130 LOCAL TAXATION 



deputation was decidedly unsatisfactory. On 24th June he 

 made a statement in the House of Commons to the following 

 effect : 



" The existing aid grants of 640,000 to voluntary schools 

 and of 220,000 to necessitous Board Schools would be abolished, 

 and a new graut in aid of elementary education is to be sub- 

 stituted, amounting to 1,760,000. The grant to be applied to 

 elementary education only." 



During the autumn session amendments to the Bill were 

 carried which materially affected the ratepayers, and involved 

 further liabilities from the rates for secondary education. 

 The Council again discussed the Bill at their November 

 meeting, when Mr. Henry Chaplin moved a resolution, which 

 was carried with acclamation, as follows : 



" This Council, agreeing entirely on this point with the views 

 of the Royal Commission, considers that the provision of educa- 

 tion is a matter of national concern, and that the cost of education, 

 with due regard to economic administration, be borne as far as 

 possible by the National Exchequer, and not by local rates." 



In accordance with a request from the Council, Mr. Chaplin 

 then gave notice of an amendment to Clause 13 of the Bill 

 providing that 



" The expenditure out of local rates under this Act shall in 

 no case exceed one -fourth of the whole expenditure on education 

 by the education authority, and the expenses of that authority." 



Mr. Balfour on 7th November gave notice of motion to 

 closure by compartments that portion of the Bill which had 

 not been dealt with on 12th November ; this would have 

 prevented any discussion on Mr. Chaplin's amendment. 

 The 7th was on Friday, and with Sunday intervening there was 

 little opportunity of taking effective action before the 12th, 

 but by a lavish expenditure on lengthy telegrams to about a 

 hundred active members of local Chambers, explaining the 

 position, a sufficient number of Members of Parliament 

 received urgent messages from constituents requesting them 

 to oppose the closure motion until Mr. Chaplin's motion had 

 been discussed. This produced the necessary pressure upon 

 Mr. Balfour, the amendment was discussed, and it ultimately 

 resulted, not in getting Mr. Chaplin's amendment adopted, 

 but in an extra grant of about 450,000 from the National 



