DAY SCHOOL CODE (ARTICLE 89). (Hansard, 26 March 1896)

§ MR. F. S. STEVENSON (Suffolk, Eye)
, in seconding the Motion, said, the change as it stood was absolutely incomprehensible. The Vice President might possibly defend the change on the ground that the words "ensuing year" involved a certain amount of ambiguity; but if that were so, why not substitute the words "for the 12 months following the date of the notice." Every opportunity should be given for the utmost publicity, and any step which in any way diminished that opportunity ought, it seemed to him, to be entirely deprecated by this House.

§ THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (Sir JOHN GORST,) Cambridge University
said, he thought he could in a very few words explain to the House the reason for this change. By the old Code, the school accounts, say for the year 1895, were to be open to inspection at the schools or some other convenient place "in the ensuing year." The accounts would not be generally received until 1896. Some persons said "the ensuing year" was 1896; some people said "the ensuing year" meant the year ensuing from the date on which the accounts were received, and some people said "the ensuing year" was 1897. With this ambiguity it occurred to the Committee of the Council that it would be well to remove it, and therefore they made the time at which the accounts should lie run from the date at which the report and accounts were received and published. Then came the question should they lie for six months or twelve months, and the Committee of the Council came to the conclusion that six months was ample time to allow anybody who objected to the report and accounts to come and inspect them. That was really the whole case. The Committee of the Council had no such 238 deep designs as had been attributed to them by hon. Gentlemen opposite.

§ MR. A. H. DYKE ACLAND (Yorks, W. R., Rotherham)
said, that as he was responsible for the words "the ensuing year" about three years ago, perhaps he might be allowed to explain how they came to be inserted. He merely gave instructions in the Department that it would be convenient that the report and accounts should be available during the whole year from one report for twelve months till the next report, which came when the twelve months were over. He was not at all concerned in the words adopted. The Committee of the Department provided the words which they thought would fulfil that intention, and they inserted the words "during the ensuing year." During the past three years he had not heard in the Department any doubt on the subject, and if there should be any doubt as to the meaning of the words "during the ensuing year" he suggested that instead of "ensuing year" "twelve months" should be inserted.

§ *MR. C. HARRISON (Plymouth)
said, that the rule the House was discussing appeared under General Conditions" "Annual Grants." The language used in the rules was varied and adapted with apt words according to the object for which the rules were intended to operate. Thus, as regards matters between the school and the Department, if reference were made to No. 94, under the head of "Payment of Grant," the language of the Order spoke of the date of payment being due at the end of the "school year," and the word "school" was inserted before "year" where it dealt with that branch of the subject. Again, when the Order referred to inspection, and where it referred to returns it spoke of "annual returns." Further, when the Orders dealt with matters affecting the outside public they directed that the accounts were to be open for inspection for the ensuing year. He could hardly understand what possible doubt could arise as to the meaning of the word "year." As regards the outside public he contended that the word "year" meant 12 months, and that the introduction of the word "ensuing" before the word "year" meant what the Orders 239 expressed "ensuing," which signified the 12 months ensuing the publication of the accounts. For many reasons it was advisable that the suggested alterations should be made, and that the books should be open to inspection for the 12 months composing the year. It seemed to him that it would be very imprudent of the Educational Department at this moment to do anything which would make it at all possible for people to say that they wished to withhold information from the public. [Cries of "Divide, divide!"] From experience they knew that in a rural parish questions would often arise amongst those interested as to the accounts of the school managers—[cries of "Divide!"]—and it was well that every means should be afforded for their settlement. [Cries of "Divide!" and interruption.] Unless the books were open for inspection all the 12 months it would be impossible to institute a comparison between one 12 months' and the ensuing 12 months' account, and if the accounts were only to be exhibited six months there would be no means of instituting a comparison. It might happen that some discontented person who wished for information, would go to the managers for permission to see books of the past 12 months, and the managers might say—"Oh! no. Your opportunity has passed, and we will not let you see the books,"—[interruption]—or they might say, "We are not obliged to let you see the books, but we will do so as a matter of favour." [Cries of "Divide!"] That state of things would create friction and discontent—[cries of "Divide!"]—and nothing could be more detrimental to education itself. [Continued interruption and cries of "Divide!"]

§ MR. HUMPHREYS-OWEN (Montgomery)
, who was scarcely audible amidst the loud cries of "Divide!" said, he only wished in the interests of the schools themselves to enforce the appeal which had been made to the Vice President of the Council by the hon. Member for the Rotherham Division of the West Riding of York, and to express the hope that the suggestion of the right hon. Member would be adopted.