§ Mr. ADKINSasked the President of the Local Government Board whether, in view of the fact that this Board sanctioned in December, 1909, the following loans in respect of the Todmorden new secondary school, namely, Todmorden Town Council £6,747, and West Riding County Council £3,373, he is aware that the West Riding County Council are now refusing to pay over to the Todmorden authority the funds so borrowed by them in virtue of the sanction, unless the Todmorden governors are prepared to charge a fee of £6 6s. for entrance to the school, which has hitherto been a free secondary school, with the sanction of the West Riding County Council, no such provisions having been made when the loans were sanctioned by the Local Government Board; whether he is aware that the whole of the loan sanctioned by the Todmorden Town Council has been paid to the builder, and 700 that certificates have been issued by the architect which Todmorden has no funds to meet; and what steps he proposes to take to induce the West Riding County Council to discharge the obligation on the faith of which the Local Government Board sanctioned these loans?
§ Mr. BURNSI do not find that the sanction given to the raising of the loans for a secondary school at Todmorden was subject to any such condition as is referred to in my hon. Friend's question.
§ Mr. ADKINSAm I to understand that when that sanction was given the facts recited in the question were not known to the President of the Board?
§ Mr. BURNSI gather that is so, but I shall be quite willing to look into the terms of the loan and see if there is any breach of the agreement, and if there is I shall be prepared to bring it before the authority.
§ Mr. ADKINSWill he go a step further and use his influence to see the matter carried out?
§ Mr. BURNSWe shall in all ways do our best to hold the scales of justice evenly between the two parties.