to the development
of museums. Mr. Peek concluded by remarking that any grants
made to local museums and free libraries would tend more than
anything else to increase local activity.
The discussion on Mr. Peek's paper turned largely on the
relations between local museums and County Councils. Sir John
Evans doubted whether grants to museums would be permitted to
pass by the Government auditors, though a grant of technical books
to a local museum might be allowed. The Rev. O. P. Cambridge
(Dorset) believed that in some cases County Councils had made
grants which they were not altogether legally entitled to make, but
which, from the good work done, were not likely to be called into
question. And Mr. T. W. Shore said that it was at least clear
that grants could be made by County Councils to defray the expense
of lectures and demonstrations in museums.
For my own part, I remarked that I held in my hands a letter
from Mr. W. Cole, Secretary to the Essex Field Club, who was
intimately acquainted with the system of Technical Education as it
was carried out in Essex. Mr. Cole lamented that nothing had
been granted by the County Council to aid museums, but thought
that to do so was probably beyond their legal powers, and hoped
for an amendment of the Technical Instruction Acts. He would
doubtless be cheered by Mr. Peek's remarks on that point, which
showed, at least, that grants to museums were by no means un-
questionably illegal. Mr. Cole doubted the efficiency of mere
lecturing, especially in rural districts. When a lecturer departed he
took away the specimens he had brought with him as illustrations to
his remarks, and but little real and abiding interest in his subject
was aroused. What was really wanted was a permanent central
museum which was constantly sending forth loan collections to the
remoter districts, and allowed them to remain there for a certain
time after the lectures illustrated by the collections had been given.
Mr. Cole, however, did not think that museums should be entirely
worked by County Councils, as that would greatly weaken the
interest taken in museums by the naturalists and Field Clubs who had