The London Welshman

MERIONETH CONFLICT. Official Inquiry at Llanelltyd. A correspondent states that the Board of Education are keeping back all grants that fall due at-this time of the year to Merionethshire, and not merely a sufficient part to enable the claims of the non-provided school managers to be met. At Llanelltyd. Church school on Saturday, from which a number of Nonconformist children were withdrawn on the previous day, the Board of Education's architect visited the schools for the purpose of inspection. There were also present Mr. Tilby (of Rhyl), the Rev. W. Owen (vicar), and Mr. Cattermole, representing the Church party Alderman Haydn Jones, representing the Merioneth Education Committee; and Mr. Howard Jones, the county architect, -who reported upon the school that it was not accept- able, and that a new building should be erected on another site. The Church party contended that the building could be made efficient with a few structural repairs. The architect will report to the Board, who will then decide the matter.

£30,000 WANTED FOR EMERGENCY SCHOOLS. The Board of Education having complied, though grudgingly, with the contentions of the Merioneth Education Committee in the dis- cussion upon the points raised by them over the question of signing certificates, the Com- mittee have now thought proper to supply the Board with the vouchers relating to the remain- ing nine or ten Voluntary schools. The vouchers, however, were accompanied by a vigorous letter from the hon. secretary (Mr. Haydn Jones) pro- testing against the Board declaring them in default without adequate reason. Merioneth is sanguine as to winning the fight in the end, and the Nonconformists are deter- mined not to leave a stone unturned to carry out the policy of withdrawing Nonconformist children from Church schools. Various local committees have already been held, and arrange- ments are being made for adapting chapels to school purposes. It is stated that the Board of Education will still continue to recognise the Church schools as public elementary schools, notwithstanding the withdrawal of the majority of the children from these schools, which leaves the Church schools in some cases with only an average attendance of about five. The intimation made by the Church party at Dolgelley that they would transfer the 17 boys from the Waifs and Strays' Home from the Dolgelley non-provided school to the Llanelltyd Church School so as to counterbalance the deficiency made by the withdrawal of Noncon- formist children has not been acted upon. Mr. Guthrie Jones, Secretary of the Campaign Committee, yesterday said that he was well satisfied by the arrangements which were being made in the county by the local committees, who were pushing forward the arrangements for the withdrawal of Nonconformist children and the erection. of the necessary emergency schools for their accommodation. It is estimated that a sum Of Z30,000 is necessary to carry out the withdrawal policy in Merioneth alone.

SIR W. ANSON AND WELSH COUNCILS. At a meeting of the Denbighshire Education Committee at Chester, on Friday, a letter was read from Sir William Anson, replying to a resolution passed at the last committee meeting challenging his statements in the House of Commons on the action taken by the Denbigh- shire Council in dealing with repairs at voluntary and council schools. Sir William Anson's secretary wrote that the purport of Sir William's remarks was that local education authorities in Wales tended to adopt two standards of promptitude in respect of the improvements sought to be made in voluntary and council schools respectively. He continued After careful consideration of the statements contained in your communication, Sir William Anson felt that he must adhere to the view that he was justified in citing the County Council of Den- bighshire to the House of Commons as an instance of an authority which had displayed that tendency. He regrets, however, that by inadvertence the precise words he used did not fully describe what had been done by your council." The letter concluded That there has been a tendency amongst Welsh local authorities not to allow to voluntary school managers the consideration which they claimed from the Board of Education in respect of their own schools is, in Sir William's opinion, a fact. He is unable to admit that he was not justified in mentioning the County Council of Denbigh- shire in this connection, though his statement needed a correction respecting the survey of council schools, which he is glad to have this opportunity of making." The Chairman expressed satisfaction that Sir William had withdrawn the charge made in the House, though other charges in his letter were quite as far from the truth.

CARMARTHENSHIRE TEACHERS. A meeting of the Carmarthenshire certificated assistant teachers was held on Saturday, at the Ammanford Council Schools, when the present crisis, as it affects the assistant teachers, was discussed. As already reported, all the teachers in the provided schools in the county are now working under notice to terminate their engage- ments-the assistants on June 31, and the head teachers on August 31. Most of the teachers received an accompanying circular explaining that the notice was tendered with a view of re-considering the salaries at a future date, but in the case of a great number of teachers in the Llanelly group, two in the Amman Valley group, and a few in the Llandilo and Llandovery group, this explanation is struck out, and it is under- stood that the committee mean to dispense entirely with the services of these teachers. Many are old and experienced teachers. The Llanelly Group of Managers have persistently objected to the committee's policy of reducing the staff, and especially of replacing trained certificated teachers by untrained and uncertifi- cated teachers. Another grievance voiced at the meeting was the transferring of teachers from one school to another against their wish. It was urged that in many instances this pro- cedure was equivalent to serving the teachers with notice to leave.

PROPOSED MEMORIAL TO EDWARD LHUYD. A movement has been started at Oxford with a view to collect funds to erect two mural tablets to the memory of the distinguished Welshman and Oxonian, Edward Lhuyd. It is proposed to place one of the tablets in the chapel of Jesus College, and the other in the Welsh aisle of St. Michael's Church. A sum of not less than £55 is required to carry out the project. The appeal is supported by, among other prominent Welshmen at Oxford, Principal Rhys, a great admirer of Lhuyd, who was a man of very versatile genius. He was one of the best philologists of his day, and anticipated in great measure the philological discoveries of recent times. Sir Hans Sloane used to say that Lhuyd was the "best naturalist in Europe." The indebtedness of Wales to him is very great, as stated in the present appeal. To her language, literature, and history he gave a life- long attention. His examination of inscriptions, his search for folklore, and his collection of manuscripts are well known. The results of his Welsh researches are but partially embodied in the "Archseologia." At the time of his death he was engaged on a work devoted exclusively to the history and literature of his country, His first literary effort was a vindication of the Welsh language, and his last a defence of the Welsh people. Surely, the paltry sum required to set up a memorial to a man like Edward Lhuyd will be collected in a few days' time.