28 JULY 1906, Page 2

On Tuesday in the course of the debate on the

Report stage of the Education Bill an amendment was moved by Mr. Harold Cox to the effect that when the local authorities and the owners of a schoolhouse failed to arrange for the transfer of a school, there should be a continuance of State-aid, though not of rate-aid, provided that in the neighbourhood there was a Cowper-Temple school. In other words, the amend- ment allowed contracting out where the schoolhouse was structurally suitable and the owners were in a position to carry on the school efficiently. Mr. Hart-Davies, another Liberal, seconded the amendment. Dr. Macnamara opposed the amendment, but Sir Henry Craik held that as the right was to be allowed in the case of " four-fifths " schools, it could not be logically withheld from other schools. Mr. Birrell refused, however, to extend the facilities for con- tracting out, and added that he hoped there would be very little of it even under Clause IV. Mr. Balfour supported the amendment, and Sir T. Eemonde, on behalf of the National- ists, declared th at they would vote with Mr. Cox. In the end the amendment was negatived by a majority of 163 (318 to 155). For ourselves, we regret that it was not carried.