REPORT ON NATIVE SCHOOLS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue XXI, 7 June 1884, Page 6

REPORT ON NATIVE SCHOOLS.

CONDITION OF THE MAORIS. [by iklbqbaph.—special cobkespondent.] "Wellington, Friday. Mr. James H. Pope, Organising Inapeotor, in hia report to the Inipeotor-General of Schools, gives some interesting information s* ; to -.the conduct and progress of native sohools. The report was laid on the table of the House to-day by the Minister of Education. Mr. Pope says: "72 sohools kave been "in operation during the year, namely, £16 .- .village,. 2 -half-tune, 8 subsidised,: and 6 jboarding • schools. : The boarding-schools - are not under the direct control of the department.' They are connected-with religious denominations) and are'in receipt of- capitation grants from the Government. The' teachers of subsidised schools are employed by the natives, the Government granting, a subsidy of limited amount. : Practically - the teachers* receive only this Government subsidy. At the dose of tho year 69 schools were in full working order. ' 'Of these 40' desirve to' be called good, 24 . are fairly efficient, and five are languishing,: and generally unsatisfactory. Of the 19 village schools established since the Education Department took charpe, 16 are in a flourishing condition. In spite of the constant drawbacks'" to" native education such, 'as native ignorance, neglect of sanitary laws, and the "consequent frequency of epidemic fevers of a bad type, native improvidence, and consequent remittent starvation; ' in certain districts native' proneness to believe the'statements of persons, either Maoris or pakehas, who through self-interest or mere wantonness, endeavour to persuade them to put no trust in the good faith of the efforts made by the' Government to benefit them; native want of home control or parental discipline; in spite of the frequent successions of Land Courts, attended as they unfortunately are by abuses that appear to be Incapable of being removed, although they seem'to be in process of being mitigated to some extent; in spite of publichouses and bush' grog ■ shops, at which Maoris are encouraged, or are at any rate allowed,'to get as drunk as may be, and to continue so as long as they have any money, and which so often makes the natives willing captives and spoil them utterly ; in spite of tne facility with which natives are allowed to'become hopelessly indebted to the utmost extent "that their land claims are likely to satisfy at some time or and so are made, to lose , heart and hope for themselves and their children; in spite of all these drawbacks and difficulties, fairly satisfactory results are being. obtained, and I'"thSnk that it may be said that on: the whole the efforts of the resident magistrate, of native school teachers, of clergymen, of philanthropic Europeans generally, are in mamy districts overcoming, to some small extent at all'events, the bad influences that tend to keepi the Maoris' down, and to lead" ; to i: their extermination. In those districts where there are few or none of these counteracting beneficial influences the Maoris are 'slowly Out snrely dying out. " Mr. Pope think* that there ought' to be some arrangemeht undar which all boys who have finished their , school education, should have' an opportunity of learning a trade and mixing with' Europeans for a considerable period. Something. should be done either in the way ' of making them skilled artizans or enabling' them to become thoroughly ac-quainted-with European methods of farming and. stock-raising. .Mr. Pope is 'inclined to think that the plan now being tried at .Auckland on a very ; small scale of apprenticing boys to trades after their residence at St. Stephen's is completed,- would, if 3 extended,' answer' every " purpose. Be concludes by expressing a hope that the Inspector-General will give the plan very full and" favourable consideration, - feeling' assured! that its adoption would have an' excellent effect'• in advancing ; the.interests, of Maori' education. 'At - the end of 1883 there were 1923 children attending native schools, 100' less than &t the clo3e of 18S2.