13

E.—2

From Table V. for 1881 and 1891.—Race. Maori, and between tt if y Between Half-caste and European, ™, , Maori and Half-caste. .tiau-casce. and European , J-Otai. Boys. Girls. Boys. Girls. Boys. Girls. Boys. Girls. 1881 ... 895 648 ... 102 101 ... 161 103 ... 1,158 852 1891 ... 908 681 ... 122 117 ... 201 202 ... 1,231 1,000 From Table 111. for 1881 and Table VI. for 1891.—Passes. Standard I. Standard 11. Standard 111. Standard IV. Total. 1881 ... ... 241 ... 161 ... 65 ... 25 ... 492 1891 ... ... 330 ... 230 ... 183 ... 67 ... 810 A word or two of explanation may be given with reference to the relative value of the passes of 1881 and 1891. A pupil who could pass the Second Standard well now would in 1882 have been considered a very fair Fourth Standard pupil, except as regards arithmetic. In this subject the book-work was quite as difficult as it is now, but, on account of the pupils' imperfect knowledge of English, " problems " had to be of the simplest possible character. Miscellaneous. Means of providing for New Schools. —What has been said in a former part of this report shows that a considerable number of new Native schools will have to be established sooner or later, either under the present system or some other. It is hard to see whence the funds for this work can come, and it is not exactly my business to make any suggestion on the subject; but if it can be shown that a certain scheme must result in either the saving of a good deal of money in the course of a few years or in the lowering of the cost of education per head to a very considerable extent— and that without any violent wrench or unjust treatment of anybody—the scheme should certainly be brought to light. Assuming, then, that it is not desirable that the number of Native schools should be increased, my proposal would be that whenever a new Native school is established one or more of the schools that have become Europeanized in character should be handed over to a Board or otherwise disposed of. Thus it might be hoped that there would be a continual substitution of real and vigorous Native schools for such as could hardly do good work unless under the public-school organization. Of course, when such a transfer took place the teacher would not be handed over to the Board along with the school, but would, if suitable, be appointed to the new school, or to some other Native school. While this work was in progress, and in order to pay for it eventually, there should be a gradual raising of the requirements respecting the average attendance necessary to keep a school going as an ordinary Native school. For the first year the limit might be at 17-5 instead of 15, where it is now placed. The next year it should be 20, then 22-5, and at last 25. During the period in which these changes were going on, and afterwards, a sum not exceeding that produced by a capitation grant of £ on the average attendance should form the highest amount of total salary payable on account of any school having an attendance lower than the attend-ance-limit in force for the time being. Of course, the amount of capitation would not be fixed in a haphazard way, but rather with reference to some w r ell-known standard—such, for instance, as the average amount per head paid as salaries in public schools of similar size, with perhaps an advance of, say, 10s. per head on account of the peculiar difficulties that Native-school teachers have to encounter. Unless lam greatly mistaken the plan here propounded, or a modification of it, would be found to be a very useful and satisfactory way of settling the Native-school question for many years to come. Perhaps it ought to be said here, in order to prevent misconception, that this proposal is not meant to imply the retention of the services of the Inspector of Native Schools, who is quite content that this branch of the question should remain open. Native-school Buildings. —lt is worth while to remark that one of the peculiar drawbacks to a Native-school system is the fact that, of the whole number of schools erected, a certain small percentage will within a few years turn out to be absolutely useless. This difficulty is not quite unknown in the case of public schools. Buildings have sometimes been erected under what had appeared to be very favourable auspices, and in a few years, or even months, these buildings have been almost deserted by the pupils. The cause of this has nearly always been the migratory character of a part of our population, but occasionally it appears to have been the effect of a faulty forecast. In the case of Native schools the difficulty is greater than it is in that of public schools, in proportion as the Maoris are more migratory than Europeans. To this it should be added that Maoris sometimes desert their villages for reasons that are almost unintelligible to Europeans. Of course, this mysterious nature of their movements adds much to the difficulty of forecast. The peculiarity here referred to at once raises a question as to the expediency of giving Native-school buildings a permanent character. Would it not be better, some one might ask, that the buildings should be put up on some makeshift principle, and that the least possible expense should be incurred in the erection of them ? The answer to this is twofold :As a rule, the Maoris will take no pride or continued interest in a school that is held in a building obviously inferior to European schoolhouses ; and in the second place I cannot call to mind any case in which the character of a whole settlement has been greatly improved, and the children have been well trained and educated, unless the institution by means of which the improvement has been effected has been housed in buildings of a permanent and sightly character. If Maoris are to be raised towards the European level they must have an opportunity of forming an idea as to what that level is; and neat well-constructed buildings, with well-fenced glebe and tidy-looking garden, will serve this purpose better almost than anything else could. It may, however, be freely granted that, in all cases in which doubtful elements are among the circumstances of a settlement whose people ask for a school, the school work should be done for a time in a temporary—even a Maori—building, until it has become quite plain that the Maoris are really anxious to have their children educated.