11

E.—2

seems to me that much good must result from this conference, although it might, of course, easily be subjected to what may be called the ' pooh-pooh ' method of criticism. At this conference many problems have got themselves stated, and also many spectres have been raised which it will not be so very easy to lay." " Zeal and real ability are now being brought to bear on Maori questions by young men who, besides understanding the internal, the purely Maori, conditions, have as firm a grip of the external as young men could be expected to have, and it will be something to wonder at if in the course of the next few years every abuse, great and small, connected with Maori affairs as managed by the Maoris themselves, and with Maori affairs as dealt with by the pakeha, is not subjected to vigorous criticism and treatment at the hands of some of the young Maoris who have spoken at or prepared papers for this conference." " Some of the practical educational questions discussed were as follows : ' What facilities can be afforded to Maori boys for becoming apprenticed to trades?' 'Is it likely that the Government would give liberal aid to Maori university students ? ' ' How is it that Maoris are not appointed masters of Native schools?' 'If thoroughly suitable Maoris could be found, would they be appointed?'" " A very remarkable and hopeful feature in the papers read and the discussions that followed them was the obvious desire of speakers and writers to avoid all one-sidedness—to be thoroughly just." " It may be said, in conclusion, that if the papers and reports of this conference were printed they would form a very valuable repertoire of information concerning Maori life, Maori customs, and Maori difficulties, and of the views concerning these matters held by those who are beginning to call themselves ' The Young Maori Party.' " D Certificates gained by Native-school Teachers. At the January examination for teachers' certificates three of our Native-school teachers succeeded in completing their work for Class D. It is to be hoped that Mr. A. G. Hamilton, of Kaikohe, Mr. P. Herlihy, of Poroporo, and Mr. A. H. W. Thomson, of Rakaumanga Native School, the three successful candidates, will by-and-by prove to have been but pioneers on a path that plainly leads to improved status and increased efficiency of the members of the Native-school service. The Question of Special Treatment for Native Schools in New Districts. An outline of the arguments used, on either side, in a discussion which took place after an examination of one of the more recently established Native schools may be of value as giving an idea of the reasons that sometimes exist for special treatment of special cases; and, on the other hand, of the reasons for acting in close accordance with the established type of action. The question under consideration was the desirability of making a certain recently established Native village school into a It was the Chairman of the Committee who brought the question up, and the arguments advanced by him may be summarised as follows: — (a.) The Maoris of the district are very backward in all such knowledge of the pakeha and his ways as is likely to be serviceable to them as Maoris. (b.) They are also extremely conservative, and cling with the utmost tenacity to hurtful Maori customs. (c.) On the other hand, they show considerable aptitude for taking up undesirable pakeha habits, and these tend to make them idle and improvident; it is of late years especially that these habits have been acquired. (d.) Yet many of the Maoris are wise enough and affectionate enough to desire for their children effective protection from the evils which they themselves suffer from. (c.) The preceding facts, taken together, show that there is urgent need for agencies capable of improving the Maoris, and that the time is opportune for the employment of such agencies. (/.) If, now, the children could, for some considerable time, be removed beyond the reach of evil influences, their parents being in the mind for the adoption of such a measure, it would probably be found at the end of that time that the young people had been furnished with a mental and moral equipment that would enable them to cope successfully with the difficulties before which the older Maoris have succumbed, and thus would have been placed fairly on a level with the other parts of New Zealand. There is, of course, considerable difference of form between what is here written and what the Chairman actually said, but the lines of thought are, it is believed, identical. The reply made was to the effect that separation of children from parents ought to be deprecated, not promoted; that here, as elsewhere, union is strength, and that the proper object of desire is to elevate parents and children together; that where a good strong school has been established in a Maori settlement that school is found to be a civilising centre and also a centre of coalescence for the Maorig— preventing disruption, and healing breaches already existing ; that therefore the village school—the good village school —had come to be looked upon by many competent judges as an institution of very high value, and as in some respects more productive of widespread good than even the boarding-schools, although these latter have their own use as finishing institutions for specially clever children. As this is a subject that frequently turns up, this rather : full statement of both sides of the question may not improbably have some permanent utility. Conclusion. The past year has had its own peculiar difficulties. In many places there has been partial or total failure of the crops, with some resulting disorganization of school matters in the districts so affected. There has been, too, a considerable amount of illness, generally of a slight nature, but