EDUCATION IN GREAT BRITAIN.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8208, 11 August 1906, Page 5

EDUCATION IN GREAT BRITAIN.

IMPORTANT JUDGMENT. LONDON, August 9. The Court of Appeal, overruling judgment of the High Court, decided that the West Riding Council is not liable under the Education Act of 1902 to pay for denominational religious .instruction in nonprovided schools. The council bad separated the expenses of religious from the expenses of secular education in Church sohools, and refuseS to pay the former. Lord Justice Moulton, dissenting from the Master of the Rolls and Lord Justice Bar well, declared that the Legislature, in his view, intended hat the cost of religious instruction should be borne by the rates in all cases.

GROUNDS FOR THE DECISION. Reoeived August 10, 9.30. a.m. LONDON, August 9. The judgment holds that the 1 educational authority is not liable unless it has [control over denominational teaching and J'power to test it. The only control given in unprovided schools is restricted to secular instruction—firstly, the Act Jimposing the duty of maintaining and keeping the schools effloieut gives control of all expenditure firequired for that purpose; secondly, it did not repeal tha section of the Aot of 1870 which declares that the inclusion of religious instruction has nothing to do with the efficiency of sohools. Hence the duty of keeping efficient and the oontrol of expenditure are co-extensive. PRESS OPINIONS. Reoeived August 10, 8.30 a.m. LONDON, August 9. The Daily News considers that the deoision of the majority of the Appeal Court compaies in importance with the Taff Vale case, and justifies up to,the hilt the passive resistance oampaign. An appeal to the Lords is probable, with but a faint prosper of a reversal of the decision. ( The judgment of the Court of 1 Appeal, the paper adds, has not abolished the Nonoomformist grievance entirely, bat it has laid the foundation for a settlement which only requires a short and sirhple Bill to make§ it far more satisfacto»y than Mr Birrell's rather laboured compromise. | The Chronicle says the judgment is a bombshell. It implies that what the Bill of 1906 seeks laboriously to do was actually done under the Aot of 1902. The Daily Mail thinks the decision emphasises the evils of bad draftmanship.

In the opionion of The Times, the deoision, coming with (the authority of two most able and learned judges, upsets the views almost: universally held regarding the meaning of the Act. The Government might consider the advisability of accepting the decision as a basis of compromise for a thorny quos'ion. The denominations could then easily raise the sums required for denominational instruction. SUGGESTED LEGISLATION. Received August 10, 9.45 a.m. LONDON, August 9. Several journals suggest that a simple Bill should be introduced by .the Government separating religious from secular education, and altering the proportion of managers.

CABLE NEWS.

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