19 MAY 1894, Page 1

Mr. Mundella has resigned his office as President of the

Board of Trade. And, indeed, in that position it was inevit- able that he should do so, for it would probably have devolved on him, and, under certain circumstances, must have devolved on him, to determine what course should be pursued in rela- tion to the affairs of the New Zealand Loan Company, of which he was a director. Nevertheless, the feeling of regret that this step should have been necessary,—as it certainly was,—has been very general both amongst Liberals and Con- servatives. Mr. Mundella's official career has been a long and very useful one; and especially as Vice-President of the Council of Education he has left a really distinguished reputation, for under him Mr. Forster's Education Act first reached a development and achievedja success which marked a distinct

era in the Queen's reign.. None of our statesmen has under- stood the full value of education to the people better than Mr. Mundella, or has done more to promote its progress.