CHURCH SCHOOLS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 456, 15 March 1909, Page 5

CHURCH SCHOOLS.

ALLEGED POLICY OF STARVATION. (BY TELEGRAPH— I'HESS ASSOCIATION —COCYRIGIIT.) Lonclcn, March 12. In tho House of Lords and tiio House of Commons, debates occurrcd in tho coltrso of which spoakors severely condemned the Government for permitting the Swansea (Wales) educational authority to starve Church schools and differentiate) in regard to the salaries of teachers in Church and Board schools. Mr. Balfour ridiculed the plea of Mr. Runcimali (President of tho Board of Education) that tho law did not allow the Education Department to interfere. The easei has engaged public attention for several months. A REPORT "PUSHED ASIDE." i " ,0 ?b°vc dismito are thus stated by tho Lliinch 'nines":—l'or tlireo years past tho Local Education Authority- Ims refused 'to maintain effici?.';tly the Oxford Street Scliool, Swansea, ami tho managers have been compelled to provide! J3OO a year out of (heir pockets for the tcacliors' salaries, in addition to the heavy drain made upon their resources by the building improvements. These latter havj involved an expenditure of nearly JC2O.OOQ, for the local education authority has' not failed to enforce tho law against the malingers to (he full extent ol' its powers. The Board of Education, while requiring from tho managers a higher standard of accommodation than it requires of tho Local Authority, made no sign when,the latter maintained the non-provided school at a lower level of efficiency than its own schools. , Yielding to pressure," tho board sent dowii 'to Swansea Mr. J. A. Hamilton, K.C., to hold an inqiiriy. Mr. Hamilton, after the most careful investigation, and the examination of witnesses, reported that tho Borough Council of Swansea had committed a "default in tho performance of their duties," and "failed to fulfil" part of their statutory obligations—namely, to maintain and keep'efficient the Oxford Street School as a public elementary school within their area. The Welsh Department of the Board of Kducatiou pushed aside tho report of the arbitrator on tho ground that, if competent teachers can bo procured for tho Church school on the scale of salaries to which the Local Education Authority consented in 1007, it has not failed in its statutory duty. Tho board's letter states"The board do not find upon the evidence that the money provided by tho authority for the salaries of the teachers has been shown to lie inadequate for this purpose, and they decido ■accordingly that the Authority havo not failed in theft- duty to maintain and keep efficient the Oxford Street School." If (says tho "Church Times") this matter is passed over in silence, every Local Education Authority that dislikes tho Act of 1902 will bo encouraged to defeat its objects by an inequitable method of administration. Sir. lJunciman's comment on the proceedings was of n cryptic character"l am far from satisfied with the report. Tho matter is not at an end by any means, and 1 wall not givo tho Swansea people away."