G.—7

6

busy devising some scheme for recovering possession of the land acquired with the money reserved out of the Stewart's Island purchase. The Maoris argue as follows : This money, it is said, can only be used for education;il purposes. Close the schools by refusing to send your children, and then there will be no way of spending the money, and it must be returned to you. It is absolutely essential, not only to the success of the schools, but to their continued existence, that this question should at once be set at rest, and I trust the Government will take the matter into their consideration and decide this question once for all. I think that the Natives have just cause to complain that the accounts of the Trust have not been circulated amongst them, as they have a perfect right to know what has become of the money. The present agitation has taken no definite shape as yet. The Maoris are still feeling their way. They ask in whom the school buildings are vested, hoping to find that they possess control over them, in which case they would worry the teachers till they forced them to resign. No teachers worth having could put up with the vexatious interference to which they would be subjected if the schools were under Maori management; and I trust, in the interests of the Natives themselves, that the Government will always retain the management and control of these schools. Taieri Bridge School: Master, Mr. Morgan.—lnspected, Bth March, 1878. Registers carefully kept. Highest number on th» books, 15. Present at inspection, 12. Ist Class : Number in class, 3. Heading: Book read, 4th Boyal Eeader. One good, two fair. Spelling and pronunciation good; meaning of lessons understood. Grammar: Parsed simple sentences with case. Arithmetic: This class was doing compound rules. One good, two fair. Tables: All well up in. Writing : Copybooks very good. 2nd Class : Number in class, 4. Beading : Book, 2nd Eoyal Eeader. Two good, two fair. Spelling, one good, three fair. Pronunciation good ; meaning of lessons understood. Grammar : Elements of parsing, three fairly. A\ rriting : Marked improvement since la3t inspection. Tables, Weights and Measures: Fair knowledge. Arithmetic: Multiplication and division. Two good, one fair, one imperfect. Geography: The ease with which the children gave the explanation of the various geographical terms showed a thorough acquaintance with English. (When playing at their own homes, I found they invariably spoke English.) 3rd Class : Number in class, 2. Eeading : Book, 2nd Eoyal Eeader. Two, fair. Spelling good. Pronunciation good. Tables: Thoroughly acquainted with the multiplication table; ready at mental arithmetic. Geography : Readily explained geographical terms, and pointed to principal countries in the world, and stated their principal products. Grammar : Fairly acquainted with the elements. Writing: Copybooks. One good, one fair. Arithmetic: Compound multiplication, addition, subtraction. One good, one fair. 4th Class : Number in class, 3. Beading-lessons on cards ; commencing to make figures. All proficient in drill, and the discipline of the school particularly good. I arrived at the Ferry during what they termed the harvest holidays, but Mr. Morgan kindly got the children together for me, and, though they had been one entire month without schooling, there was no apparent falliug-off in their knowledge, which spoke well for the thoroughness of their teaching. Their behaviour, too, was excellent. The children of Martin's family were rather ragged. The father, who is very poor, and incapable from infirmity of gaining a livelihood, finds it difficult to feed, let alone to clothe them. His entire income from lauded property amounted to £10 per annum. This was all he had to depend upon for the support of a wife and four children. I am glad to find that the Government have, since my visit in March, consented to afford this man some pecuniary assistance. Mr. Morgan takes a warm interest in the welfare of the little Maori community at the Ferry, and he is in every way suited to act as almoner there for the Government. Having to spend a night at the Ferry in order to reach the Beach School, I was kindly accommodated by Mr. Morgan. Taieri Beach School: Master, Mr. Clark. Visited, 9th March, 1878. —I engaged a Maori to take me down the river in a canoe, and after a walk of three miles I reached the schoolhouse, which was unfortunately closed for the harvest holidays. But I have received from Mr. Clark tho following information about his school :— Number on the roll: Boys, 4 ; girls, 3 : total, 7. Ist Class: Number in class, 1. Beading: 4th Eoyal Eeader. Grammar: Can parse easy sentences. Dictation: Can write sentences dictated from reading-lesson. Arithmetic: Compound rules and reduction. Geography: General geography of the world. Writing: Small-hand. 2nd Class: Number in class, 1. Beading: Book, 3rd Eoyal Reader. Grammar: Can point out all parts of speech. Dictation : Can write seutences dictated from lesson. Arithmetic : Simple rules. Writing : Half-text. Geography ■. New Zealand, Australia, and Europe. 3rd Class : Number in class, 3. Eeading: Book, 2nd Eoyal Reader. Grammar: Can point out all parts of speech. Dictation: Copy from book on slate. Arithmetic: Addition and subtraction. Writing: Text. Geography: Principal divisions of the globe. 4th Class : Number in class, 2. Eeading: Book, 2nd Book Collins. Otaqo Heads School: Master, Mr. Lucas. Inspected 11th March, 1878.—Registers carefully kept. Highest number on the books: Boys, 16 ; girls, 10 : total, 32. Number present at inspection: Boys. 16 ; girls, 15 : total, 81. Eeading: Ist Class: Number in class, 5. One read very well, four fairly. Meaning of lesson understood ; spelling good. Pronunciation not distinct enough; great tendency to slur over the final consonants ; style not English. The book read was perhaps too hard for the class, but they were so familiar with the contents of the preceding volumes of the series the master felt obliged to put them into it. 2nd Class : Number in class, 3. Book, 4th Eoyal Eeader. Two good, one fair. Spelling good. Pronunciation good, two out of the three being Europeans. 3rd Class : Number in class, 4. Book, 3rd Royal Eeader. One very good, two fair, one imperfect. Spelling fair. Meaning understood.