comprehensive grasp of technical educa- | dividing for this purpose. Why not say tion. The Manchester concordat was so? Why not have schemes prepared suggested by the university, I believe. of areas and authorities for elementary In counties the whisky money has education before you give new local been largely used for subventions, authorities control? I know something which are usually small in amount and of one or two of our Town Councils. In uncertain of continuance, and the scheme big towns the Town Councils are too of scholarships not always wise or busy to take up all the work at once. thorough. In towns the chief desire has This craze for one authority, and that been to attend to technical schools. For untried, to take the place of all others, is the really serious problems of secondary absurd. It is ten times more ridiculous education the members of some local owing to the fact that there is not one authorities will want education as badly authority after all this talk. You have the as the neglected children. Take the County Council with the power of the purse, questions of "humanistic "and "utili- and you have the Education Committee to tarian" education. What will some of the attend to detail. If the working authority authorities know about these questions? has not the power of the purse, it is not South Kensington imposes too much a real authority. In other words, we are science in its day schools of science. What attempting to do by this Bill at one will a local authority with narrow commer- jump what should be done by steps, cial ideas do? After all, education is wanted and what would be better done by degrees. for the formation of character and to We are running the danger of neglecting help the imagination, as much as for the more important secondary education utilitarian ends that is where expert for elementary. In addition, I do not see knowledge and advice are wanted so the elements of fair compromise in the badly. Is it not reason and common provisions for voluntary schools in dissense to prove your local authority before tricts where there is no choice. Under overweighting it? Will you serve the these circumstances, I must oppose the general interests better by giving the Bill unless very big concessions are made. new authority the most important thing I shall only say in conclusion that I have secondary education-or by depleting tried to state the case fairly as I see it. its purse and exhausting its energies by This seems to me a crisis in our educaelementary education, and leaving it the tional history. A Bill called for by the choice of whether it will apply the relics of neglect of secondary education, the lineal its mind and an empty exchequer to some successor of last year's Bill, which dealt steps in the direction of secondary educa- only with secondary education, has tion? Can you find an area suitable for been utilised to carry out the idea of both elementary and secondary education? one authority, which is certainly new, Practically the Bill acknowledges you and in the sense used doubtfully true. cannot. Boroughs of 10,000 and urban I protest, I must say with no feeling of districts of 20,000 are excluded from narrow-minded bigotry, but in what I the purview of the county as regards conceive to be the real and permanent elementary education, but surely that interests of the nation, against the form means that the whole county wants this Bill has taken. (11.50.) SIR W. HART DYKE (Kent, Dartford) moved the adjournment of the debate. Debate adjourned till tomorrow. POST OFFICE SITES BILL. Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Bill be now read a second time"-(Mr. Austen Chamberlain.) MR. FLYNN (Cork, N.) said the Government should give some explana. tion of the provisions of the Bill or put it off to a future day. It dealt with sewers, drains, and other matters in regard to which the County Council of London was the governing body, and the House was asked to adopt the Bill without any explanation whatever. THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN, Worcestershire, E.) said the Bill provided for acquiring two sites in London for the purpose of enabling the Post Office to carry on its business. One of these was a site off Oxford Street which was urgently needed in connection with the telephone system. It would be in the recollection of the House that he was asked the other day why extensions were not open to certain districts. It was impossible for the Post Office to make progress with the system until they were able to secure this site. As to the form of the Bill, it was exactly similar to all Bills of this nature, and followed the precedents of former years. So far as he was aware, there was no opposition to the Bill from any quarter which was concerned. He appealed to the House to pass the Second Reading now. The Bill would be sent to a hybrid Committee, and all objections, if there were any, could be heard in the ordinary way. It was really of serious importance to the public service that the Bill should not be delayed. (11.55.) MR. CALDWELL (Lanarkshire, Mid) said the Financial Secretary to the Treasury had stated that the Bill followed the lines of all the other Bills of the Post Office. He was surprised to hear that statement, because the Bill did not do so. If it had, he would not have offered any opposition whatever to the Bill. He thought it should have contained a proviso similar to that in previous Acts, and with the insertion of which he had himself something to do. In the 1890 Act a proviso was inserted for the protection of the Corporation of London, and, if the Post Office required to break open the streets, they should be obliged in this case to apply for permission to the County Council, just as in the other case they had to apply to the Corporation of London. MR. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN: I will put in that clause, but I do not think the Bill requires it. MR. CALDWELL said the clauses were specially put in the previous Acts to protect the local authorities. It being Midnight, the debate stood adjourned. Debate to be resumed tomorrow. Adjourned at five minutes after Twelve o'clock. HOUSE OF LORDS. Tuesday, 6th May, 1902. OFFICE OF LORD GREAT CHAMBERLAIN. Committee for Privileges met; claims of Gilbert Henry Heathcote-DrummondWilloughby Earl of Ancaster, of Sir John James Hugh Henry Stewart Murray Duke of Atholl, K.T., of George Henry Hugh Marquess of Cholmondeley, and of Charles Robert Earl Carrington, G.C.M.G., considered: Then it was resolved that it is the opinion of the Committee that the rights of the coheiresses who have inherited this office are in the Earl of Ancaster, the Marquess. of Cholmondeley, and the Earl Carrington, in whom, therefore, the right of selection of a deputy vests, subject to His Majesty's approval; that in the event of the said Lords not all agreeing, His Majesty may appoint whom he will for the performance of the duties of the office until they shall agree; and that, according to the