The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-07-18 00:00:00

THE CROFTERS' BILL.

On the order of the day for the jsecond readiug of the
Crofters' Bill being called on, /Mr. Barclay, in the
absence of its authors, moved the second • reading.
After some discussion, Mr. Paget moved the adjourn-
ment of the debate.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer supported the
motion, and on a division it was carried by 81 to 47.

MEDICAL -RELIEF BILL.
Mr. A. Balfour brought in his Medical Relief Dis-
qualification Bill, which was read a first time.
The House adjourned at ten minutes mat three
o'clock.

In the HOUSE OF LORDS, July 14, the Secretary for
Scotland Bill passed through committee, and several
other bills were advanced a stage.

NAVAL EXPENDITURE.

The Earl of Northbrook called attention to the
charges brought by the Chancellor of the Exchequer
against the Admiralty with reference to the expendi-
ture under the Vote of Credit, which the right hon.
gentleman estimated would, mainly owing to their
blunders, be at least £850,000 in excess of the estimate
given to the late Chancellor of the Exchequer. For
those charges the noble earl declared there was no
foundation in fact. About the second week in May,
when it was expected that the differences with Russia
would be almost immediately settled, he had estimated
that there would be a saving in his department of
£150,000 upon the Vote of Credit. The prepara-
tions, however, went on, ani on the 28th of May
he reported that it would not be safe to calculate
upon any saving, cruisers and torpedo-boats haying
in the meantime been engaged, and a liability incurred
considerably beyond the proportion of the vote allotted
to the Admiralty. The discovery that torpedo-boats
had been provided withuut any provision having been
made for torpedo gear he described as a mare's nest.
The boats in question were obtained not for the purpose
of carrying torpedoes, but for taking or sinking any
enemy's torpedo boats that might attack our squadrons.
He challenged the Government to appoint an impartial
committee of inquiry, and declared his firm belief that
the result of an inquiry into the administration of the
late Board ef Admiralty would be to show that never
since the introduction of steam power had the naval
suixemacy of the country been more firmly established
than it'now was.
The Earl of Harrowby, on behalf of the Govern.
ment, dii3clairned any intention to make a personal
attack en' ,the noble lord or any other member of the
late Government, but observed that there was evidently
some looseneto of administration when it took three
weeks to ascertain the existence of 1,1! liability of nearly




£1,000,000 above the estimate. He tholight their
lordships would agree with him that in the interest
of all parties a Parliamentary enquiry ought to be
instituted.

After a few words from the Earl of Ravensworth the
subject dropped, and tLeir lordships rose at eight
o'clock.

QUESTIONS.

In the HOUSE OF Comm°Ns, Mr. Bourke, in answez
to Sir W. Lawson, said there was no record in the
Foreign Office confirming the stories that arrangements
had been made during the late strained relations with
Russia for the entry of the British Fleet into the Black
Sea; and Sir R. Cross, in answer to Mr. C. Bentinck,
said it was not intended to prosecute the editor or
publisher of the "Pall Mall Gazette."
Lord R. Churchill, answering a question from Mr.
Buchanan, said there had been no communications,
nor, so far as he knew, were any contemplated, with
the Ameer for the formation of a British cantonment
at Candahar. As to a military occupation without the
Ameer's consent, he repeated that it would be an act of
war, and the Ameer was our friend and ally.

SUPPLY.

