At the .meeting of the Coun cil on Thursday last a resolution was carried that if the' Mechanics' Institute would pay one year's rates the Council would allow time for payment of the balance. Tbe Council, it was said, "did not wish to be hard on the Institute, but the rates must be collected." It seems to us that the view of the Borough Council is a perfectly correct one. Tbe Mechanics' Institute is not the property of tbe ratepayers, and therefore has no claim to be supported even to a small extent out of rates. It ia doubtful also whether m cases of the kind under discussion the Borough Council have tbe power to remit rates. Remission of rates is equivalent, to an expenditure- of revenue, and the Auditor-Generril (supported by author ities) ' has held that no part of licenses can be remitted. Wbnld not the same reasoning bold good m respect of remission of rates ? We beg to say that we are not taking np a position boßtile to tbe Mecbnnicß' Institute. We Bbould be very glad to boo it flourish, but tbe members and the committee may rest assured tbat when tbey coiae m forma pauperis before the Borough Council, praying to be relieved of tbe burden of just dues, they are doing something which tends to bring the concern into contempt, and ' to lower it m the eyes of- the public by whom alone ib can' be properly sup ported. Wo think that the committee are deserving of credit for tbe interest which tbey have taken m the affairs of the Institute, and for the offorta which they T have mado to place it m a Bound financial position. They have only very partially succeeded, »nd it ia clear that the machine ciinnot be kept going at all except by moat harassing and unremitting exditiona. The Institute is not popular, aud we repeat what wo said at the b'pginhing of this article, namely, that we are not prepared to suggest a remedy. 