The monthly meeting of this Board was held at Well Green, Asby, on Wednesday evening last. Present:
 
C. FAIRER, Esq. (chairman);  MESSRS. J. LITTLEFAIR,  R. TAYLOR,  THOS. FAIRER and R. JACKSON (clerk and inspector).  The minutes of the previous meeting were read and signed.
 
CHILDREN IN THE DISTRICT.
 
The list of children between 5 and 13 years of age, furnished by the Inspector at the last meeting, was considered, and he was instructed to inform the parents of those who are not attending any school, that their children must now be sent.  A book of blank forms of notices was produced and examined by the members of the Board, and it was explained that as soon as the Bye Laws, which had been deposited for the inspection of the ratepayers and recently sent up to London, had been approved of by the Education Department and by Her Majesty in Council, the Board would be in a position to serve those notices on parents still refusing to comply with the Bye Laws.  The feeling of the Board was decidedly in favour of acting with moderation, but firmness in dealing with defaulters and to make all alike.
 
WAYS AND MEANS.
 
Money being now required to meet current expenses, a long conversation took place as to the means of ending it, the Chairman said he had himself been hopeful that the expense of forming the Board, providing school fittings, books, &c., might have been met out of money to be raised by voluntary contributions in connection with the enlargement of the village school, so as to relieve the tenant farmers, but as more time was required than had been anticipated to procure the scheme from the Endowed School Commissioners, he was afraid there was no other course open to the Board than that provided by Law for raising the money now required.  In future years, the Endowment and Parliamentary Grant ought to render recourse to the rates unnecessary.  --  MR. LITTLEFAIR suggested that the accounts should be all got in before next meeting, when an order on the overseers could be signed, and this was agreed to.  --  It was also agreed that the estimate of expenses should extend to the 29th of next September, when the School Board accounts are to be made up and audited, and that the amount should be called for by two equal instalments.
 
THE ENDOWED SCHOOL.
 
The members of the Board being wishful to hear something as to the progress of the scheme by which it is proposed to transfer the trust property from the present trustees to the School Board, the Chairman said he had an interview with the trustees of the school on the subject of a letter received from the Endowed School Commissioners a month ago, when the subject was fully considered.  Although this is a matter which the trustees alone are dealing with, he might explain to the Board what had been done.  He then read the Commissioners' letter, which was a very long one.  This letter, after commenting on the copies of the several trust deeds that had been supplied to the Commissioners, and on the fact that the trust property situated at Raisebeck was settled for the benefit of the poor of Asby and the school jointly, concludes as follows:
 
"I am able to state that this Commissioners are not aware that a School Board can accept any endowment for purposes not educational, and that assuming that a School Board cannot do ths, and that the non-educational trusts are to be preserved, it would not be practicable to make the School Board the governing body of DR. SMITH's endowment, as proposed by the trustees, but some other arrangement would have to be considered.  I am, however, to point out that this difficulty may be removed both as to the endowment of 1682,and as to the £10 under GEORGE SMITH's Will, if the governing bodies of these endowments respectively consent to the Commissioners having a scheme applying the whole of these endowments for education as could be done under Section 24, of the Endowed Schools' Act, 1869.  I am instructed to ask you to be good enough to furnish any information which you may be able to give on the points above referred to, or any other information which you think likely to be of service in the matter."
 
The Chairman then read the reply that the trustees had instructed their solicitors to write, from which it appeared that the trustees declined to agree to the suggestion that the income of Raisbeck land settled upon the poor of Asby should be given to the school.
 
This suggestion had been made by the Commissioners, as appears by their letter, in order to meet the difficulty that arises in consequence of the Raisbeck lands being mixed up with the poor, and the School Board as such, being prohibited from undertaking the charge of trust property for purposes not educational.
 
It was suggested in reply, which was also a lengthy document, that instead of making the School Board the governing body over the school property, fresh trustees to be selected from the names agreed to at a public meeting held sometime ago, should be appointed, who should manage the lands and divide the rents between the School Board and the poor.
 
The reply concluded by expressing a hope that these suggestions of the trustees might be approved of;  and that it would be within the power of the Charity Commissioners to have them carried out.