THE STORY OF ENGLISH EDUCATION. 351 



science clause, protecting the religious beliefs of children of other 

 denominations attending the schools, was sufficient. The government 

 had, therefore, the alternative of helping these voluntary schools on 

 terms and thus knitting them forever into the national system, or of 

 building at a cost of £130,000,000 schools to compete with these schools, 

 or of buying them compulsorily at a cost of over £50,000,000 and start- 

 ing them as undenominational schools. Obviously, the only business- 

 like course was to make terms with the voluntary schools. The bill 

 was fought in the legislature for a period of nine months, but eventu- 

 ally passed, retaining the principles contended for by all economists 

 and educationalists of weight in the country. 



I must briefly note the provisions of the act. The first section 

 enacts that every county council and county borough council and the 

 borough council of every non-county borough with a population over 

 10,000 and the district council of every urban district with a popula- 

 tion over 20,000 shall be the local educational authority for elementary 

 education, while the county council and the county borough council 



m 



are the authorities for higher education. In the case of all non-county 

 boroughs and urban districts the borough or district council may sup- 

 plement the work of the county council by supplying or aiding the 

 supply of, within their financial limits, higher education. In the 

 non-county boroughs with a population of 10,000 and under, and urban 

 districts with a population of 30,000 and under, the county council, in 

 addition to its authority over higher education, controls elementary 

 education. The act goes on to provide that the local educational au- 

 thority shall 'take such steps as seem to them desirable, after consulta- 

 tion with the Board of Education, to supply or aid the supply of 

 education other than elementary, and to promote the general coordina- 

 tion of all forms of education.' In order to fulfil this laudable pur- 

 pose the local educational authority is invested with a rating power for 

 secondary education to enable it to supplement the funds above referred 

 to as ear-marked for secondary education. County borough councils 

 can make any necessary rate for secondary education, but county coun- 

 cils can only make (apart from the consent of the Local Government 

 Board to a higher rate) a rate of twopence in the pound (threepence 

 in certain exceptional cases) while the councils of non-county boroughs 

 and urban districts are able only to make a rate of one penny in the 

 pound for this purpose. The religious aspect of higher education is 

 made the subject of special provisions, and a carefully drafted con- 

 science clause protects all classes of pupils. 



Part III. of the act (sections 5-17) deals with elementary educa- 

 tion. It abolishes school boards and substitutes the local education 

 authority. This authority, in addition to the power of the old school 

 boards over schools provided out of the rates, is responsible for and 

 has the control of all secular education in these denominational schools 



