3

E.—lc.

2. Wβ recommend that the principle of a graduated scale be affirmed. 3. That the Conference be recommended to pass a resolution impressing upon the Government the urgent necessity existing in every district in the colony for an increased capitation allowance. 4. That in computing such capitation allowance upon the proposed graduated .scale, the annual payment to each Board be not less than £4 per pupil per annum; and that the smaller districts receive special consideration over and above the £4 capitation. The report was received. The adjourned debate on Mr. McAlister's motion was proceeded with. Mr. McAlister's motion was carried unanimously. On the motion of Mr. McWhirter, seconded by Mr. McAlister, the above report was carried unanimously. Election of Education Boards and of Committees. —Mr. T. S. Weston moved, and Mr. Talbot seconded, " That the Government be moved to amend the present Acts providing for the election of School Committees and Education Boards in the direction of securing more complete representation of the people." Amendment: Mr. Petrie moved, and Mr. McWhirter seconded, " That, in the opinion of this Conference, the voting for members of Boards take place on one day. That the individual vote of members of Committees be recorded instead of at present that of Committees." The amendment was carried. Mr. Lee proposed, and Mr. Grundy seconded, "That increased voting power be given to individual members of School Committees of larger schools." Lost. Individual Standard Pass. —Mr. Grundy moved, and Mr. Goyen seconded, " That, in the opinion of this Conference, the individual standard pass should be abolished." During the debate on this subject the time-limits were extended to forty minutes and twenty minutes. Proposed by Dr. Anderson, as an amendment: — " (1.) That, as an academical principle, the method of examining schools which imposes upon the Inspector the sole duty of estimating in general terms, with more or less of detail, the character of the instruction and the adequacy and suitability of the educational arrangements, as against the principle the application of which requires the Inspector to inquire into the proficiency of individual pupils, as regards either their average attainments in a standard programme or their individual attainments in separate subjects, be approved. " (2.) That the Conference, however, recognises the benefits the existing 'pass' arrangements have in the past conferred upon the country, especially as to their efficiency in checking the continuance of inferior work, where the general sense of the local community is not sufficiently elevated to place good educational results before personal considerations in various forms; and recognises, further, the difficulty under certain circumstances of making a general-estimate system equally effective. " (3.) That, in consequence, the Conference does not find itself at present in a position to recommend without limitations the general adoption of a system of examination which, while encouraging a better type of instruction under favourable circumstances, may, in a proportion of schools varying with the educational progress of the community, endanger the securities an individual system provides. " (4.) That, as a rule, the conditions favourable to the introduction of a general-estimate system«are commonly found in the large type of school, and may or may not exist in schools of the smaller type; but that, to avoid invidious distinction, the system of examination in both be ostensibly identical, and retain accordingly the outward form of the present individual pass examination, while leaving to the Inspector the option of taking, at his discretion, a greater or less share in the determination of the individual passes. "(5.) That, to carry out the purpose indicated, every head or sole teacher in a school be required, in anticipation of the Inspector's annual examination, to fill out the standard schedules with the names of their pupils, the estimates of their proficiency in the several subjects essential to promotion, and the teacher's judgment of the ' passes and failures' in the standards. " (6.) That the Inspector, at his discretion, accept the proposed promotions and confirm them, or modify the teachers' judgments, as may seem to him fit; but that he shall, notwithstanding,«so conduct his examination of the school as to enable him to express in his report, with greater or less detail, his general estimate of the subjects and classes. " (7.) That, in determining the promotions of the pupils, the following be the subjects which teacher and Inspector shall regard as forming the essential basis of promotion: (a) reading, (6) spelling and dictation, (c) writing, (d) arithmetic, (c) composition and the grammatical basis of composition. " (8.) That, in estimating the promotions, reading receive two marks—one mark for fluent reading in the ordinary class-book and one mark for unseen reading—or, in case of the lower classes, for merit in reading a"second reading-book; spelling and writing, each one mark ; arithmetic, one mark for simple mechanical exercises, and one mark for merit as shown by the ability to do 'mental' exercises, or sums requiring some process of thinking; composition (theme), one mark, and the grammatical basis of composition one mark—eight marks in all, six to count for a ' pass.' " (9.) That the above be regarded as ' pass ' subjects in the school, and be obligatory in every school. " (10.) That a second group of subjects, partly obligatory and partly optional, be regarded as subjects in which the individual proficiency of the pupil in reference to promotion may be disregarded, and that these be called class-subjects—viz.: (a) drawing, (b) geography, (c) history and social economy, (d) object-lessons and science, (c) manual occupations. " (11.) That in a single-handed school—that is. one having only one certificated teacher— drawing and geography be obligatory class-subjects, but that no other class-subjects may be taken