64

My general impression of this School is that although every energy of mind and body is devoted to it by the Missionary his wife and family yet they are insufficient; that the Pupils are not as well fed, well clothed or well lodged as is desirable; and that it is not creditable to a Government which professes anxiety for the education and civilization of the Native race to starve such Institutions, and oblige their conductors to either refuse or absolutely to send away those who are anxious to learn, or devote their own small means to their support and thereby deprive their children of any provision while their already failing health points out the urgent necessity for such provision.

After leaving Taupiri I proceeded up the Waikato to inspect the School at OTAWAO, under charge of the Rev. J. Morgan. There were on the day of my inspection 60 boarders on the books of the school, who were accounted for as follows : Present in School ... ... ... ... 53 Absent, sick, and with their friends ... ... 7 Total ... ... ... 60 The average attendance during the past year was 51. Of the 60 on the books of the school 40 were Maories and 20 Half-castes. I examined individually those present in school and found their proficiency as follows :

I also heard the Pupils examined by Mr. Morgan in scriptural knowledge, which appeared good but their general standard of secular knowledge was by no means equal to that of Taupiri; this I understand to arise in part from the school having been originally established for Half-castes exclusively, but subsequently broken up and reorganized for Natives principally, though it will be seen that it still contains 20 Half-castes. School Buildings. The school buildings are attached to the Mission house and are most excellent. They consist of a dining hall (which is at present used also as a school room) and a girls'dormitory they are however unlined, and a stove is much required to warm the school-room, which is painfully cold for the children who are not provided with warm clothing. School Furniture. There is the same want of shelves, presses, tables, &c, which I have noticed at Taupiri. The boys' dormitory is very miserable, and the boys who have to sleep there are much to be pitied • it is unlined, unglazed, and out of repair, and by no means secure against the weather. I had the advantage of seeing Otawao in the winter, whereas the school inspections have generally been made in the summer; its position is bleak and cold, and ice formed in one night during my stay of more than a quarter of an inch in thickness. Bedding, he. The girls' bedding is, as at Taupiri, tolerably good, but the boys' is miserably insufficient under the circumstances which I have named. Cooking Utensils, he. There is a great want also of utensils of every description—no means of washing for instance but by going to the river; and I observed at their breakfast that one portion had to wait whilst the others drank out of the few tin pannikins that could be mustered. The one advantage which this school appears however to possess over the others is in the abundance of food in which it rejoices. In fact, except in animal food there appears to be no difficulty. Mr. Morgan states he is able not only to supply the pupils with flour, potatoes, pumpkins, &c, without limit but has 600 bushels of wheat in store ; this satisfactory state of things arises from the good land oil which the school is situated, the assistance he received from Sir George Grey's government in horses farm implements, &c., and in the better circumstances and consequent liberality of the natives in the

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