62

Board of Education should be appointed, consisting of the Native Secretary as Chairman, and on# member for every 50 (and not less than 30) pupils who can be satisfactorily shewn to the Board to have been duly clothed, boarded and instructed for the preceding year; these members to be nominated by the head of that persuasion to which the school pupils may belong; and the duties of the Board so constituted being to dispense the Funds provided by Government, and to decide upon any points connected with the secular management of the schools or their estates which may be submitted for that purpose by the Government or by subordinate Boards. To provide for the careful application of the funds dispensed by the Central Board and the management of the School Estates, I should recommend the appointment of District Boards, consisting of an Inspector of Native Schools as Chairman, the Conductor of the School, and the Resident Magistrate of the District, as members whose duty it should be consider and decide upon all matters of importance (not connected with the ordinary working of the School) which might be submitted for that purpose by the Conductor of the School at a half-yearly meeting of the Board. The Inspector of Schools to be appointed by Government, and his duties to be to make a half' yearly inspection of every school in the Colony receiving Government aid, to report thereon to the Central Board of Education, and to preside at the half-yearly meetings of the several District Boards. As the good working of the system would depend upon the proper feeling and discretion of the Inspector, I should recommend that his appointment should be very carefully made; that he should be wholly unconnected with Colonial Politics, and hold his office during good behaviour; and that he should be a person possessing the confidence of both Europeans and Natives, and above all that of the Conductors of the Schools. With such precaution, there would be good hope of the District Boards acting harmoniously and for the benefit of their respective localities. Having made these provisions for the proper appropriation of funds provided by Government, and for the better management of the School Estates, I should recommend that a sum of money should be granted by way of loan to such of the schools as may wish to avail themselves of it, to enable them to become self supporting ; the sums not to exceed lOOOt'. to any one school, and to be repaid after five years by a yearly deduction of one fifth part of the sum borrowed from the sum annually appropriated by Government to their aid, —and all Government aid to cease at the expiration of ten yeara from this date. I believe this sum would be sufficient for the purpose if wisely appropriated, and I believe the arrangement would be generally satisfactory to the Conductor of the Schools, I have the honor to be, Sir, Your most obedient servant, W, H. Russell, Brevet Lieut.-Colonel, 58th Regt>

Auckland, New Zealand, January, 1858. Having been requested to inspect the Native Schools in the Northern Province, I proceeded in July last to the Waikato District for that purpose. The first I inspected was that of TAUPIRI, under the charge of Reverend B. Ashwell. On the day of my inspection there were 70 boarders on the books of the School, who were accounted for as follows :— Present in the School ... ... .... ... ... 50 Employed on the Establishment ... ... ... ... 4 Ditto at the Farm of Pepepe ... ... ... ... 6 Absent, sick, or with their Friends ... ... ... ... 10 Total ... ... ... ... ... 70 The average attendance during the past year had been 58, of whom 57 were Maories and 1 Halfcaste; 12 were Adults, the remainder Children of all ages. I examined individually each of the 50 Scholars present in School and found the proficiency of the several classes in the ordinary branches of elementary instruction to be as shewn in the following Table.

CO 33 3 CO m <23 "3 a r" m "rH O 03 C3 m 63 O Cr, rl n to a H *J C3 03 w 12 "3 IS H 53 2 10 L ■4 m to a a C3 a to a | 03 o g -3 m £ B co J e co 7, 5.. n-. «• 03 ,Ct5 > o 03 ■d o 3 o r? "3 B 1 S 53 _l 1 5 7 12 "03 it 12 ;1 CO I 7 4J t/j CO r3 'o CO S 3 IS EH CO' 4 8.. 12 1*3 co 5 12 .. .. 12 .. .. 2 6 6 12 11 12 12 12 12 12 12 •• 3 4 5 9 11 •• •• •■ 4 2 9 11 11 11 11 •• ill 11 11 • ■ •• 5 3 3 5 .. •• •• •• " ••