29 MAY 1936, Page 3

The proceedings on the Report stage of the Education Bill

were a refreshing contrast to the muddle and con- fusion of the Air Navigation Bill. Mr. Stanley needed no outside aid. From start to finish he exhibited a smooth competence that visibly impressed the House. He is one of the few Ministers who does not give any evidence of staleness. The opposition to the exemptions under the Bill that at one time appeared likely to be very formidable degenerated at the end into a very tame affair. This is not a little due to the lirm and tactful way in which Mr. Stanley has dealt with it. He has of course been aided too by the fact that though educationists can make an excellent ease for the raising of the school age, there is unhappily no real agitation for it in the constituencies.