The House having gone into Committee of Supply,
Mr. E. Stanhope, in moving the Education Vote,
made the usual statement in reference to the condition
of education in Great Britain. Compared with the re.
vised estimate of last year, the estimate for this year
for England and \Vales showed an increase of £121,000,
which arose from the increase in the rate of attendance
to the amount of 4.67 per cent., and the increased grant
to day schools, amounting to one penny per child. The
cost of maintenance, he said, was still increasing; in
Board schools it was £2 is. 80., and in voluntary
schools £1 15s. 2d. The disproportion was greatest in
the large towns, and in London the Board Schools
cost 12s. 4d. per head more than the volun.
tary schools. The total expenditure on educa-
tion amounted to £6,451,000, of which £2,846,000
came from the Government grant, 16734,000
from voluntary contributions, £1,734,000 from
school pence, £915,000 from school rates, and
£222,000 from endowments and other sources.
In addition to this, there had been building
grants amounting to £312,000; £6,348,000 had been
contributed voluntarily to mtet these grants and to
build new schools and the School Boards had borrowed
£16,000,000 for the same purpose on the security of the
rates. In all there had been a capital expenditure of
£23,000,000 since the passing of the Act. As to the
results, some 4,826,000 places had been provided, which
was nearly 300,000 more than the usual proportion of
children compared with the population, and the
increase, which during the last year was 3.34 per
cent., was 170 per cent, since the commencement
of the Act. The number of children on the
books was 4,337,000 and the average attendance
3,274,000, being 96 per cent. of the total number
of children in one case and 72 per cent, in
the other, and during the year the number of passes
had increased by 2.36, and the passes in Standard IV.
had increased 108 per cent. Mr. Stanhope made some
observations on over-pressure, the existence of which,
he contended, had been proved to some extent, and on
the special subjects of cookery and drawing, the new
provisions as to which he explained in some detail. In
conclusion, he explained the Scotch vote, which shows
an increase of £24,761. There was an increase of
11,000 children, and the rate of expenditure had risen
from 17s. 111 d. to 18s. id. The number of scholars had
increased by 3.3 per cent., and the average attendance
by 3.49.
The usual desultory discussion followed, being opened
by Mr. S. Buxton and Sir F. Milner. Sir J. Lubbock
suggested that the selection of class subjects should be
left to the schoolmasters, and maintained that children
should at least be taught something of the laws of
nature, history, and geography.
Mr. Hubbard ur,ed- that voluntary schools should be
put upon the same footing as Board schools; Mr. Pic ton
argued in favour of giving free scope to the Kinder-
garten system; and Mr. Talbot asked for the appoint-
ment of a Royal Commission to inquire into the subject
of elementary education generally.
Mr. Mundella spoke of the satisfactory results of
education in improving the moral tone of the poorer
classes, and dwelt upon the advantage of voluntary
schools being governed by good managers. Admitting
that there might be some cases of over-pressure, he
maintained that, as a rule, the health of children
attending schools was good, and, while advocating
economy in education, strongly deprecated a parsi-
monious policy. He complained that female teachers
in voluntary schools were overworked, and having
pointed out that a larger sum of money was spent on
education in some of our colonies than in England, con-
cluded by quoting from a document issued by the
Prison Commissioners, showing that a large diminution
in crime had been apparent during the last fow years
in the case of persons under 30 years of age, which he
had no hesitation in ascribing to the influence of educa-
tion.

Lord A. Percy touched upon the increasing expense
of School Boards, especially in London.
Mr. L. Stanley, who admitted that the cost in
London was high, doubted whether it could be
diminished; and Mr. Akers having advocated facilities
being given for the education of the blind, the deaf,
and the dumb, Mr. Molloy hoped increased encourage-
ment would be given to the maintenance of voluntary
schools, whose gradual extinction he cont,nded would
lead to the abrogation of Christianity.
Mr. Rankin and Mr. Cochran-Patrick commented
generally upon elementary education; and Dr. Cameron
and Dr. Webster having dealt with the subject as
applied to Scotland, Mr. Stanhope briefly replied; and
on the Scotch vote Sir L. Playfair protested against so
large a sum of money being voted for education in
Scotland without its being known by whom it would be
The vote was then agreed to, as was also the vote for
the Science and Art Department.
The Committee then took up Class 111. of the Civil
Service Estimates, and having completed it, with the
exception of the Irish votes, the Committee made some
progress with Class VI.
Several bills were forwarded a stage, and the House
adjourned at twenty-five minutes to three o'clock.