Before Clause III. was finally carried on Wednesday, a discussion
arose from which it appears that though denomi- national teaching is only to be given to the children on two days in the week, those two days need not be the same for every child. This is a reasonable plan, and it will enable the denomination to employ a religious teacher who will be able to take the various classes in rotation. The objection on the part of a certain section of Noncon- formists seems to us unfair and unreasonable. It is difficult to speak with certainty as to exactly what has been settled about the bargaining between the local authority and the owners of Voluntary schools, but we gather that while the local authority will not be able to refuse arbitrarily to take over Voluntary schools, the Voluntary schools will have the right to insist that the facilities under Clause III. must be granted them in every case. Here again the concession seems to us eminently sound, and in no way calculated to injure the main principles of the Bill.
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