CORRRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12662, 16 September 1904, Page 7

CORRRESPONDENCE.

NATIVE SCHOOLS. TO TIIE EDITOR. Sir, —There is a marked contrast between the Maori of to-day and the Maori of 20 6s 30 years back., A new generation ha 3 grows up, and the time has now arrived when the Maoris should be invested with direct; control in the management of their schools. To accomplish this object all the native schools must' be handed'- over to the respective school boards in the colony, and Maori members', in number according to the native population iff a province, elected by the natives themselves to - sit on each board along with the European members. Many Maoris are eminently qualified for this' position, and in addition they would have the experience and assistance of the European members to guide them. The money required for the maintenance of Maori schools would be on fide ai separate vote; kept apart from the public schools account, and placed under the jurisdiction of the Board* as a whole. But the Board's inspectors would be able to do all the inspecting and examining of native schools. Most of the native Schools arc on their rounds.' This would lesson expenses a good deal, but to get the most Ipr the money expended the first duty of the Maori members should be to see that all standards in native schools were examined by set papers at examinations, not orally as is the practice at present. That is, in my opinion, the orily way to test the abilities of both teacher ana pupil; and, besides, the present system is open to gross abuse and favouritism. The style in which the Department's report is compiled shows this. The practice of publishing inspectors' reports on individual schools serves no purpose, and is to be condemned. These reports should be- treated confidentially, as is the custom with our public schools reports, and I take it that Maori schools are to all intents and purposes public schools. We all know that the Maoris are. well aware of the importance of education, and that it is their antpition to see.that their children are educated If I understand them aright their, desire is to see that every Maori child is offered a chaKce of rising to any sphere to which his" abilities might take him. The difficulties that beset the progress of any Maori boy who feels within him the. capacity for something on a larger scale than thei. surroundings amid which he is born are no doubt great, but they are difficulties .that, it is the duty of the educational reformer to minimise as far as possible. With Maoris on the school boards it would be seen to that no Maori boy missed his chance in life, that his education at Maori schools would be such that before other things were done the boy should have an essentia] education in reading, writing, and arithmetic.. After that had been accomplished, then the .boy .might take-up special subjects naturally suited for the life it was determined ho should follow. Besides tins, with Maori members ,on the boards, there would always be a central, authority o£} the spot to understand the Maoris' varied needs, and be a channel through which information and ideas could flow into the board, and the Maoris would then know and feel that they were' important units 1 in a truly national system of education. Racial distinction is still ; very strong, we aro told, in some Maori settlements, but with direct representation on the school boards, it. might reasonably be .expected that a change for the better would soon. take place, permitting, in many instances, an. amalgamation of schools, and a blending together of .both..races so much desired for the mutual benefit and advancement of , both.' .The report of the education Department on native' schools does not give us much insight into what are the nature and advantages of the claps of technical instruction , imparted .to Maori children, but sufficient is to, be gleaned from it to help anyone acquainted with the re* quirements of the native race to know that it is perfectly useless so far as it is likely to be of any assistance, to the children in the battle many of them will have, to fight for a living in the near future. Therefore, the sooner the present makeshift provision for technical education is done away with the better. It is simply time arid money wasted. As I understand the needs' of the Maoris, the technical instruction imparted to their children should be of a practical, useful kind directed by a skilled mechanic, experienced in iron and wood work, especially blacksmiuung, and by a woman capable of imparting instruction in practical dressmaking and cooking. There should ..be no difficulty experienced in getting, a .married couple in the colony capable. discharging the duties required. The two, could be made visiting instructors and should, I think, be ample to undertake the .whole ofthe technical work ot our native schools, at a cost very much less than what we . are .pacing; at present for a class of work from which possible benefits can ever be derived by the natives.— am, ete -> :. . ~-....,,.,...,.—Ref0rmer.

THE TELEPHONE. SERVICE. Q . T _ TO THE EDITOE. Sir,— much; longer are mi Atioklanders going to patiently endure the thins in our midst called a telephone service A minimum of utility at a maximum of 'cost seems to be the policy of the Department. ?, inoe .. the installation of, .electric traction the. connection with the. suburbs has be-va so bad as to be almost useless. It took mo nearly four, minutes, to-day ,to .deliver a message to Ponspnby of two septences, so bad was the noise, And, even in. the city busi uess men in a hurry prefer to walk to one another's offices rather than be bothered by the delays and distracting noises of the telephone connection,..,... Might. . I suggest that our city members should" take , action? It is not creditable to us that we should have the very worst service , south of the line. But unless a disturbance is made at Wellington; I feel sure.the : Department will continue its present policy of masterly inactivity.—l am, etc., 0. J. Pake. September 13. ;'..•-... TEACHERS' SUPERANNUATION 1 FUND. TO THE EDITOR. ( Sir,— letter of your correspondent "Hori" on .subject was plain, straightforward and reasonable, and little more can be said than has already been advanced. The details of the., whole, matter, .lie within a comparatively small compass. As has bei-n repeatedly shown, a very large body o c public servants are not only -inadequately paid, but, have.no provisiosi offered them for advanced age arid retirement. The service is well known to,; be unattractive. Men of higher qualifications and men likely to attain higher qualifications will never, under present circumstances, devote themselves, to primary echool work. The, pay is not only small, but is based on a system 'of average attendance. This is both unfair and unjust. I call, it bad. A trifling epidemic- is in the district, and two in one class and perhaps three in another are absent for a week. A lad meets with,, accident, a cut on feci or leg, and is unable to travel, say, his two miles to school. He may be absent for a week or more. The teacher's pay is reduced, and, further, he. is required by the Department tq make good .to such, pupil or pupils ' all loss ill instruction, that results. Some may say that such matters are of but rare .occurrence. .Quite wrong:,.they, are of constant occurrence, , and thus?, the labour cl the teacher is increased,-much or little, as the case may be,,while he himself is fined, so, to .speak, a J £ta a teacljsr, and I niay say, oho of some, repute,, but I,nave never held an .appointment .under any Board or received the smallest sum from the Department; it may therefore be fairly conceded that I tim free from bias. Thai; the present Government is Hot only averse to taking any action, ; ,but quite callous in the matter, is very easily,seen, and thus ,a big , mistake is, perpetrated, the consequences of which will be more serious later on than they are at present.—l am, etc., .' MagistEK. Auckland, September 14-.