Page:The Annual Register 1899.djvu/174

 166] ENGLISH HISTORY. [aug.

introducing it (July 27) explained that it substituted the Local Loans Fund for the Colonial Loans Fund as the source whence the money would be drawn. It proposed, moreover, to sanction a total issue of 3,351, 000J., which would be devoted to loans to Barbadoes, St. Vincent, Jamaica and Trinidad; to Mauritius and Seychelles, to Cyprus, the Malay States, and the West African Colonies, according to their several requirements, and on the same terms as money was issued to local authorities in the United Kingdom. The bill was strongly opposed on the second reading (July 31), but was ultimately passed by 124 to 69 votes; and at great length in committee, the advanced Badicals proposing various amendments, which after much discussion were defeated, the Government majorities ranging from 69 to 120. After the sixth division, Sir H. Campbell- Bannerman suggested to his followers that they had done enough, he would not say for glory, but to vindicate the right of the House to examine important measures of this kind in detail. This advice was taken, and after one more division the bill was reported without amendment and passed.

The last few days of the session were largely occupied by education questions, the committee stage of the Board of Education Bill (Aug. 1) opening up the question of amalga- mating the Science a&d Art Department with the Education Department. Sir John Gorst, on behalf of the Government, maintained that the system of two separate departments of the Committee of Council, which had been in existence for many years, was found to be extremely inconvenient. He was, there- fore, strongly opposed to the amendment moved by Sir William Anson (Oxford University) to establish three departments under the board for primary, secondary and technical education re- spectively. The new Assistant Secretary to be appointed would be entrusted with special duties relating to secondary education, but apparently no decision had been arrived at as to whether secondary and technical education were to be regarded, for the purposes of Government supervision, as identical. On the other hand, it seemed accepted that after the passing of the bill steps would be taken to appoint a Minister of Education, responsible to Parliament for the whole subject. The transfer, however, of powers from the Charity Commission to the new board gave rise to prolonged discussion.

The sessional order, under which 22 evenings were devoted to Supply, was found to operate with considerable harshness, as on the last (twenty-second) day (Aug. 2) there were at ten o'clock over fifty votes which had not been taken. According to the rule these were put severally by the chairman — no debate being allowed — but seventeen divisions were taken, the Govern- ment majority ranging from 113 to 137 votes. The most interesting speech was from Mr. Dillon (Mayo, E.) on the cowardice of the Government in not dealing with the establish- ment of a Boman Catholic University in Ireland because of the