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THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICE: THE STANDING CONFERENCE ON LOCAL HISTORY AND THE WORK OF THE LOCAL ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETIES. IN 1932 the National Council of Social Service, with financial support from the Carnegie Trust, sponsored a committee for the furtherance of local history. The war brought this committee to an end in 1939, but the National Council of Social Service called a conference of representatives of counties and national organisations in December 1947 to find out whether there was felt to be a need to reconstitute the committee. It was unanimously agreed that there was great interest in local history, that it required direction and co-ordination, and that it was more than ever necessary to have some body such as the old committee to forward this work. This national conference appointed a committee to consider the best methods of proceeding towards the co-ordination of effort and the stimulation of interest in local history. By the end of 1948 the committee had prepared a series of leaflets and had drafted a constitution for a Standing Con- ference for Local History on which all counties and every interested organisation could be represented. It was proposed that the Standing Conference meet normally only once each year to discuss and criticise aims and achievements, and to appoint an executive committee for the ensuing year. In December 1948 another national conference was held at which the proposed constitution was approved and an ex- ecutive committee appointed. The Minister of Education spoke on his interest in the work at this meeting and Dr. E. F. Jacob gave an address on Local History-its present position and possibilities', which is printed in History, No. 122 (for October 1949). This scheme has been successfully launched through the good offices of the National Council of Social Service and the energetic work of Mr. G. Dando, the secretary whom the National Council has pro- vided for the Standing Conference and its executive committee. It is now hoped to give all possible aid to local historical studies along the lines laid down in the constitution (1) 'to assist in the development of the study of Local History and in the provision of the necessary services for the furtherance of that object.'