The Sun.
London, England, 1853-04-14 00:00:00

DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND ART.

The following important minute has just been issued
by the Board of Trade t---
"My Lords take into consideration the estimates about
to be submitted to Parliament for affording aid to the local
schools of art during the year ending the 31st of March,
1854,

"At the establishment of the schools it was understood
that a Government grant was promised for a limited period
of three years, upon the condition that a sum equivalent to
it was raised in the locality, and in the expectation that
after three years the schools would be so established and
supported as not to require any further assistance from Go-
vernment. These expectations have not been fulfilled ;
but, on the contrary, the tendency of the system, until
very lately, has been to encourage increased reliance on
Government aid, rather than upon the value of the instruc-
tion or local exertions) and has been found adverse to eco-
nomy. My Lords are of opinion, that by more judicious
arrangement it may be possible greatly to increase the ad-
vantages which now result from the outlay of so large a
sum of public money; and while they do not propose to
withdraw grants from the places which now receive them,
they are desirous to introduce a system of greater efficiency
and economy, by which the independence of the local
bodies may be increased, and the objects of the Parlia-
mentary vote more adequately attained. My Lords
desire to relieve the localities altogether from the obli-
gation to raise a sum equivalent to the Parliamentary
vote, and instead to leave the whole general manage-
ment, and the control of the cost of it, entirely. to the
local committees. In future, the local committees
wilt not be requifett to return to this board any ac-
count of their local expenditure, or of any receipts from
subscriptions or donation each local committee will,
therefore, determine for itself what premises shall bo used
—subject, of course, to their being considered by my
Lords as suitable for the purposes of instruction—what
rent shall be paid, what furniture provided, what Managing
officers, servants, &c., shall be engaged, and what shall be
the cost of general management.
" My Lords, on their part, propose to confine the Par-
liamentary grants wholly to the promotion of instruction,
and even in this point to exercise control only so long as
the local committee elects to receive the Parliamentary aid.
Their Lordships would view it as the highest mark of the
progress and success of art education, in any locality to
find that the committee preferred independence of the
Government grant altogether.
" My Lords will require that the Parliamentary grant
tfor the year ending the 31st of March, 1854, should be paid
o the following objects :—the present masters' salaries ; an
Increase of masters where necessary, especially for affording
instruction to public schools, public teachers ; and to serv
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-1 masters ; lectures and exam les for teaching. After
committees, communication with the local P
•
my Lords will
apportion the grant to these
respective items.
"As the fees • paid by the students may be considered as
the product, partly, of the grants furnished by Parliament,
and partly of the funds raised in the locality, my Lords
will require as a condition of
receiving any Parliamentary
aid that an equitable Portion of the fees shall be applied
towards instruction ; and, in accordance with their minute
of the 28th of January, 1853, and for the reasons given in
the letter of the 30th of June, 1852, which has been sanc-
tioned by the Lords Commissioners of her Majesty's
Treasury, they propose that such portion of the fees shall
be paid to the master or masters of the school as part of
their income.

" HENRY COLE, Secretary.