§ 22. Mr. MARCHasked the President of the Board of Education on what grounds the Board have refused to approve a proposal of the Landon County Council to spend a sum not exceeding £500 annually in defraying the travelling expenses of necessitous pupils for athletic training outside the ordinary school hours; and whether he is aware that the effect of this prohibition must be to exclude the children of poor parents from the benefit of such training?
§ Lord E. PERCYI think the hon. Member is under a misapprehension. The proposal of the London County Council was primarily concerned with expenses of school teams playing matches on "away" grounds, and was quite distinct from the policy, which is being steadily carried on by the London County Council and other local authorities, with the Board's assistance, of developing facilities for whole schools to play organised games regularly. It seems obviously desirable in principle that the expenses of schools teams should be met from school funds, supplemented, where necessary; by money from other private sources, and I hope that, in the future, schools in poor districts will be able increasingly to look to their "old boys" for small contributions for this purpose.