65

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Sieighbourhood, they having during the past year contributed for the use of the school 150 kits potatoes, pumpkins in greater quantity than could be consumed, several bags of flour and some few nigs. I may here remark that I believe where the Natives have the means they by no means want the inclination to contribute towards the support of their children at the schools, but in going up the Waikato slowly against the stream and stopping frequently on its banks I was impressed with the general poverty of the Natives, whose food, clothing, and houses were of the poorest description. Ido not believe from my own observation that they have generally the means of providing even a blanket for their children to take to school with them. ( Hours of Instruction. The hours of instruction are as follows : 7 a.m. to 9i - - Prayers and School 9|- " to 10 - - Breakfast 10 " to 1 p.m. - School 1 p.m. to 2 " - - Dinner 2 " to 5 " - - Industrial employment 5 " to 7 " - - Supper and Play 7 " to 8 " - - Prayers and Religious Instruction 8 " to 9 " - - Sewing, Reading, &c, Bed The whole of the instruction, industrial teaching and management, are conducted gratuitously by Mr. Morgan and his family, assisted only by the sum of £100 a year, paid to one of them by the Church Missionary Society; and I may here notice that at each of the Stations I found the Missionaries paid governesses to instruct their own children, whilst their own and their wives more valuable services were given gratuitously to the Natives. . • Industrial employment. The industrial occupations are, with the exception of mat-making, the same as at Taupiri. School Estate. i The School estate consists of 175 acres of good land about the School, of which 150 acres are either laid down in grass or roughly burnt off and sown with grass or clover seed. Mr. Morgan has prepared posts and rails to fence in the 175 acres. There are also 870 acres of good land, distant about a mile from the school, and he is very anxious to obtain Government aid to fence this property in and lay it down in grass, and to purchase 500 sheep for the school, which he feels confident would, so assisted, soon become self supporting. The Station is already tolerably provided with horses, bullocks, cows, drays, and farm implements, furnished partly by Sir George Grey's Government, and partly by the Rev. Mr. Morgan, who has advanced for those purposes and for the construction of the school buildings about £600 from his own funds. The District over which his operations extend is about 60 miles in length, by nearly 40 in breadth, and services are held by himself and Teachers in 17 regular Villages, he officiating in each in rotation. He has built excellent Churches of sawn timber at Otawao and Rangiawhia, besides eight others of such material as their several localities would afford, and numbers 22 Native Teachers, amongst whom are many Chiefs and sons of Chiefs, and all of whom are men of considerable influence. My closing remarks upon the school at Taupiri apply still more strongly to this school, as regards clothing and other necessaries, except food, of which, with the exception of animal food, there is abundance. I am not very favourably impressed with the school as a place of learning, but I have seen no part of New Zealand in which example and industrial training appear to have produced such evident results. From Otawao I proceeded to inspect the school at WAIPA, under charge of Rev. Mr. Buttle, Wesleyan Missionary. I foand no school in operation here, and in consequence of recent severe domestic affliction, Mr. Buttle was temporarily absent from the Station, but a building divided into a school and dormitory, and capable of containing about 20 pupils, was nearly completed, and I was informed that a school of about that number had existed for a few months, but in a time of scarcity of food it had been found necessary to disperse the pupils who had not again been brought together. I proceeded thence down the Waikato to KOHONGA, under charge of Rev. Robert Maunsell. I found on the books of the school 102 scholars, who were accounted for as follows :— Present in school - - - - , 85 Employed on river - - - - 4 Sick present ... - - 6 Sick, absent, and with friends - - 7 Total - - 102 Of this large number, 17 were men, 14 women, and the remainder children of all ages. 95 were Maories and 7 were Half-castes. The average attendance during the past year was 85 pupils, and their proficiency was as shewn in the following table.