MAORI SCHOOLS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 17, 15 October 1907, Page 4

MAORI SCHOOLS.

REPLY TO THE HON. G. FOWLDS. - INTERESTING,'COMPARISONS. (From Our Own,Correspondent.^ • ■■•."■ .'■.-- Napier, October 14. • : Mr.-George.Darton, the member of the jHawke'sßay'Education-Board f whose state- , mcnts regarding Nativo, schools have beoa. : challenged: by the Hon. Gi.Ppwlds, .Minister .JEor.Education/proved oiy ; too ready ..to take : ;up.the cudgels. seen by a 'VDaUy. v Teiegraph" ; .j-eporter'this morning. ... ■" .'"'■.. ; -Vl,am prepared to prove every;statement , I have made," said Mr. barton; - " from the Department's own • doounients, or unreservedly withdraw tho whole : lot. In regard to the Minister's; allegation that I have no personal knowledge of Native schools, I dosire to .say that I live in a district riddled with' Native schools',' and I'am constantly in touch with parents whoso children. attend them.. .Not only, that, but .in.imy, : own district we have "the 'experience, of Native children' ' attending ; the" public schools. At Maraetalnv i; we-:havo an Educatiou Bpard school which is composed almost entirely of Native, children. Wo. are thus able 'to com- v pare Native children under tho management of the Hawko'sßay Education Board ar-d . Native schools under Dopartraerital control." ~: Dealing,wrth/th.e cost .oj;. educing Native children, to which.the.'Minister,had, taken exception, Mr.;.Darton sajd' h'e pould only say • that, his ; figures .wore computed from page 24 of the Education Department's annual report of 1905, the last and only official information available. , ■/ K PAYMENT OF' TEACHERS. ' Oh being asked what ho had to say in refer* enco to tho payment of Native school teachers according to''average attendance, Mr. Darton vigorously turned over the leaves of'the Education Department's report and read/the fol--1 lowing v—':-"' '.' "'/"'./'." ''"' '""I'"?,' '" " A uew'scale of salaries has been'approved ! approximating. to that • set : forth "in the ■ 'schedule to' tho'Education 1 ;Act" Amendment • Act, 1905. The effect'will be'to produce a more oven'distribution.of paid , as salaries to toachers I ; aiid' 1 ' to \raise.' the , salaries of assistants generally." ''■ .'■• . ::"That,", saW Mr. Darton, "is all L can : r say. 'In Europeanschools;.' if.trie attendance ' , fails: the teacher's' salary, is '/reduced/,./'' That. j is the law I "will challenge the Minister to produce a : singlo Nativeschobryhere the salary is reduced through falling attendance. [ If ho. can show thiß,l am.- prepared''to. with--1 drawmy statement.":. ./,,.; .-, c : .;./..- : .i , ''SUPPLY W BISCUITS. "What-have,you to say to the supply o! biscuits?''asked'the reporter. "That I can prove," .replied Mr. Darton. " lAvould liko the editor of the ' Daily Tolo- , graph ■'■ to send a' telegram""'to •'. Mr. ' Kirk, j storekeeper,. Port Awanui, asking him what Nativo schools ho has supplied with- biscuits, '•' and r tho amount supplied to^each', vI know 3 for. certain that .three Native schools were supplied by Mr. Kirk with biscuits to the order of the Department. • There are other ! schools that I- know have been supplied in : the same wfly, but these three T can speak of 1 witlr authority. I will go even further and " say that Mr. Kirk was p.aidby a cheque from T the Department." '.- '•- • "■•■'•:<- '■" v '^ ■■■) OTHER MATTERS. k . "As for the Minister's assertion,regarding i' the teachers in Nativo'schools"'and those under thccontrbl of the Board," went on Mr. Darton, " the Department's regulations will l not allow 1 thb'latter to. teach unless they are certificated. There is no comparison between these and Nativo school toachers. In my '■ own-district 1 -1 can say' l tliat thb'majority of ' Nativo school teachers are uncertificated. ~"There is another thing I would like to again . point 0ut..., To Maori children attending pubi lie schools, who pass tho Fifth, Standard, or ' the Fourth Standard at a Native schpol, bo- >. fore reaching the age.of fifteen, scholarships : to tho • value of £20 n year: aro. granted to i oniiblo theni to attond a .secondary school, or to become apprenticed'to''a suitable trade. If a European parent 1 wants to apprentice his i child -,to-a trade;,ho ..pay for it himself. 'Why should a Maori child bo given £20 . to learn a trado'which ho never sticks to. " Lean, only l repeat,";-,concludod Mr. Darton, " that I have depondedfor all my statements on the documents of tho Department, . although -I; admit that the \ information pub- . lished by: tho,. Department about Nativo schools is very meagre. On my return to Gisborho I Will reply in detail, to the state- ' incnts of the Minister."' ' : / ",. ;! ;''. The editor of the "Daily. Tolograph" tele- , graphed to Mr. Kirk as requested, and this afternoon received tho following reply:— : " Supplied, M9OG, Rnngitukia, oight Cases; Kahulrura, oight cases; Waiomatatini, nfl. Nothing supplied in 1907," "■..■