The Sun.
London, England, 1870-06-18 00:00:00

EDUCATION.

Mr. VERNON HARCOURT asked the Vice-President of
the Committee of Council on Education, whether, under
the proposed amendments in the Education Bill, there will
be any provision whatever for enforcing compulsory
attendance in voluntary schools now or hereafter to be
established.

Mr. FORSTER replied that the amendments would ap-
pear in the reprinted bill, but would make no allusion to
that part of the bill which related to compulsory attend-
ance. The voluntary schools were about to be separated
from the Local Board. Of course his hon. friend was
aware that in the bill as it stood they were not necessarily
joined. His hon. friend would have observed that he had
put upon the notice paper an amendment consequent upon
the introduction of the time-table conscience clause pre-
venting school boards from enforcing compulsory attend-
ance upon religious instruction in any school.
In reply to Mr. J. G. TALBOT,

Mr. FORSTER said that it was intended that the addi-
tional grant should be given to all public elementary
schools, present and future, denominational or secular.
THE CIVIL SERVICE ESTIMATES.

The House went into Committee of Supply on the
Civil Service Estimates. The sum of £34,023 was asked
to defray the charges in respect of the salaries and ex-
penses of the officers of the House of Lords. £37,850
were granted to complete the sum necessary to pay the
salaries and expenses of the officers of the House of
Commons In the discussion which ensued on this vote
attention was calledto the difference between'the divisions
the tellers giving one number, and the division clerks
another in the lists.—Mr. Ward Hunt suggested that a
self-acting register would meet the difficulty.:—The sum
of £44,193 was voted to complete the sum necessary to
defray the salaries and expenses of the Treasury Depart-
ment. The sum of £66,033 was voted in respect of the
salaries and expenses connected with the office of the
Secretary of State for the Home Department. £48,814
were required to complete the sum necessary to defray
the salaries and expenses of the Foreign Office.
Mr. RYLANDS proposed to reduce the vote by two thou-
sand pounds. He thought the salaries and allowances to
foreign messengers were extravagant, and no other nation
paid such high salaries for similar services. He was glad, how-
ever, to see that there had during the year been a reduc-
tion of expense in that direction.
Mr. OTWAY said the present staff of messengers con-
sisted of fifteen. Last year it numbered seven-
teen, and it was considered that twelve would be
just sufficient for the purposes of the Foreign
Office. Each messenger received £4OO per annum,
and £1 per day to cover expense, railway fares, of
course, being paid. When they presented their bills they
were carefully examined. If their offices were abolished,
they were entitled to a pension or superannuation allow-
ance. He suggested that it would be wiser and more
economical to leave the subject entirely to the action of
the Secretary of State. The right hon. gentleman defended
the arrangements of the Foreign Office. He thought,
however, that it would be to the advantage of the public
service that all financial questions should first be dealt
with through the parliamentary Under Secretary.

Mr. RYLANDS withdrew his motion and the vote was
agreed to.

The sum of £26,923 was voted for the expenses of the
Colonial Office. A vote of £25,749 to defray the expenses
of the Privy Council, was agreed to, after a long dis-
cussion on the subject of the cattle plague, the importa-
tion of cattle, and vaccination. On the estimate of
£75,114 to complete the sum necessary for the expenses of
the Board of Trade, Mr. Whitwell moved the reduction
of the vote by £1,280, in respect of the inspection of lime
juice, which had been included in the incidental expenses.
Mr. Macfie moved that the debate be adjourned, but, ac-
cording to th• forms of the House, at a quarter to seven
the Chairman reported progress.

THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT SUPPLEMENTAL

BILL.

This bill passed through committee, and was reported.
SLIGO AND CASHEL DISFRANCHISEMENT
BILL.

The above bill passed through committee, and was
reported.
SALMON ACTS AMENDMENT BILL.

This bill also passed through committee.
The House adjourned at five minutes to seven until
nine o'clock.

WANT OF EMPLOYMENT AMONG THE
LABOURING CLASSES.

The House reassembled at nine o'clock.

On the order for going into Committee of Supply—
Mr. W. M. TOIMENS drew attention to the distress
among the working classes, and moved that the continued
want of employment among those who lived by
waged labour in many of the great towns of
the kingdom, called for the special considera-
tion of the House, with a view to the best
means that might be devised for the remedy of the
same without delay. Surely, he remarked, if the people
of Ireland, because they had been disaffected, had been
so generally cared for, the classes in this country of which
he spoke deserved the attention of Government, with the
view of ameliorating their condition. Unexampled
poverty had lately prevailed in the great towns and was
likely to recur, aggravated by the natural increment of
population. The hon. gentleman described at great
length the desperate condition of the labouring classes,
especially in the metropolis. The statistics of the Poor-
Law Board, he said, only indicated one-tenth part of the
destitution which prevailed. He suggested that the des-
titute should be assisted to emigrate, but not sent out as
paupers. There was a desire among the honest artizans to
assist themselves.

Lord GEORGE HAMILTON seconded the motion, believing
that the hon. gentleman had made his case clear to the
majority of the House. He agreed with the hon.
member for Finsbury as to the unreliable character
of the Poor-Law returns. The noble lord referred
very briefly to the reduction of the estimates, involving
the discharge of men from their employment, and render-
ing them chargeable to the poor-rates. He noticed the
remedies proposed, such as the reclamation of waste lands,
the alteration of our commercial policy, and emigration,
and then condemned indiscriminate charity, as producing
more evil than anything else. It was much better to
place within a man's power the means of reaching the
colonies than letting him remain a permanent burden.
Mr. GosCHEN reviewed the speech of the member for
Finsbury, and said it would be very disastrous if the
country were led to believe that the state of things was
worse than it really was. Supposing, he asked, emigra-
tion failed• to remedy the evil, was the hon. member pre-
pared to tell the working classes that Parliament was to
devise means? He went on to show that there was a great
revival of trade in all the great centres of industry. He
urged the House not agree to the proposition that the