§ (2) Every education authority shall continue to contribute to the maintenance of any school within their education area but not under their own management which at the passing of this Act was recognised by the Department as an intermediate or secondary school, so long as such school continues to be so recognised, an amount not less than the contribution made to such school in terms of Sub-section (4) (b) of Section seventeen of the Education (Scotland) Act, 1908, in respect of the financial year ending on the fifteenth day of May, nineteen hundred and fourteen, by any secondary education committee whose powers and duties are by this Act transferred to that education authority.
§ Mr. MUNROI beg to move, in Subsection (2), after the words "Sub-section (4)," to insert in the Bill "(a) and."
In appearance this Amendment seems to be of a trifling description, but I want the House clearly to understand what it means. It has been represented to me from various quarters that the finances of some schools which are referred to in this 184 Clause would be seriously affected by the heavy loss which they would incur by the discontinuance of the grants under Clause 17, Sub-section (4) (a); of the Act of 1908. That is a loss which, according to their view, they have no guarantee will be made good by the contribution which the education authorities are authorised to make under Sub-section (1) of this Clause. I have in my mind the case of Hutchison's Academy in Glasgow,
§ Mr. PRINGLEHutchison's Grammar School.
§ Mr. MUNROFrom that grammar school I received a deputation recently, and I had an examination made of the financial position of the school as it would be affected by the dropping of paragraph (a) of Section 17, Sub-section (4) (a), of the Act of 1908, and in the result I am satisfied that a case has been made out for stereotyping the grant in 4 (a), as well as in (4) (b), at the amount at which it stood on the 15th May, 1914. The House will observe that this is subject to a very important limitation in the proviso to Clause 9 to the effect that the amount of the contribution required to be made under this Sub-section shall not exceed the amount by which the income of such school from all other sources falls short of the expenditure. That means that if there is an increase in the revenue of any particular school—from endowments, as may well happen—then the amount of the contribution under this Sub-section may be diminished to the extent which is necessary to balance the expenditure. Under these circumstances, I suggest to the House that the Amendment is a reasonable Amendment required for the protection of these important schools. I think they may be crippled in their very useful activities if the Amendment were not made. In that view I submit it to the House in confident anticipation that it will be accepted.
§ Mr. WATTI had the honour of seeing a deputation from Hutchison's Grammar School yesterday. They have seen the Scottish Education Department at Dove House and stated their case. They were partially satisfied with the reception of their views by the Scottish Education authorities, but they have not got the whole claim. The Amendment which the right hon. Gentleman now proposes only gives them their claim partially. The position of that particular grammar school is that they will be deprived by 185 the Bill as it now stands, and before this Amendment is accepted, of £5,200. The Amendment which the right hon. Gentleman now proposes will give them £4,300 of that sum. Of the balance of £900 the Scottish Education Department yesterday promised them serious consideration, but I gather from the fact that my right hon. Friend has not stated anything about that balance that the serious consideration has resulted in a negative so far as the deputation's claim is concerned. I am sorry about that, and although I am thankful for the concession which has been made on behalf of the Hutchison trustees, I much regret that the right hon. Gentleman has not seen his way to give them the whole, because these trustees will in future be impoverished to the extent of nearly £1,000 a year, a very serious matter in these times. I should be glad if my right hon. Friend would give all the claim that has been made in reference to the further £900.
§ Mr. MUNROBy leave of the House, I may be permitted to say, in answer to my hon. and learned Friend, that when I received the deputation from Hutchison's Grammar School in Glasgow I understood them merely to ask for what I have given them in the Amendment which I have now moved. I did not have the advantage of seeing them when they called upon me in London, but I gather that they then desired something more than was given. That is not an unknown experience in Departmental history. So far as my knowledge goes, they have been very fairly treated, and, I think my hon. and learned Friend will agree, generously treated. I regret that they are not completely satisfied. I will have the matter looked into again, but, as far as I can see at the present moment, I do not think I can go any further than I have gone. I thought they were satisfied with the proposal that I made, and I am sorry if that is not so.
§ Amendment agreed to.