Tuesday's debate elicited one or two very important con- cessions
by the Government. The minimum age on which the 108. grant is to be paid was reduced to three years from five years, and the maximum age was, owing to the earnest and repeated solicitation of Mr. Chamberlain, raised from four- teen years to fifteen years,—a very substantial concession to the demands of the Voluntary schools, which will probably increase the cost of the grant by about £320,000 annually, £300,000 for the lowering of the minimum age by two years, and £20,000 for the raising of the maximum by one year. In Wednesday's debate, the Government explained that the attendances of half-timers would earn the grant as well as the attendances of full-timers ; and the religious difficulty was again discussed, Mr. Chamberlain suggesting that the Depart. ment ought to have power to exclude the teaching of violent controversial matter like that of Mr. Gace's catechism, in schools receiving the Government grant.
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