EAST COAST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6570, 7 December 1882, Page 6

EAST COAST.

Tim Bishop of Waiapu, Archdeacon W L Williams, and several of the Maori mi' DO r clergy and a large collection of lay members are now assembled at Hicks' Bay, at their annual Church Maori meeting or congress The Maoris, who are fond of big names, call it a synod, but it would be more correctly styled an archdeaconry meeting, beine wholly confined to the Archdeaconry 0 f Waiapu. By the way, however, how did the name of Waiapu come to be applied to tins, the most eastern diocese ii the world' The late Bishop Williams—who, beine the first of the see, may be supposed to have faxed the title—never lived at Waiapu bu* his home in the old times was at WairecKa-a-hika, which lies about seven miles inland from Gisborne ? Wairenza-a-hika would be too much, rather ! But why not \Vairen2a'' A beautiful name for an oasis or clearing—j spot of Christianity in the midst of surrounding heathenism. Howerer, these titles the incumbents signing them (as peers <fo) seem quite out of place and illogical in 3 quasi-republican colony like New Zealand Then, where there are rival bishops— at least when two prelates take the same title —it seems somewhat ridiculous. I wonder how many letters addressed to Bishop Luck Bishop Cowie will open, and vice v<*rtn ! However, if one gets into the other's secrets they have themselves to blame. Then about money. Suppose a benevolent person we-e to write thus to "The Bishop of Auckland' • —My dear Lord Bishop,- I send you a £Iqo' note herewith for, &a. —Your faithful son of the Church, Heavenward BorND." Would this £100 go into Chancery, or would they divide or toss up ? However, our Bishop Stuart has no rival. He is the first bishop in Christendom. The day, month, week and year begin at the East Cape, close by the mouth of the Waiapu River. If you 4 further east to meet the sun—say "of an Easter morning—you very soon find yourself on Saturday, the previous day. Thus our bishop is the first in Christendom ; not even the Pope of Rome can dispute his precedence, there beiDg some nine or ten hours' in our favour.

And yet, for all that, we lag behind the rest of the world. As if satisfied with our geographical precedence, we are behind in civilisation. We have only a fortnightly mail, and no telegraph wire sings over our benighted heads. Then as for roads, they are like snakes in Ireland. Even in church matters, it is only once a year that a white preacher comes amongst us, and then he is bent on Maori work, and only sees us white people en paaaaiit. Let us "hope that the fruits of this wayside sowing will be of the " good ground" sort.

Hitherto we have had no steam communication. We see the "big boats"'" of the Union Company pass with tantalizing regularity, but we get no freight or passage by them, without a long overland iide to Gisborne. We therefore are looking forward to the appreaehiug advent of the Hannah Mokau, to trade along this coast to Gisborne, where she will connect with the regular trader Oreti. How is it that the big Union Company has never had a steam launch on this coast? There is a good deal of freight and passage to be picked up, and the wool season would afford a few big-boat cargoes. However, they seem to have let through their fingers.

Mr. Pope, Inspector of Native Schools, his just completed his ride from Tauranga to Gisborne, and goes on to Napier to spend a week at tiie big native boarding-schools there (of which there are four—one for each sex—for each of the Roman Catholic and Anglican communions). Being all religious establishments, they are only subsidised schools, not wholly supported by the State, but the State pays for the board and education of Maoris aud such mixed breeds as have not too much (a greater proportion than half) of white blood in their .New Zealand veins. There are only two such in Auckland where all the Maori hoys are supposed to be Protestant, and all tiie Maori H'rls are supposed not to be able to see anything to protest against. May the dears live and die happy with nothing to protest or complain of, and much to be thankful for ! It may be very well to have Maori boarding-schools in Auckland, where, in the adjoining districts, Waikato and Thame?, from which they are fed, there are next to no village schools. However, in Napier, the boarding-schools are fed from the East Coast district to a great extent. Now, on the East Coast district, that is frem Gisborne to the East Cape, there are four Maori village schools, very well conducted, and quite good enough for the tuition of the youthful denizens of the adjoining pas. However, it is the ambition of Maori parents to "send their children to Napier." They have only to make a rise in money, to clothe their little darlings decently and pay their passages, when they are provided for during school life out of the Public Education Vote. Thus it is that the Native Department Sour and sugar policy has been transferred to the Education. And what becomes oi them at these big schools ? They are fitted for a town life, aud cannot relish the tame routine of the Maori pa. The teachers of the village schools lose in pocket by the draiuing av.ay ot their best scholars. After hammering at their brains for a few years, and being in a position to expect "'results'' at the next visit of the Inspecting Pope, they find their "Standard" boys and girls deported to Napier. There the teachers reap what the Tillage dominoes have sowed, the' cash allowed for "passes in standards." Need it be added that our teachers in the East Coast district are being starved out ? Probably there is no part of Maori-land where these hardships and this penny wise and pound foolish policy are so much felt. And what is the remedy ? Why it is simple, and the Education Department ought to put its foot down and say, " No scholar will be received at Napier boarding-schools, and fed rind clothed at the public charge (' Education Vote') that comes from a locality in which the Government maintain a village school. This putting down of the foot ha 3 been talked of in high quarters, but, Mr. Editor, mere talking won't effect a remedy. Another matter of hardship is that our Maori village schoolmasters, throughout the colony, are required to teach European children, but not paid for doing so at the =ame rate as for Maori children. This chiselling is, of course, not authorised by the teachers' charter or agreement with the Department (the Native Schools' code). That document is issued by ministerial authority and printed with the imprimatur of the Education Responsible Minister. If it were adhered to. the teacher would be comparatively well off. But your readers will be astonished to find that i:s tolerably liberal provisions are traversed and contradicted by circulars and mstructiens to the inspector, whereby the poor teachers are robbed of their pittances of allowances. These circulars and instructions are not signed by the Minister, are not printed and

" presented to both Houses by the Governor, and thus they do not come under the revicvr of the Press. Enough of that! But will CO " Honourable member" make a note of this, and, perhaps, ask the Hon. Mr. Diet "whether the provisions contained in the Native Schools' code, laid by him last session on the table of the House, are faithfully kept in the interests of teachers, or whether these interests are interfered with on the authority of private instructions issued bv the Under Secretary, and not laid on the table of this House?" Who will bell the cat ? who, if not our gallant, braw, John liielanman, our own East Coast M.H.R.. Or will not some ministerial adherent, ;ust, you know, for ?'■<; sake of honesty 3nd lair play?—[Own '_ ...spondent, December I.]