Welsh Journals

Take next the contribution out of the rates towards education in England and Wales, and let me quote in the first instance some official figures which I received some years ago. I will quote the latest figures presently. The cost of educating a child in an elementary school in Ireland is practically defrayed by the Government; in Scotland about 60 per cent. of the cost is defrayed by the Government; in Wales only between 40 and 50 per cent. To put it still more shortly, the amount contributed per head towards education in Wales is 5s. #ILL E#.; Scotland 4s. 101d. England 3s. Ireland practically nothing. I think it works out at about #ILL E#. per head. Let me now give the latest figures available. I may point out that the usual Blue Book on Education Statistics has not been issued since 1913. For that year, the average rate for elementary education in England was 15s. 8d. In Wales, the corresponding figure was 20s. 3d. The Scotch figure for 1912-13 was 17s. 2d, and 19s. 6d. for 1914-15. As I said before there are no rates for elementary education in Ireland. In 1912-13 the state contributed £ 1,970,000, towards the cost of education in Ireland, and the localities rather under £150,000. In Wales (1911-12), on the other hand, out of a total expenditure £ 1,867,000, the State contributed £ 1,078, 000, and the localities, £ 739,000. In Ireland, the State thus contributed nearly 93 per cent. of the whole; in Wales 57.70 per cent. Much is said about the oppression of Ireland- such study of Irish education and especially of agri- cultural education and system of land tenure as I have been able to make have led me to regard the Irish Nation, not as an oppressed nation, but as the Spoilt Child of the British Empire. The treat- ment meted out to Ireland by the Imperial Parlia- ment—at least during recent years-is far more favourable in every respect than that meted out to Wales. The posicion of Wales as regards secondary and higher education is still more unfavourable as com- pared with other parts of the United Kingdom. In 1906, the Annual Government Grants to Universities and University Colleges outside England were as follows ;— Scotland. £ Aberdeen 14,000. St. Andrews 10,800. Edinburgh 25,920. Glasgow 20,880. £ 72,000. Ireland. £ Royal University of Ireland 20,000. Queen's College, Belfast 8,600. Queen's College, Cork 8,600. Queen's College, Galway 8,600. £ 45,800. Wales. £ University of Wales 4,000. Aberystwyth College 4,000. Bangor 4,000. Cardiff 4,000. £ 16,000. The position as compared with England is shown in the following table of the University Colleges, showing (1) date of foundation, (2) capital raised to June 30th, 1905, and (3) present Treasury grants :— England. 1 2 3 Birmingham 1875 £ 666,375. £ 10,110. Bristol. 1876 £ 79,871. £ 4,490. Leeds 1874 £ 366,309. £ 8,990. Liverpool 1878 £ 806,981. £11,100. London, King's College 1829 £ 321,924. £ 8,760. London Univer- sity College 1836 £928,967. £ 11,100. Manchester 1851 £1,048,984. £ 13,500. Newcastle 1871 £ 146,038. £ 6,740. Nottingham 1881 £105,000. £ 6,520. Reading 1892 £ 56,160. £ 3,820. Sheffield 1879 £ 238,934. £ 5,170. £ 4,765,543. £ 90,000. Wales. Aberystwyth 1872 £ 155,428. £ 4,000. Bangor 1884 £162,295. £ 4,000. Cardiff 1883 £ 150,263. £ 4,000. £ 427,986. £ 12,000. The present contributions to Universities and places of Higher Education in Ireland, Scotland and Wales, are, I believe, correctly described in the following extract Take the question of University and its Colleges. The State contributes in aid of these in Ireland £102,000 a year in Scotland over £116,000; in Wales only £ 29,000. The population of Scotland is roughly twice that of Wales the population of Ireland is half a million short of being double that of Wales. But Scotland