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number, half-caste children 11 per cent., and Europeans or half-castes inclining to European 18 per cent. The proportion of children under ten years of age was 51 _ per cent. The average attendance for the year was 1,877, and for the fourth .quarter 1,785. The falling-off of attendance, as disclosed by a comparison of the numbers here given with those of the preceding year, has been considerable, and a decline in this respect is necessarily accompanied at first by an increase in the expenditure reckoned at so much a head. The number of pupils that passed at standard examinations was 699: Standard 1., 281 ; 11., 236; 111., 110; IV., 72. The examinations of the year were more strict than those of former years, especially with respect to the accurate use of English. The number of teachers employed in December was 135 : 59 were masters, with salaries from .£9O to £235 ; 8 were mistresses, with from £72 to £165 ; 27 were assistant mistresses, with from £15 to £55 ; and 41 were teachers of sewing, at £20 each. For the present financial year the highest salary is £205. Mr. A. J. Hamilton, one of the most efficient of the Native-school teachers, has just been appointed Principal of the College at Tonga, an institute where 200 youths are under instruction. The Government of Tonga, believing that the New Zealand method of giving instruction in Native schools through the medium of English was producing better results than they had obtained by their old rule of using the native Polynesian tongue, applied, to the Department for assistance in the selection of a suitable master, with the result that the post was offered to Mr. Hamilton, who has accepted it, and who left for Tonga a few days ago. The four boarding-schools for Natives—the Catholic school at Napier, and the Church of England schools at Auckland, Napier, and Te Ante —had 180 pupils in attendance at the end of the year. Of the pupils sent to boardingschools by the Government, 49 are children that have passed the highest Native-school standard, and have been admitted as Government scholars. There are 27 of these scholars at St. Stephen's, Parnell, 8 at Te Ante, Hawke's Bay, 8 at Hukerere, Napier, and 6 at St. Joseph's, Napier; and at these schools there are 131 other pupils (the numbers being 30, 57, 31, and 13 respectively), of whom 101 are not paid for by Government. The expenditure on Native schools for the year 1890 was as follows : On salaries and allowances for removal and other purposes, £11,528 15s. lOd. ; books and school requisites, £372 lis. lOd.; prizes, £318 12s. Bd. ; repairs and minor works, £405 7s. sd. ; inspection, including travelling, £624 ss. sd. ; board of Maori girls in teachers' families, £42; subsidies towards purchase of musical instruments, £23 10s. ; grants to boarding-schools and travelling expenses of scholars, £1,525 16s. lOd.; buildings, fencing, and furniture, £2,595 15s. 5d.; sundries, £54 17s. 6d. The total is £17,491 12s. lid., but, as £115 7s. 4d. was contributed from income of Native reserves, the net cost was £17,376 ss. 7d. Most of the correspondence between the department and the teachers passes through the hands of the District Superintendents—Mr. Bishop, Mr. Booth, Mr. Bush, and Mr. Wilkinson —to whom the department is deeply indebted for much valuable advice, which they are especially qualified to give, and for their constant interest in the welfare of the Maori schools.

No, 2. The Inspector of Native Schools to the Inspector-General of Schools. Sir, — Wellington, 21st January, 1891. I have the honour, in accordance with the terms of your standing instructions, to place before you my report on the condition of the Native schools of New Zealand during the year 1890. Number of Schools. At the end of the year 1889 there were seventy-six Native schools at work. In the course of 1890 three schools were openecf' and seven were closed. During the year, therefore, or some portion of it, seventy-nine schools were in operation, and at the end of it seventy-two schools were open —viz., sixty-eight village schools and four boarding-schools. In this enumeration the schools at Ngapeke and Maungatapu have been reckoned as one, seeing that when the attendance of the children ceased at Ngapeke the same children immediately began to attend school at Maungatapu, and their attendance went on to the end of the school year without any break.

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