PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 727 
following classes, viz. : (1) Counties, (2) county boroughs, and (3) boroughs and 
urban districts, as the conditions in these areas, under the Act of 1902, differ 
considerably. 
We must remember that as the Directors of Education have to work the 
machinery, they are perhaps in a better position than any others to form a 
judgment as to excellences and defects. ‘rue, they look on the matter through 
official spectacles, which are always more or less tinted, and they may, like many 
owners of motor-cars, have a tendency to hide imperfections. 
In Class 1 (counties) I received replies from thirty-six Directors; in 
Class 2 (county boroughs) from forty; and in Class 3 (boroughs and urban 
districts) from forty-five. 
The Authorities concerned are fairly representative of all portions of England 
and Wales, and both of rural and urban districts. In order to render com- 
parisons possible, I express the nature of the replies in percentages of the whole 
of the class.2 I believe, however, that the effect of reading out, in circumstances 
of this kind, a large number of tables containing numerical data would be to 
occupy a considerable portion of your time, and yet leave but little definite 
impression. I have, therefore, given these tables as an Appendix to this 
Addvess, and will now only trouble you with a reference to the results and 
some examples of the interesting remarks included in the replies. 
My first question was :— 
QUESTION I. 
‘Do you consider that the centralisation of authority in the hands of County 
Councils has caused any decay of interest in education in your district?’ 
References to Table 1 will show that while in large areas the effect of the 
Act has been to stimulate interest in educational matters, in small boroughs and 
urban districts the reverse has been the case. It is difficult, however, to 
classify strictly many of the replies, as will be seen from the following 
examples :— 
From the Counties :— 
1. ‘Some decay in local administrative work; local Managers like dealing 
with local finance and controlling employees; amongst those most competent to 
deal with matters of education there has been a considerable increase in interest.’ 
2. ‘ Less local interest ; Managers do not care to visit and see children being 
taught what they themselves never learnt and do not understand—e.g., such 
subjects as light woodwork and clay modelling, and even geography as taught on 
modern methods.’ 
3. ‘On the whole a stimulating of interest, but in a few places where active 
School Boards existed the feeling of resentment against loss of power is not yet 
exhausted.’ 
4. ‘Such interest in Secondary Education as now exists is directly the result 
of the Act.’ 
5. “The interest of the past could often be translated patronage.’ 
6. ‘The surest way of creating interest in education is to provide the schools 
of the country with the best teaching talent; legislation and administration 
per se have very little to do with it.’ 
County Boroughs :— 
1. ‘The members of the old School Boards were in constant touch with the 
schools; the members of the Education Committees who are Councillors have 
too many other public interests.’ 
2. ‘So far as I know, the centralisation of authority in the hands of County 
Councils does cause a decay of interest in the local districts.’ 
3. ‘Yes, I think it has, to some extent. The cost of education is now brought 
more prominently before the ratepayers, and education, rightly or wrongly, gets 
the blame for any increase in the rates.’ 
4. “No. The centralisation in reference to Bodies of School Managers has 
been accompanied by decentralisation in reference to the work of the Board of 
Education, and local activities have been stimulated.’ 
* For Tables see Appendix, 
