564 



NA rURE 



[April 



1902 



Government tend in the direction of leaving as much 

 liberty and elasticity as possible, having faith in the 

 county authorities to devise a suitable scheme without 

 /:oercion from Parliament. This feature, it seems to me, 

 should be welcomed except by persons who have no faith 

 in popular government. 



13ut there is one important item in the Government 

 Bill which was not adopted by the above-mentioned 

 conference, and which appears certain to excite the 

 hostility, and which evidently has excited the hostility, 

 of members of School Hoards, though the reasons why 

 they object to it do not lie on the surface. This is a 

 matter on which much controversy turns, and it may be 

 as well to explain it. 



In the above proposals of the conference it was all 

 along assumed that the committee appointed to work 

 the educational scheme would be itself the education 

 authority, and the following additional clauses with 

 regard to its financial powers were drawn up : — 



(5) That the Education Authority as constituted be an 

 authority subject only to the Board of Education, that it have 

 independent rating power, borrowing power and purchasing 

 power, and be not regarded as a committee of the County 

 Councils with proceedings subject to revision by those bodies. 



Note. — Whatever objection may be felt to this independence 

 of rating power for educational purposes, it is felt that if it were 

 not granted the incipient harmony and agreement would be 

 destroyed, for the School Boards would not willingly consent to 

 resign an important portion of their powers to any but a strong 

 and autonomous education authority. 



(6) That the local authority shall administer and apportion 

 all public educational funds ; of which it is desirable that a 

 larger proportion than at present should be derived from im- 

 perial revenue {since the local rate falls with undue severity on 

 the poorer districts, and for other reasons), and that no limit be 

 placed by Act of Parliament on the rating power for education 

 of a local authority. 



But here the Government Bill differs entirely ; it 

 constitutes the County Council itself the local authority 

 and gives it full control of the purse (subject, Ifowever, 

 to certain limits of rating power, which limits are too 

 absurdly narrow as specified in the Bill, though a means 

 of widening them is provided, for any education higher 

 than primary) ; and the working education body is only 

 a committee of this local authority, consisting of ap- 

 pointed, co-opted, and nominated members. The object 

 of this contrivance is manifest, viz. to leave the ultimate 

 financial control entirely in the hands of persons directly 

 elected by the ratepayers, and to get rid of the anomaly 

 of two independent rating powers. But there at once 

 we touch upon the jealousy or rivalry which has existed 

 between the County Councils and the School Boards, 

 for the latter are not likely to be willing to give 

 up their powers to a body elected for other pur- 

 poses than education, the members of which are 

 not necessarily even members of the education com- 

 mittee ; nor are they likely to willingly resign their 

 financial autonomy in favour of a inere committee 

 without rating power. This has always been recog- 

 nised as one of the most difficult points about the 

 Bill, and it is not likely that any solution would meet all 

 objections. On the whole, the Government solution 

 seems to me ingenious and hopeful, but they must be 

 prepared to face a genuine conflict of opinion on this 

 point. Fortunately, the urgency of the conflict is miti- 

 gated by the optional provision which permits efficient 

 School Boards to continue for a time ; but the option 

 does not rest with the School Board — it rests with the 

 County Council ; and this fact, though probably un- 

 avoidable, may lead to conflict. On the whole, it 

 appears not unlikely that this provision for choice 

 between adoption and non-adoption of the elementary 

 education portion of the Bill may be abrogated ; but 

 strong arguments in favour of it are given below (see 

 paragraphs following 14). 



NO. 1694, VOL. 65] 



The next four propositions are little more than business 

 arrangements, though it may be convenient to quote 

 them. They are as follows : — 



(7) That financial support be not granted to any institution 

 until proper means be taken to secure its effective e^ienditure. 



(8) That any existing powers whereby a locality aids an 

 educational institution nominally outside its area shall be 

 preserved. 



(9) That it shall be the duty of each local authority to forth- 

 with examine into the educational need of the district, to report 

 to the Board of Education both on its present supply and from 

 time to time on the further additional supply necessary, and, 

 subject to control and approval by the Board of Education, to 

 take steps for its provision. 



(10) A right of appeal to the Board of Education on behalf 

 of any aggrieved institution shall be conceded. 



Of these it is satisfactory to find that Xo. 8 is included 

 in the Bill, so that, for instance, a P'niversity college 

 which manifestly serves an educational area without 

 being actually located in that area, can as heretofore be 

 assisted by the council controlling the area. 



It is to be feared that No. 10 does not find a counter- 

 part in the Bill. Right of appeal to the Board of 

 Education as an arbiter is given in connection with 

 primary education, but it is needed on behalf of any 

 institution, though not of any individual, which feels 

 itself aggrieved by some action of the local Education 

 Authority. 



Then there arises the question as to the proper size of 

 an educational area. It would be desirable, if possible, 

 that each complete area should contain an example of 

 every grade of educational institution, from the primary 

 school to the college and University. This is not feasible, 

 but what is feasible is that for certa'n purposes some 

 common action could be taken, or some amalgamation 

 effected, by areas which are educationally too small. 

 Moreover, there are many instances where the adminis- 

 trative county area will turn out very artificial for edu- 

 cational purposes, giving rise to much needless over- 

 lapping ; and, although it would seem impracticable to 

 mark out new areas, yet even that might be permitted 

 if locally desired ; anyway it would be quite feasible 

 for county authorities to combine for educational pur- 

 poses, and accordingly the conference adopted the follow- 

 ing resolution : — 



(11) That local Education Authorities of adjacent districts 

 which for any reason have educational interests in common be 

 empowered to combine, to discuss, and to appoint joint com- 

 mittees for all such purposes as may be common to their areas ; 

 and likewise, if they choose, to combine altogether or amalga- 

 mate for educational purposes, so as to constitute a large edu- 

 cational area administered by one authority ; and that facilities 

 for such combination be afl'orded. 



NoU. — Opinion was divided as to whether it was feasible to 

 enforce combination among administrative counties for edu- 

 cational purposes, with the object of securing a large dignified 

 and comprehensive educational area. 



The essence of this desideratum is provided for in the 

 Act in an ingenious manner, the arrangement of an 

 education committee not itself a County Council facili- 

 tating the matter, because plainly county authorities 

 could combine to work their districts by a single edu- 

 cation committee nominated conjointly. 



The educational standing of non-county Boroughs and 

 urban districts has been a matter which has always 

 given great trouble and excited considerable controversy. 



A non-county borough with a large population, for 

 which it has made considerable educational provision, 

 and possessing a penny rating power for technical instruc- 

 tion, would resent being treated by a County Council on 

 the same lines as the surrounding rural districts ; and 

 yet it seemed difficult to constitute so small a body with 

 no great variety of schools in its area an actual Education 



