440 TECHNICAL EDUCATION XVii 



which underlies the whole theory of government 

 in this country, and if it is wrong we shall have 

 to go back a long way. But you may ask me, 

 " This process of local taxation can only be carried 

 out under the authority of an Act of Parliament, 

 and do you propose to let any municipality or any 

 local authority have carte blanche in these matters ; 

 is the Legislature to allow it to tax the whole 

 body of its members to any extent it pleases and 

 for any purposes it pleases?" I should reply, 

 certainly not. 



Let me point out to you that at this present 

 moment it passes the wit of man, so far as I know, 

 to give a legal definition of technical education. 

 If you expect to have an Act of Parliament with a 

 definition which shall include all that ought to be 

 included, and exclude all that ought to be excluded, 

 I think you will have to wait a very long time. I 

 imagine the whole matter is in a tentative state. 

 You don't know what you will be called upon to 

 do, and so you must try and you must blunder. 

 Under these circumstances it is obvious that there 

 are two alternatives. One of these is to give a free 

 hand to each locality. Well, it is within my know- 

 ledge that there are a good many people with 

 wonderful, strange, and wild notions as to what 

 ought to be done in technical education, and it is 

 quite possible that in some places, and especially 

 in small places, where there are few persons who 

 take an interest in these things, you will have 



