July 29, 1920] 



NATURE 



693 



species of Canarjum, which has been termed Indian 

 white mahogany, is Hkely to take an important place 

 in the future. It is a smooth, even-grained wood 

 which will be available at a very reasonable price, 

 Haldu {Adina cordifoiia) is a bright canary-coloured 

 wood notable for the smooth and even regularity of 

 the grain. It is possible to carve it in any direction 

 without splitting — a striking quality which gives it a 

 particular value. Perhaps the finest carving wood 

 which it is possible to obtain, however, is Indian red 

 pear {Bursera serrata), which possesses the above 

 qualities in a unique degree. Other woods which are 

 chiefly notable for their decorative qualities are Indian 

 red zebra-wood (M elanorrhoea usitata), Indian prima- 

 vera, yellowheart {Fagraea fragrans), and the hand- 

 some striped and mottled ebony known as Andaman 

 marblewood {Diospyros Kurzii). It becomes abun- 

 dantly clear that the only thing necessary for these 

 timbers of India to take the important position which 

 their merits deserve is that the representatives of the 

 Government in India should continue to provide 

 regular and certain supplies, and to this end exten- 

 sive arrangements are now being made. 



The United Kingdom. — About seventy varieties of 

 timbers grown in the United Kingdom were shown, 

 and these included such importations as the silver 

 wattle of Australia and the black walnut {Juglans 

 nigra) of America. Floorings in yew (Taxus baccata), 

 cherry {Prunus Avium), and beech {Fagus sylvatica), 

 amongst others, illustrated a little-known use for these 

 woods. The decorative effect of English brown oak 

 (Quercus Robur) was shown in various articles. Other 

 exhibits, such as the gondola of an aeroplane made in 

 English ash (Fraxinus excelsior), called to mind the 

 large part played in the war by the native timbers. 



Other countries showing interesting exhibits, of 

 which space forbids mention, were British Honduras, 

 Ceylon, Fiji, Newfoundland, New South Wales, New 

 Zealand, Union of South Africa, Tasmania, and 

 Trinidad. 



The Education Act, 1918. 



London County Council Draft Scheme. 

 'T* HE Education Act of 1918, which among its pro- 

 ■'■ visions requires that draft schemes for giving 

 effect to them shall be submitted by the local educa- 

 tion authorities, has resulted in a remarkably interest- 

 ing document just issued by the Education Committee 

 of the London County Council, in which is set forth 

 not only a scheme for the administration of the Act 

 within the county, but also a most informing sum- 

 mary of the history of education in London during the 

 nineteenth century and of the various legislative enact- 

 ments passed from time to time, notably those of 1870 

 and 1902, to increase the facilities and improve the 

 quality of education especially for the large population 

 immediately within its area, now amounting to up- 

 wards of 4i millions. The report further makes clear 

 the present activities of the Committee with its 951 

 separate elementary schools, in which 695,197 pupils 

 are enrolled, with an average attendance of 590,633, 

 from which figures it would appear that more than 

 100,000 children are constantly absent. The schools 

 are staffed by 20,000 teachers (less than one-third are 

 men), of whom only 300 are uncertificated. In addi- 

 tion to the ordinary elementary schools there was 

 organised in 19 10 a system of central schools to the 

 number of 51, distributed more or less evenlv through- 

 out the County of London, and filled with pupils 

 selected partly by means of junior county scholarships 

 at about eleven years of age with a view to an ad- 

 vanced course of training of four vears. 

 NO. 2648, VOL. 105] 



The Council, as the local education authority, is 

 concerned not only with the mental well-being of the 

 child, but also with its physical and social welfare. 

 Having regard to the fact stated by Sir George New- 

 man in a recent report, that there were more than 

 one million children in attendance at public elementary 

 schools in England and Wales who were unable by 

 reason of physical or mental defects to take effective 

 advantage of the instruction offered, no feature of the 

 past and future work of the Council can be regarded 

 as of greater importance than the effort to raise and 

 maintain the standard of bodily health and intellectual 

 vigour of the children of London. The statutory 

 medical inspection in the schools is carried out by 

 57 assistant medical officers and a staff of 208 nurses 

 under the Medical Officer of Health of the county. 

 The county is divided into five areas, each under a 

 divisional medical officer, a superintendent of nurses, a 

 treatment organiser, and a children's work director. 

 During 1919 169,200 cases of various kinds were 

 treated, and for 1920-21 provision is to be made for 

 40,000 cases more. A fee of is. is required in each 

 case where the parents can afford it, otherwise the 

 treatment is free. 



There is special provision for anaemic and sub- 

 normal children, for those with speech defect, of 

 whom there are about 1200 in the schools who need 

 treatment, and for blind and deaf children, of whom 

 there are 317 and 693 of the elementary-school class 

 respectively, whilst there are also 659 partly blind 

 and 117 partly deaf London children. 



All these measures denote a seriously important and 

 beneficial advance upon the almost entire neglect of 

 child-life in the nineteenth century. The provision of 

 higher education within the county includes 23 schools 

 provided and maintained by the authority and attended 

 by 8702 pupils, 31 schools with 11,808 pupils aided by 

 the authority, 47 other public secondary schools with 

 16,462 pupils, 40 schools conducted by religious bodies 

 with 5170 pupils, and, lastly, 421 private schools with 

 27,295 pupils. The last two groups are regarded as 

 preparatory rather than as secondary. There is thus 

 a total of 562 schools in the county area with 68,807 

 pupils under instruction, much of which, it is not un- 

 reasonable to say in respect of the great majority of 

 the private schools, can scarcely be efficient either in 

 subject or in quality. The Council maintains five 

 training colleges for teachers, one of which is a 

 school of the University of London, and makes main- 

 tenance grants to three recognised training colleges 

 within its area for domestic-economy teachers. 



The provision of technical education within the 

 county since the passing of the Technical Instruction 

 Acts of 1889 and 189 1 comes under review, and is 

 marked by three periods of development. The first 

 covers the years 1889-1904, and embraces the work 

 of the Technical Education Board established in 1893; 

 the second from 1904 to 1909, which followed the 

 traditions and policy of the Board ; and the third from 

 1909 to the present time, which has aimed at a pro- 

 gressive delimitation of the functions of rival institu- 

 tions and at a general endeavour to co-ordinate all 

 forms of education. 



In 1892 a general survey was made of the needs of 

 London as a preliminary to the operations of the 

 Technical Education Board, and, as a result, the 

 Board made direct grants in aid of polytechnics and 

 other institutions for their maintenance and equip- 

 ment and for the extension of their work. There were 

 26 technical institutions so aided in 1903, some of 

 which were under the direct control of the Council, 

 and grrants were also made to the extent of 33,000!. 

 in aid of science and language teaching in the 

 secondary schools. A system of scholarships was 



