E.—2.

will be equally as well pleased as myself with the general progress made. It is a matter of great regret to me that I cannot spare more of my time to visit these schools oftener I observe, in visiting the different schools, that the mulberry and olive trees supplied by the Government are thriving very well indeed." Much of the splendid success of the Native-school system in this district is owing to Mr. von Stiirmer's influence over the Natives, and the deference that experience has taught them to pay to his opinion on all subjects connected with the advancement of-their welfare. Another advantage that the Hokianga Natives, as a body, have over many other Maori communities, is that they appear to have by some means grasped the idea that an education is a good thing in itself and independently of its being likely to make the obtaining of a livelihood more easy and certain. Any person visiting Hokianga on educational business can hardly fail to be struck with this peculiarity. Upper Waihou. —This is just now the most important of the Hokianga schools. There is a difficulty here of this nature : the Natives have parted with all the land in the immediate vicinity of the school; hence, if they are to attend regularly, it is absolutely necessary that boarding accommodation should be provided for the children in the neighbourhood of the school. Besides the Waihou people's children, there are at least thirty outsiders, whose parents would gladly send them to school if there were any place where they could live. Thus there might be an attendance of at least eighty if some means of housing the children could bo devised. This is a typical case. The difficulty could be got over by putting up another school—or, perhaps, two schools—within a convenient distance of the children's homes, or by erecting a boarding-house in the immediate neighbourhood of the present school, and providing for thoroughly effective supervision of the children. The objection to each of these plans is the very great expense that would have to be incurred to give effect to it. Plans for housing the children near the school aro continually being proposed, but they invariably have the defect of requiring that the children shall herd together without proper supervision. The Department could hardly be expected to take upon itself the responsibility attached to any such arrangement. The difficulty, therefore, has to be left to the Natives, and they have to get over it as best they may. It must be acknowledged that they deserve great credit for the efforts they make to do so. Omanaia. —Eour years ago this settlement had the name of being in every respect the most backward in Hokianga. Of course, I have no means of knowing whether what was said about the Omanaia people was true or false ; but I can say that, if any one had for some special reason been looking for an extremely dirty and unhealthy-looking set of youngsters, and had reached Omanaia, he would have found it quite unnecessary to go any further; he would have been suited just there. Now this is all changed. The children made a most creditable appearance at the examination; most of them were well dressed, and they were all clean. It is a matter of common remark in the district that the Omanaia Natives have changed wonderfully of late. The blue-ribbon movement has had a good deal to do with bringing about the improvement; but most of the credit for it should undoubtedly be given to the school and its teachers. Mangamuka. —This is a very useful school. The district is isolated, aijd the Natives come into contact with Europeans comparatively seldom. Progressive improvement in the behaviour, dress, and English-speaking power of the children is very noticeable. Pakia. —lf the moderate improvement noticed in this school should become more marked and should increase to such an extent as to produce a fair number of passes at the next examination, it might perhaps be advisable to raise it to the rank of a village school; or, perhaps, seeing that most of the children attending it are European quarter-castes, to hand it over to the Auckland Board. Waitapu. —A new master has been sent here, the old one having been promoted to a larger and consequently more important school. The partial breakdown that occurred in the examination was entirely caused by a fever epidemic which had rendered it necessary to close the school for a lengthened period. Waima. —There are but few European primary schools that would give a European visitor a better impression than this one does. The children are so neat aud orderly, everything is done so systematically, and there is such a complete absence of any kind of friction, that the school seems as if it were a well-constructed and properly-adjusted machine in full working order. The master has lately been promoted to a larger school. Whirinaki. —Difficulties between the teacher and some of the Natives appear to occur with undue frequency. In such cases as this it is often hard to say on which side the greater part of the fault lies. Perhaps, if the Natives, on the one hand, were not so ready to assume that things done by the teacher are intended as acts of hostility towards them, and if, on the other, the teacher took proper care to act up to the Department's instructions in every particular, these misunderstandings might be obviated. The master takes great interest in his school, and works hard to insure its success. Motukaraka. —Acting under a misapprehension, the master of this school procured some goods from Auckland and sold them to the Natives at reasonable rates. Some of the Hokianga storekeepers protested against this on the ground that it was unjust that a Government officer, with a residence and a fair salary, provided out of taxes, should be allowed to compete in business with private persons who had no such advantages. The motives of the master were, I believe, good ; he saw that the Natives in his district found it a hard matter to get clothing, and he thought that, by procuring suitable goods and selling them at a small profit, he might supplement his own income in a justifiable way, and at the same time confer a very great benefit on the Natives. But, of course, the storekeepers had right on their side, and the rule that forbids teachers to trade with Natives was rigidly enforced; so the trouble that had arisen was put an end to. In a recent letter Mr. von Sturmer remarks, with regard to this teacher and his work: " I examined each scholar separately and carefully, and was much surprised and pleased at the great advance that has been made. There will be very few of them that will not pass at least one standard at the next examina-

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