ENGLISH EDUCATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8179, 11 August 1906, Page 2

ENGLISH EDUCATION.

LAXEBT CABLE NEWS. D.NITED PBBSS ASSOCIATION. BY MSOTBIC TBiBOBAPH.—CO?TBIQHT

DENOMINATIONAL RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION. A MOST IMPORTANT VEROIOT. "PASSIVE RESISTANCE" CAMPAIGN JUSTIFIED. LOCAL AUTHORITIES NOT LIABLE TO PAY, London, August ft. The Court of Appeal in overruling the decision 0 i the High Court, \dacided that the Wwt Biding Council was not liable under the Act of 1902, to pay for denominational religious instruction in non-provided schools. The Council had separated the expense* of religious from the expenses of secular eduoation in Church schools, and refused to pay the former. Mr Justice Moulton, disputing from the Master o! the Bolls and Mr Jut. tie* Farwell, declared that legislator*, in his view, had intended that th» cost of religious instruction should be borne by the rates in oil eaiejy The Daily New» eaya the decision ot tho Appeal Court majority comparer to fauportanee with the Taff .Vale caw and justifies up to the hilt the "panto resistance" campaign. An appeal to the House o! Lords Is probable, with but a feint prospect of reversal of the decision* (The Court of Appeal has not abolished the Nonoonformiaft grievance entirely, but feat laid the foundation of a Bettlement wiriob only requiree ft short simple Bill to make h far more satisfactory than Mr Birrell'g Bathe* laboured compromise.

The Chronicle soys Ihe judga>enj[ has come as a bombshell, and implies that what the BUI of 1906 seek* laboriously to do *M done under the Act of 1903,

The! Bjailj; K>o U)l& decision emphasises the evils of bad draftsmanship. The Times remarks that the Heelsion, coming with the authority o! two of the tnoßt able and learned judges, upsets the views almost universally hold regarding the meaning of the Act. The Government might consider the advisability of accepting that decision as tho basis oi a *ompromise for a theory question, end fe» denominations could then easily; raise the sums regnJwd to* denominational instruction, I The judgment Colds iSai on educational authority is not liable unless it has control over denominational teaching and power to test it, Th« only control it gives in unprovided schools is restricted to secular instruction. Firstly, the Act imposing the duty oi maintaining th» keeping of schools efficient give* control of all the expenditure required for thevt purpose; fwd secondly, it did not repeal the section of the Atet of 1870, widefc declares the inclusion or exclusion of religious instruction has nothing tin do with! the efficiency of the schools. Hence the duty to keep them efficient and control expenditure is 00-exten* aiva,

£ SEPARATION SUGGESTED.

London, Augutfl 9.

Several Journals suggwty a simple Bill separating religious and eeculati education and altering the proportion of managers, i

"TABLET" CENSUSES LOED , EIPOJf. L»r6ok August 19. The "Tab'et" censures Lord fiipon jfS

for strongly championing Mr Birrell's Bill in the House of Lords, and adds) that the grave responsibility incurred by placing himself in direet opposition to the whole body of h ; s co-religionist*' lates back pr'or to. the election.