Roman Catholic Schools
SIR,—In the Spectator of November 18th, 1949, on page 655 under this heading, I feel that you do less than justice to the Catholic community (of which I am not a member) on this issue when you say that " the only reason adduced for modifying that arrangement now is that the Catholics cannot find the money needed to cover maintenance and 50 per cent. of the cost of alterations, and desire to throw the whole of this on public funds." Surely in justice you should also state that when, on November 24th, 1943, the Catholic representatives met the Ministry of Education's experts they were told that the total cost to the Catholic body would be £9,850,000, whereas now they learn that the sum to be found may be £50,000,000 or £60,000,000, or even more. An increase of this order would seem to impose a crushing burden on a small and by no means rich community. In any event it is so drastic an increase in proportionjbat.I should have thought it would, to all reasonable people, vitiats-'Ther original arrangements.—I am, Sir, yours
Barchester Streit, t
[It is a matter of common knowledge that all costs have increased enor- mously since 1943. A figure given in that year could not 1r, and was not meant to be, binding. Both the Minister of Education and Mr. R. A. Butler, for the Cthservatives, have declared it impossible to upset the arrangement embodied in the 1944 Act.—Ed., Spectator.]
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