36

[J. XHOKNTON.

GK—5.

57. Since the banking account was started have you kept a full, true, and faithful account of the receipts and disbursements? —I have. 58. Before the banking account was started what was the system?—l rendered a quarterly account to the Archdeacon, he giving me interim cheques for the expenses. There was no school banking account. It was done through the Archdeacon on the one hand and my own banking account on the other. I accounted every quarter. 59. Do you get any supplies from the estate itself?— From the estate itself we are supplied with firewood, meat, and milk. No charge whatever has ever been made for the milk. 60. I suppose that is a considerable item? —Indeed, it is. The meat is paid for at the following rates : Mutton, 2d. per lb.; beef, 2Jd. per.lb. That has been going on ever since I took charge. I speak only of what I know, but I think it was the rate before. Having regard to the average price of butcher's meat, 1 should say that the Archdeacon's gift to the College every year as represented by the reduced charges for the meat and by the free milk is equal to at least £150 a year. We pay for cutting and carting of firewood. 61. During the time you have been at the College do you know whether any moneys have been spent on the trust property or given to the trust by the Archdeacon or by anybody else in the nature of gifts ?—I know the Archdeacon has spent a great deal of his own money on Hukarere. 62. And I suppose during your time a great many improvements have been effected on Te Aute Estate itself? —Yes, a great many. The dormitories have been enlarged, the dining-room has been enlarged, new school-rooms have been built, new lavatories have been built, various conveniences have been added, water has been laid on, acetylene gas has been laid on, fire-escapes have been added, and vast improvements have been made in the drainage. 63. Has the income from the estate been sufficient to meet the expenditure?—lt has just about balanced for several years past. When I took charge the school owed the Archdeacon about £1,700. That was all paid off, and the school has held it own since. 64. I suppose the carrying-on of the school depends upon the regular payment of the rent of the estate? —Entirely. 65. If that failed, as it did at Hatuma, I suppose the school would have to shut for a year?— Quite so. There is no other source. 66. Are you prepared to express any opinion in regard to the letting-value of the estate? — I am not a land-valuer, and I have no personal knowledge about land-values. 67. Have you ever had any complaints from the Maoris or from anybody else with regard to the way in which the school has been conducted ? —No. 68. Or in regard to any other matter?— No. 69. Or suggestions, apart from the question of manual and technical education?—We have had Maoris complaining and telling us we ought not to play football. Now, two parents have objected this year to their boys playing football, and we do not allow them to do so. But 1 think that is the severest criticism I have had from Maoris in connection with Te Aute —that football is a bad thing. I should like to say that I think it is a great advantage as an object-lesson to the boys to have around them, as they have at Te Aute, a well-ordered and efficiently managed sheepstation. They see the various processes of the work going on, and I think they cannot fail to be impressed by it. Many of them take an interest in the movements of sheep and cattle. 70. I suppose they see the men working in the fields and about the farm buildings, and the machinery is close at hand? —Yes. In addition to that the hands on the station are an especially respectable lot. They are men living with their wives and families round about. 1 can conceive of a state of things which would not be so satisfactory. 71. Do you think there is any advantage in having the College a distance from a centre of population?— Yes, I do, from many years' experience. We are enabled to give the boys very much more freedom than we should be able to do if we had them in the town. If we had the boys in a place like Napier we masters would have to be policemen as well. As it is we give them a reasonable amount of liberty and privileges which in town they could not possibly have. Besides, I think the Maori is a man who wants plenty of room. It does not do to cramp him. He would chafe in narrow limits. Then, our boys in the country have frequent opportunities of seeing people who are passing through. We are quite close to the railway-station, and visitors come and give lectures and exhibitions and entertainments. 72. You have the telephone and other means of communication in the case of accident or illness ?—We have not the telephone at the College because we have no need for it; but there is one at the Archdeacon's, which we can use whenever necessary. . 73. Do you wish to say anything about Hukarere? —No; I know practically nothing whatever about Hukarere. 74. Mr. Hogg.] You say you generally have over seventy pupils attending the College?— Yes. 75. How many, on the average, leave the school every year?— About twenty go out. 76. Can you give me an approximate idea of the number who have passed through your hands in the twenty-eight years of your charge?—l should say, as a rough estimate, you could put them down at five hundred. 77. Now, out of the number at present attending the school, how many are paying pupils?— This year we have only two paying pupils, which is very low. I should say there is also one paying half-fees, making three in all. We have had up to six or seven sometimes. 78. Is the payment uniformly £25 a year?— No. 79. Then there are ten provided by the Government?— Yes, the Government give us £20 for a boy who costs us £25. 80. Do the Government select these boys?— Yes. 81. Is there any difference in the treatment of Government pupils and paying or non-paying pupils in the school? —Absolutely no difference whatever in regard to education or anything else, They are all treated exactly alike in every particular. There is no privileged class.