HC Deb 09 November 1908 vol 195 cc1709-10
SIR PHILIP MAGNUS (London University)

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Education whether, having regard to the fact that the education section of the Franco-British Exhibition must be dismantled in? the course of the next few days, he will further consider whether the difficulties which have been raised by the Board to the acceptance of the offer that has been made to the Prime Minister to preserve the exhibit for public use can be removed; and if he will confer with the chairman and some other members of the committee of the section on the subject.

THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION (Mr. TREVELYAN,) Yorkshire, W.R., Elland

I have already informed the chairman of the committee of the education section that the Board would be glad to take over and house a careful selection from that portion of the exhibit which is illustrative of general education. This consists mainly of specimens of work, curricula and time-tables submitted from different types of schools, which could be compactly stored in a form accessible to students and might become the nucleus of a valuable collection, to be amplified from time to time, illustrative of the progress of general education in this country. The remaining portion of the exhibit, consisting of appliances and material illustrative of specialised education, is, as I have already stated, of great interest as a temporary exhibition, but of considerably less value as a permanent collection as it must inevitably become obsolete and cease to represent the best work in each particular sphere. But, apart from this objection, the Government have no space available for the storage of the bulky objects included in this portion of the exhibit, and I, therefore, regret that it is impossible for the Government to accept the generous offer of the committee. I shall be happy to arrange a conference with some of the officers of the Board as to the arrangements for taking over the material to which I have referred above, if the chairman and the committee are willing to fall in with these suggestions.