3

E.—2

school; the cost of equipping the school would be trifling. It is hoped that it will soon be possible to rebuild the schoolhouse at Eotoiti, as the accommodation there is quite inadequate. The school at Upper Waihou, which was closed for a time through the effects of an epidemic of Hauhauism, is now being reopened under favourable auspices. The delays connected with the obtaining of a title to a suitable site at Waipiro have rendered it advisable to make temporary arrangements for continuing the school at Akuaku. More suitable accommodation is still urgently needed at Te Oreore. This part of my report may fitly conclude with an extract from a memorandum on the necessity for a Native school in the Rotorua district. The memorandum referred to is dated 22nd September, 1888. The extract runs thus: " The reasons for objecting to the attendance of Maoris at the Board school are briefly these : (a.) The Native children need special instruction in English: this would occupy so much of the master's time, if it were given, that European children attending the school would inevitably be neglected; if it were not given the Maoris would make very poor progress, and the school would take a very low position among Board schools, (b.) The circumstances of the district are of such a nature that the European children in it already have too great a tendency to adopt Maori habits; if Maori children attend the school, the children of the two races will be brought into still closer contact, and the school, instead of correcting the tendency, will increase it. (c.) Maori children from a very early age not uncommonly possess an amount and kind of physiological knowledge that Europeans do not obtain till they reach maturity, and perhaps, in most cases, not even then. (<7.) Among those Europeans who are more accustomed to be swayed by feeling than by reason there are invincible race-prejudices of an undefined character that will militate against the success of the school, and perhaps prevent it. ... The European residents are strongly in favour of the re-establishment of a Native school in the district. I have taken considerable pains to ascertain what would be the best thing to do if it were decided to provide education for the Maori children of the district (there are about 150). It would, in my opinion, be useless to reopen the Ohinemutu school—it is too far out of the way; but if the building were removed two miles to the east, to a point near the proposed railway-station and half a mile or so south of Sulphur Point, it would be central for the settlements of Ohinemutu, Whakarewarewa (the people of which have long wanted a school), and Ngapuna (where the remnants of Tuhourangi, the Wairoa Natives, live). If a school were established here under a good master, it would most certainly be thoroughly successful. I do not see my way to make any positive recommendation on the subject, but merely suggest that, as hundreds of tourists, coming from various parts of the world, visit this district every year, the Government might find it advantageous to exhaust every means of giving the Native children suitable education, rather than incur the reproach of allowing such a large number of them to grow up totally illiterate, as they certainly would if no influence beyond that of the public schools and their managers were brought to bear on them. This influence does all that is necessary in the case of European children, but it would be ineffective in the case of Maoris. It might be said that the means of education are provided here; but, if I affirmed this, I should consider my statement a mere subterfuge, unless I completed the statement by saying that Native children are always, in the long run, virtually prevented from making use of such means by opposing influences that are altogether too strong for them or their parents to overcome." Schools in Full Woek. The geographical position of the schools is taken as a basis on which to group them. A great deal of information with regard to the literary work of individual schools and their general efficiency as educational institutions has been tabulated and placed in the Appendix. Table No. 6 shows the results obtained by examination only ; in Table No. 7 a statement of the results of each inspection will be found. Additional particulars connected with individual schools are briefly referred to in the following paragraphs. The Far North. — District Superintendent, Mr. 11. W. Bishop, B.M. Te Kao, Parengarenga Harbour. —Great progress has been made except in English and in writing; the former subject especially needs much attention. The school is useful, and if the attendance were not rather irregular the work done would be very effective. Awanui.- —The Maori pupils have become so few that it is no longer desirable that this should be treated as a Native school. Pamapuria. —Constant absence of parents on the gumfields does much to spoil the attendance. The school nevertheless is a very useful one. Peria.— During the year the school suffered much through illness and death among the scholars, but yet the examination results were decidedly satisfactory. Ahipara.- —Frequent race-meetings and visits to the gumfields interfere with regularity of attendance. The work done would be satisfactory even if the circumstances were far more favourable than they are. Pukepoto. —This school also has been injuriously affected by race-meetings and the gumfields. The position of the school on the list is to some extent due to the fact that only nine instead of twelve months' work was reviewed at the examination. Te Ngaere. —The experiment of reopening this school has been successful so far. The master is making praiseworthy efforts to secure a continuance of the success. Whangape. —Great improvement has been made in the teaching of English. This school still maintains a very high place as a civilising agency. Whakarapa. —The results obtained at the examination were moderate, but there is good reason to hope that the school has now got over its troubles, and that its future history will be much more Satisfactory than its past,