The Sun.
London, England, 1867-12-26 00:00:00

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THE SUN, LO N LION

MAIVCIIPSTER EMIC'ATION COMMITTP,E.

The Committee on , Education, which holds its sittings
at the Manchester Town Hall, has decided upon taking
such action as shall result in the reintroduction of the bill
prepared under its auspices, and which in the last session
of Parliament was introduced into the House of Colh-
mons by Mr. Bruce, Mr. W. E. Forster, and Mr. Alger-
non Egerton. Arrangements are being made for a
Conference, to be held in the Town Hall, Manchester, on
Wednesday and Thursday, the 15th and 16th of January
next, and it is hoped that the committee will secure the
attendance of the most influential friends of education, of
all political parties and religious denominations. The
bill introduced last session, and the provisions of which
will be discussed at the Conference next month, is per-
missive in its character, and, when passed, it
may be adopted by the ratepayers in any
boron,;h or district. When so adopted, it
the administration of the fund in the I of

school committee, elected by the to a) , in m ..-
cipal boron, and by the rat payers in otlic d
wl.O have power to call upon the overseers, or ot.ier local
authority, to levy a rate for educational purposes. It
adopts existing schools as the basis of its operations, and
only contemplates the establishment of new schools, on
the failure of voluntary effort to supply, after due notice,
any deficiency of school accommodation. Trustees or
managers may, under the provisions of the bill, place
their schools in union with the school committee, either
as free schools or aided schools, and receive payment per
head for the attendance of the scholars on compliance
with such conditions as will secure the efficiency of the
schools and protect the rights of conscience ; but with-
out the sehool committed acquiring thereby any right
to interfere with the internal management, disci-
pline, or instruction, in such schools, otherwise
than to see that the conditions of union are com-
plied with by the managers, and thus what is commonly
called the religious difficulty is entirely avoided. The
principle of the bill is local rating, for the support of free
and aided schools, with local administration of the funds ;
anion of existing schools without interference with their
internal management ; and security for the rights of
conscience, without violating the convictions of school
managers ; a power of appeal being given in all cases to
the Queen in Council. It is proposed that Mr. Bazley
shall,
,when the bill is in committee, introduce certain
clauses, with a view to compel the attendance of children
at school.

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR FREEDOM OF WOE'
SHIP.—A prize is offered by this association for the best
" scheme of operations " for awakening Church authorities,
seat-holders, and the nation at large, to the wrong and
mischief of excluding the great mass of the people—the
working classes—froM the national churches by the pew
system.

PRECAUTIONS AGAINST GREEK FIRE AT THE GO-
VERNMENT OFFICES. -At the offices of the Board of
Trade, the Privy Council, and other Government esta-
blishments, the precaution has been taken of having the
flooring leading to the several departments strewn with
sand, and supplies of sand kept in readiness in the event
of the buildings being attempted to be destroyed by means
of Greek fire.

• TUE EASTERN FISHERIES. —Taking the season
as a whole, it is feared that the herring fishery on the
eastern coast this year will not prove quite up to the
average, as, since the 20th ult., when stormy weather set
in, the quantity of fish secured has been comparatively
small. The sales made during the last few days have been
at from £l7 to £2l per last (13,200 fish).