TO-DAY'S EVIDENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 131, 4 June 1901, Page 5

TO-DAY'S EVIDENCE.

The Commission resumed this morning, all the members being* present. It was decided that members of the Commission be given an opportunity at the earliest date to rend the typewritten evidence, the copy to be then sent to the Government printer with a request that no time be lost in printing same, and that on receipt of tbe "printed evidence the Commission proceed to make its report.

It was further decided to request the Governor to extend the time of the Commission for a further forty days, bringing the date of its sittingto July 2S.

Mr V. E. Rice, secretary of the Education Board, was the 'first witness examined. He said that in the 20,000 square miles included in the Auckland district there was a large and increasing demand for schools. The number of schools was altogether disproportionate to the amount of capitation. The Government bad been asked to devise a scheme whereby £120 would be the minimum for a sole teacher. The scale- of remuneration was lower than if the children were gathered in larger groups. In Auckland district there were 392 schools, staffed by about 800 teachers, having ah average attendance of about 24,000. About Onequarter of the schools have an average of under 20. Only 05 schools received more than enough for their maintenance, and the. surplus from this 65 went to maintain the other 327 schools. Head teachers' salaries bad been.revised three or four times of recent years, always, but once, in the direction of increase. Tie referred to the scales used in the past, and stated that the last scale raised salaries to the extent of about £ 700. He thought the disproportion of males in the teaching profession was caused by prosperity in other trades and professions. ( .

By Mr McKenzie: A first assistant should receive half to one-third of the head teacher's salaiy.

By Mr Davidson: Salaries of head teachers in large schools here compared favourably with other districts, but in small schools the Auckland salaries were lower. Any considerable increase in capitation would enable Boards to remove causes of discontent. In the proposed scheme he thought, the salarir* for schools from 15 to 19 too small: He did not think that any scale of capitation would have the effect of equalising salaries throughout the colony.

By Mr Stewart: Probably the number of scales before the Board bad something to do with the unrest among. teachers in the Auckland district. Amounts paid for teachers' salaries was £3 4/1 per head, and of incidentals 6/2 per head: He did not think the Board's scale left enough prizes to attract young men to the profession. The adoption of the scale would benefit country teachers, but ha did not think it high enough. The Board had not transferred money from the maintenance fund to the building within the last ten years. Up to 1890 £10,000 had been transferred from the maintenance to the building fund.

Mr Stewart explained that under the proposed original scheme the' Board would receive for salaries £83(196, and for generad purposes £.13,732, a total of £96,928. If the capitation were increased to £4, which the Minister promised, if the colonial scale were adopted, the Board would receive £95,872. With the capitation remaining at £3 15/ the Board received £89,887. so that the Board would benefit over £7000 by the colonial scale.

(Proceeding.)