precedents, the person appointed must not be of inferior e degree to a Knight; report thereof to be made to the House. An Asterisk (*) at the commencement of a Speech indicates revision by the Member. OFFICE OF LORD GREAT CHAMBERLAIN. Report from the Committee for Privileges that the rights of the coheiresses who have inherited this office are in the Earl of Ancaster, the Marquess of Cholmondeley, and the Earl Carrington, in whom, therefore, the right of selection of a deputy vests, subject to His Majesty's approval; that, in the event of the said Lords not all agreeing, His Majesty may appoint whom he will for the performance of the duties of the office until they shall agree; and that, according to the precedents, the person appointed must not be of inferior degree to a Knight; made and agreed to; and resolved and adjudged accordingly; and Resolution and Judgment to be laid before His Majesty by the Lords with White Staves. PRIVATE BILL BUSINESS. The LORD CHANCELLOR acquainted the House, That the Clerk of the Parliaments had laid upon the Table the VOL. CVII. [FOURTH SERIES.] 767 Lands Valuation 768 {LORDS} (Scotland) Amendment Bill. ISLINGTON AND EUSTON RAILWAY and 1888, relating to Bedlingtonshire, BILL [H.L]. Report from the Select Committee, Chepstow (Urban and Rural), Cowes, Hitchin, Morpeth, Ashington, NewThat it is not expedient to proceed biggen-by-the-Sea, and Morpeth (Rural), further with the Bill; read, and ordered Pokesdown, Slough and Datchet, Stevento lie on the Table. age, Tadcaster and District, Trefriw, and certain districts and parishes in the West Riding in the County of York; and WARRINGTON CORPORATION (EDUCA- The Chairman of Committees informed the House. That the promoters do not intend to proceed further with the Bill: Order of the day for Second Reading read, and discharged: Ordered, that the Bill be not further proceded with. BRADFORD CORPORATION BILL [H.L.]. Commons. BELFAST CORPORATION BILL, LANCASHIRE AND YORKSHIRE RAILWAY (STEAM VESSELS) BILL, RATHMINES AND RATHGAR URBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL BILL. EDUCATION (SCOTLAND). Code of Regulations for Continuation Brought from the Commons read 1a Classes, 1902: Presented (by command), and referred to the Examiners. CATERHAM AND DISTRICT GAS BILL [H.L.] Returned from the Commons agreed to, with Amendments. GAS AND WATER ORDERS CONFIRMA- A Bill to confirm certain Provisional ing to Bridgend (Glamorganshire) Gas and Water, Goring and Str. atley District Gas and Water, Marlow Water, MidKent Water, and Pinxton Water. GAS AND WATER ORDERS CONFIRMA- ELECTRIC LIGHTING PROVISIONAL and ordered to lie on the Table. in actual occupancy on May 15th previous. It has been found in the past that after May 15th, properties come into occupation, but there is no machinery by which they can be put on the roll, and therefore they escape rating for the year. The object of this Bill is to confer on the valuation authorities in Scotland, the power, which only one or two have at present by special Act, to make up supplementary rolls at the end of six months from August 15th, in order that these properties may not escape rating for the whole year. I do not anticipate that there can be any opposition to the proposal, which was unanimously recommended by the Royal Commission over which I had the honour to preside. The Commission reported thus LORD MUSKERRY: My Lords, this Bill, which I ask your Lordships to read a second time today, is similar to the one which was brought before your Lordships last year, except that two clauses have been added which have been found to be absolutely necessary owing to the serious loss of life that has occurred two have occurred through ballast not being efficiently secured. make efficiently secured. The noble Lord who moved the Amendment to the Bill last year seemed to have an idea that the fact of a steamer carrying a spare propeller was an element of safety, but he did not inform us how this mass of metal, weighing from five to eight tons, was to be got on deck, over the side, and shipped in its place when the crew would have all they could do to hold on to save themselves from being dashed about the decks. The noble Lord also said, on behalf of the shipowners, that there was no need for such a Bill; but, if that is the case why do they oppose it, for if it is not needed they will be put to no extra expense. But as to its not being needed, last year I gave your Lordships instances of ten ships that were lost. The Courts of Inquiry held by the Board of Trade found that those ships went to sea without sufficient ballast, and 165 lives were lost in those ships. My noble friend the Earl of Dudley said "In order that some contribution may be obtained from the properties we have mentioned, we think that similar powers should be given to the Scottish Valuation Authorities, though, if prepared at all, the Supplementary Valuation Roll should be made up before 15th March in each year, and be subject to the same conditions as in the case of the Annual Valuation Roll, the parties interested being entitled to the same notices and rights of appeal. That is really the provision of this Bill a have received representations in favour of laying the duty compulsorily upon all authorities of making Supplementary Valuation Roll. That matter is open to consideration, but at present I am disposed to think that the proposal in the Bill is the better one. I think it would be absurd to lay on all authorities, some of whom might have only a very small area to deal with in which only one or two houses might come into occupation after the term named, the duty of preparing a supplementary valuation roll. But that may be a matter worth while discussing at the Committee stage. In the meantime, I ask your Lordships to give the Bill a Second Reading. Bill read 2a, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House. LIGHT LOAD LINE BILL. [H.L.] [SECOND READING.] that as far as he knew there was not the loss of one single life to be attributed to want of sufficient ballast. Well, that may be the interpretation that the Board of Trade place on the findings of their own Courts of Inquiry, but I ask your Lordships to judge what those findings mean in plain English. The Courts stated that these ten ships went to sea in an unseaworthy condition for want of sufficient ballast, and I think that any one outside the Board of Trade or a lunatic asylum would say that in all human probability it was due to want of ballast that they and their crews were lost. I have received many further letters from shipmasters trusting that this Bill would still be persevered with. One who holds a very prominent position in the Mercantile Marine writes "We had one forcible example of the need of a light load line on our recent passage here. In the Bay of Biscay we had a strong northOrder of the day for the Second ing could not be called a gal of wind. It was easterly wind which, by the greatest of stretchReading read. too much for a ship in such light trim, with |