§ MR. BAINESsaid, he wished to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education, Whether it is intended that (in case of the passing of the Elementary Education Bill), after notice shall have been given, according to Clause 9, of the insufficiency of public school accommodation in any school district, the Department should make building and animal grants towards the establishment and support of any new school, whether denominational, undenominational, or secular, in the same way as grants are now made to schools connected with religious denominations; whether, in choosing among offers to build new schools, the Department will be governed by the same principle as at present—namely, that "the new school is suitable to the families relied upon for supplying scholars," either as to their religious denomination or otherwise; and, whether new schools thus formed will be wholly independent of school Boards and of local rates?
§ MR. W. E. FORSTERsaid, in reply, that unless the conditions of the Parliamentary grant were altered after the passing of the Bill, grants would be made towards the establishment and 1874 support of any new schools, whether denominational, undenominational, or secular, in the same way in which grants were now made to schools connected with religious denominations. In answer to the second Question of his hon. Friend he had to state that, unless those conditions were changed, in choosing among offers to build new schools the Department would be governed by the same principles as at present. In regard to the third Question, any now schools which would be thus formed would be wholly independent of schoool Boards and the local rates unless aid were granted by the school Boards under Clause 22, in which case the school Board might assist them in common with the present denominational schools. It would be observed his reply was limited by the supposition that the present conditions of the Parliamentary grant would not be changed. He had already stated, in answer to several Questions, that if the Bill became law it would become the duty of the Government to reconsider the conditions on which aid should be given out of the taxes, but he could not conceive that the present or any Government would change the condition contained in Section 22 of the Code, that in all aid given out of the public funds towards the building of new schools such aid should not be given unless their religious denomination was suitable to the families supplying the scholars. He could not conceive that in any new revision of the Code that condition would be departed from. He might add, that condition would apply to building grants to school Boards as well as to private individuals.