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then sits down and gets into a brown study while they are doing it, must find the time hang heavily on his hands. Of course pupils become infected with a master's listlessness, they too get into the way of doing as little as they can, and the school gradually, or perhaps not so very gradually becomes unsatisfactory. All good teachers know that, paradoxical as it may sound, the very easiest way of getting through the school-time is to work as hard as possible during every minute of it. lam glad to say that there are very many of our teachers that have found out this great truth for themselves. Committees. —We have still many very useless Committees but not a few of them do their work very well, all things considered. The European method of electing the members has been adopted. In districts where the masters have taken the trouble to make the Natives understand the thing, the new plan has generally worked very well. At the following places there are specially good School Committees Te Kao, Pukepoto, Peria, Moari, Kaikohe, Tarawera, Torere, Matata, Waiomatatini, Te Awahou, The Neck, Waima, Kaiapoi, and a few other places. In some cases very much depends upon the Chairman; in others all the members take a real interest in their work. Attendance. —This has been a very disastrous year to the Natives in many parts of the colony Fever and famine have been unusually prevalent, especially in the Far North. « Land Courts have been frequent, and, though these, of course, are very necessary, their effect on schools in the neighbourhood is invariably bad. The " King's " tour, and visits from people whose business and means of getting a livelihood appear to be connected with the process of sending " embassies to the Queen," have in many cases unsettled the Natives' minds and turned their attention away from the duty of keeping their children at the school. On the whole it is to be wondered at that the falling-off in the working average attendance is only 65, and that the number belonging to the Native schools in 1882, viz., 2,024, had fallen only to 1,923 at the end of 1883. Should the fever in the North be got rid of, a considerable increase may be expected during the present year. The attendance at the following schools has been exceptionally large or very regular, or both Te Kao, Moari, Kaikohe, Motukaraka, Waima, Torere, Matata, Whakatane, Omaio, Te Kaha, Eapaki, Kaiapoi. Tidiness. —lt is perhaps desirable that mention should be made of schools that are remarkable for their excellence with regard to this important matter An untidy Native school is exceptional, but the following are, I think, the best, at examination-time at any rate Te Kao, Moari, Kaikohe, Waitapu, Upper Waihou, Whangape, Matakohe, Ohinemutu, Maketu, Omaio, Te Kaha, Waiomatatini, Waikouaiti, and Colac. Gardens. —Mulberry-trees were last year sent to all Native schools where they are likely to succeed. In nearly every instance they are thriving. This year it is intended to send olive-plants to all favourable localities. The expense of this sort of thing is comparatively trifling, and it seems that this is the very best way of gradually introducing useful plants into Native districts. It may be that in time many industries may thus be brought under the notice of the Maoris, and that they will take to some of them. I think it would be a good plan to introduce a new plant each year Perhaps the black-wattle of Australia would be a suitable tree to take next. This is of rapid growth. It might be planted very easily, the bark fetches a good price, and the gathering of it would not involve very much trouble. All these circumstances point to the black-wattle as a tree that should be introduced with a view to its being planted on the waste Maori lands. Good gardens are to be found at the following Native schools Peria, Moari, Omanaia (the master of this school deserves special credit for what he has done in the way of showing the Maoris how large quantities of food may be produced on soil of medium quality), Waitapu, Kirikiri, Tarawera, Maketu, Te Kaha, Akuaku, Eapaki, Kaiapoi, and Eiverton. Organization.- —The organization at Taraw 7 era is peculiar, but it answers very well. The master acts on the principle that the beginning of education is the most important part of it—a very sound principle this. Accordingly he teaches the two junior classes, while his daughter who is a very promising young teacher, has charge of the higher classes. The plan succeeds admirably The organization is particularly good at these schools also Kaikohe, Upper Waihou, Onuku, Waikouaiti, and Kaiapoi. Discipline. —At each of the following schools there is one point of discipline (or more than one) for which the school deserves special mention. It would take up too much space to go into details Te Kao, Peria, Kaikohe, Waitapu, Upper Waihou, Waima, Maketu, Omaio, Onuku, Eapaki, and Otago Heads. Methods. —So much was said on this subject last year that it will be sufficient to call attention now to three schools at which remarkably good methods are used. The master of Waikawa School trains his pupils in English composition by making them take part of a reading-lesson that they have thoroughly mastered, and break it up into very short simple sentences. This differs from ordinary "abstract" writing in that the children have their books open before them, and from paraphrasing because they have not merely to give the same meaning in other words, but to express the ideas in as clear and simple a form as possible. This is the sort of work that one does when he tries to improve a draft of a very important letter The method has, I think, great merit. The pupils are encouraged to vary the diction, but they must preserve the meaning, and every point in the paragraph must be distinctly brought out. Of course this answers a twofold purpose it gives fine training in -word-manipulation, and serves as a very thorough examination in the comprehension of what has been read.—The master of Eoto-iti School carefully analyses every lesson that he is going to give, and writes out the results on a slate. As might be expected, the teaching is thoroughness itself. I suppose that every master knows that this or something like it should be done, but how very few are found to do it ! —x\t Peria I was much pleased with what the master called " a show lesson," but which was really systematic training well calculated to develop the intelligence and form the minds of the children. In this lesson no attempt was made to teach the children any new thing whatever, or to get them to draw inferences from what they already knew the sole object was. to get them to give expression to their knowledge in a pleasing and generally satisfactory