E.—2

2

many years here without having built at all; at last, however, new buildings were so urgently needed that longer delay was out of the question. It is probable that during this year schoolhouses and residences, (in some cases schoolhouses only, in one case a residence only), will be needed at the following places on the Bast Coast: Tokomaru ; Whareponga and Waipiro (to replace Akuaku School) ; Bangitukia and Tikitiki, on the left bank of the Waiapu ; Tuparoa, and Kawakawa, near the East Cape. The reasons why these buildings are now needed are stated further on. A tender for new buildings at Te Ahuahu, Waimate, Bay of Islands, has been accepted, and school-work should begin there shortly. The school at Umuhika, between Matata and Te Teko, will probably be gone on with when the site has been secured ; there has been some delay in connection with the survey. The people of Otaua, in the Hokianga District, applied for a school many years ago; but they were then so busily engaged in quarrelling and fighting about their land that it was considered advisable to wait for more peaceful times before building. These difficulties now seem to have been got over, and it is desirable that a school should be established here as soon as funds are available for the purpose. In all probability new buildings will shortly be required at Taita, some thirteen miles from Dargaville, as the title to the site is just being acquired. New schools have been asked for by the Natives of the following places : Waiuku, Manukau Harbour ; Kopua, Waipa ; Tapapa and Lichfield, on the road between Cambridge and Ohinemutu ; Karetu, Bay of Islands ; Baukokore, near Cape Bunaway ; Maungatautari, a short distance southeast of Cambridge ; Te Matai, near Te Puke, Bay of Plenty; and Wharekahika, Hicks Bay,. An application was also made for the reopening of the Arahura school, West coast of the South Island ; but it was found on inquiry that there were not enough Native children in tho district to warrant the taking of any steps in this direction. After due consideration it has been thought unadvisable to establish a Native school at Kawhia until a proper site can be secured in the regular way; as a long time must elapse before this can be managed, and as there are many Europeans at North Kawhia, whose educational wants would be better provided for by a public than by a Native school, the matter has been handed over to the Auckland Board, who will perhaps found a school at the European settlement at Kawhia. Some of the Native children would probably attend this school for a time, and then most likely the Natives of both North and South Kawhia would ask for schools for themselves and would give proper sites in suitable localities. It would appear from what has been said that a large sum of money will be needed this year for Native schools. Past experience has shown, however, that the establishment of a Native school on a thoroughly satisfactory footing is a business that takes time; and it is n&t very probable that any considerable number of the schools asked for will be even in a fair way to be built by the end of the year. This being understood, the requirements are not by any means so formidable as at first sight they would appear to be. Schools in Full Opeeation. These schools are dealt with in groups, geographical position being taken as the basis of classification. To avoid monotony and repetition nearly all the information with regard to the literary work and the general efficiency of separate schools has been tabulated and placed in the appendix. In Table VI. the examination results are given ; in Table VII. will be found a statement of the conclusions arrived at from the results of each inspection; these results are given in five columns, headed respectively, " Becords," "Organization," " Discipline," " Method," and "Extras." In a sixth column one-half of the percentage obtained by each school at the examination is entered. The total of the six numbers belonging to each school appears in the seventh column, and this number may be taken, as the gross percentage of marks obtained by each school at the inspection for the year 1884. Other matters relating to individual schools are reported on in the following paragraphs : — Mangonui and Whangaroa. This district is superintended by Mr. H. W. Bishop, 8.M., to whose exertions in the cause of Native education, and to whose judicious management of the Natives in their relation to the schools, the measure of success attained during a peculiarly trying year is largely due. Nearly all the schools in the district have suffered from the effects of a severe fever epidemic. At one school one pupil died, at another six, at another nine, and in one case no less than eleven school-children were carried off by this disease. In some parts of the district adults suffered more severely from the scourge than the children did. There is no one thing that can be assigned as the sole cause of this shocking mortality ; but the expression "neglect of sanitary precautions " will probably cover the whole of the circumstances. Certainly, however, the very important position that work on the gumfields now holds in the lives of the Maoris of the far north has very much to do with the genesis and spread of such epidemics. Gum is now becoming very scarce in many localities, and the Natives have therefore to procure this article where and how they can. They accordingly spend a great portion of their time in swamps and other unhealthy places, and so give such malaria and miasmata as may be found in these localities a fair chance of doing their horrid' work of starting a really effective form of fever; neglect of all reasonable precautions by the Natives does the rest, and the fever runs its course until its virus is so modified that it cannot kill any more. In spite of the very depressing effects of so fatal an epidemic, a considerable amount of good work had been done during the year; at one school, indeed, which had lost a large number of its pupils through the fever, really admirable examination results were obtained. The epidemic is now nearly over; it is still hanging about a few of the settlements, but it will almost certainly disappear as the cold weather comes on, and it may be hoped that the district will rapidly recover its former position. Ta Rao, Parengarenga. —This school, which is further north than any other in the colony, had suffered through the death of Tiopira Pineaha, an excellent Native and a firm supporter of the school; through the sickness amongst the pupils, which had been widespread and fatal; and through the withdrawal of the North Cape children from the school through their parents' fear of the fever.