The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-08-08 00:00:00

SECRETARY rou SCOTLAND.

On the motion to go into Committee on the Secre-
tary for Scotland Bill,Sir L. Play fair moved an amend-
ment objecting to the transfer of the charge of Scotch
education from the Vice-President of the Council to
the proposed Secretary for Scotland. He argued that
the bill would have the effect of making Scotland a
mere province of the United Kingdom, and failed to
see that the appointment of a zecretary for Scotland
would tend to decentralization and localization. The
bill, he maintained, was bad. because it lessened the
responsibility of the Vice-President for Education,
because it would put an irresponsible educational
Minister in the Upper House, and because it gave the
supervision of education to a Minister who would have
a number of other matters to attend to.

Mr. J. Campbell, who seconded the motion, advocated
an extension of the duties of the Lord Advocate or the
appointment of an Assistant Secretary at the Home
Office for Scotch business, and strongly objected to the
superintendence of Scotch educational matters being
given to the proposed Secretary.
Mr. Ramsay expressed approval of the bill.
Mr. Cochran-Patrick believed that the bill would give
general satisfaction in Scotland, and attributed its
popularity to the numerous instances in which Scotch
Bills starting in Parliament under the most favourable
auspices had entirely failed to reach the Statute-book
because of the want of motive power. As to the educa-
tion question, he was favourable to the creation of a
Minister of Education for Great Britain, and hoped that
the new Secretary would be made a member of the
Council for Scotch Education.
Sir E. Colebrooke admitted that there was a difference
of opinion on the question, and strongly deprecated any-
thing being done which would weaken the present unity
of management of education.
Sir J. Hay was in favour of leaving education in its
present hands, but hoped the bill would pass under any
circumstances.

Mr. J. B. Balfour supported the bill, which, he
showed, would meet the wishes of the Scotch people in
all important matters, and Mr. Dalrymple argued in
favour of an independent, but not separate, manage-
ment of Scotch education, and though supporting the
bill as a whole, was in favour of some compromise on this
particular point.
Mr. Forster preferred that Scotch education should
remain in its present hands, and strongly supported the
amendment.

Mr. Mundella regarded the position of the proposed
Secretary for Scotland as absurd and anomalous, and in
this respect the bill, he thought, would be extremely pre-
judicial to the interests of education.
After some remarks from Mr. Buchanan, Mr. A.
Balfour justified the action of the Government in rela-
tion to the bill, and denied that there was any desire
on their part to allocate the proposed new Minister to
either House of Parliament.
Sir W. Harcourt twitted the Scotch members with
not knowing what they wanted, and after some further
conversation the House went into committee, and
Clauses 1 and 2 were agreed to.
The Appropriation Bill and the Public Works Loans
Bill passed through committee, and other business
living been disposed of, the House adjourned.

In the Hou.sE op LORDS on August 4, a number of
bills were advanced a stage. They were all measures
which had originated in the House of Commons, and
to which there had been no opposition In their lordships'
Hulse.