E—No. 4

delusion: they come to School with the impression that they come only to learn, and not to work; then, when work is required of them, they consider themselves aggrieved, and give their labour grudgingly. Great care should be taken to devise work suitable to the ages of the pupil, and this could be more readily done if adults and children were not admitted into the same School. In Industrial Schools, which I think should be set apart solely for young men, either husbandry, as a practienl science, should be taught them, or some trade, either carpentering, brick-making, shoemaking, or tailoring. They would find such knowledge applicable to every-day-life. Ido not advocate for the Natives under present circumstances a refined education or high mental culture; it would be inconsistent, if we take into account the position they are likely to hold for many years to come in the social scale, and inappropriate, if we remember that they are better calculated by nature to get their living by manual rather than by mental labor. In the present scheme of Native Education, no distinct powers have been reserved to the Government. It is futile to make laws without power to euforce them. To place the Government in its proper position, the present Act should be remodelled, and the necessary amount of power secured. Yet it becomes questionable how far it is prudent to remodel the scheme, seeing that it must die a natural death in the course of three years. If the present hostility on the part of the Natives to Government should continue, there certainly would be no occasion. The additional expenditure of say £2000 a-year would place the Managers of Schools in such a position as to leave them without grounds for refusing to comply with the suggestions or directions of Government: in fact, they would have everything done for them. But Ido not calculate on any opposition; the several Managers are only too anxious to co-operate with, and carry out any suggestions of Government. If the Government thought it prudent to re-cast the present scheme of Native Education, I should suggest the creatioo of a Board consisting of either the Executive Ministers alone, or else of members representing the various denominations. The former, 1 believe, would be preferable. To this Board should be delegated the power to make rules for regulating their own course of proceeding, and for determining the conditions upon which assistance should be given towards Native Schools. They should also be vested with the power of withholding or discontinuing any grant to a School in whole or in part. The sum of £7000 now payable out of the ordinary revenue, and any additional sum or sums voted by the General Assembly for the education of the Natives, should be placed under the control of the Board. A report of the state and circumstances of each School receiving aid should be forwarded annually to the Governor, to be laid before the Assembly, together with an account of all monies received and disbursed. If the Natives would only co-operate with us in the work of education, I havg not had the slightest misgiving as to the success attending the operations of such a Board. I know from experience it would work well, and recommend itself to the public. The state in which I found the Wesleyan Native School at Aotea, under the conduct of Mr. Skinner, induced me to address the Superintendent of the Wesleyan Board of Education in reference thereto. I append a copy of my letter, to which I have not as yet received a reply. The Church of England School at Otawhao, under the superintendence of the Rev. J. Morgan, was so deficient iv every respect, and so reduced in numbers and character, that I strongly advised Mr. Morgan to close the School for a time, until necessary steps could be taken to place it on a better basis, and restore its value in the estimation of the Natives. Conducted as I found it, so inefficient, and so devoid of life and energy, its only tendency was to bring our educational institutions into general disrepute. Since my return to Auckland, a new regime has been instituted. Mr. Morgan has ceded to Mr. Gorst, the Resident Magistrate of the district, the entire management of the School. The necessary repairs are being effected (for the buildings had fallen into sad dilapidation), a European Teacher of considerable experience has been engaged, the old School disbanded, and none but young men—who are to receive an industrial as well as an educational training—are to be admitted. If we can only enlist the pupils, success, in all human probability, is certain. The Wesleyan School at Kawhia, somewhat defective in internal arrangement on my visit, will, I feel assured, soon cope in efficiency and usefulness with other Schools. The grant of £50 which you allowed me to place at the Rev. Mr. Schnackenberg's disposal will enable that gentleman to give effect to some suggestions I made, calculated to introduce general improvement. Of the School at Taupo, under the management of the Rev. Mr. Grace, I cannot speak in highly favourable terms. But it must be remembered that it has many serious difficulties to contend with. The greatest and most insurmountable of all, its remoteness from any town or market; all the stores and other requisites, not only for the School, but also for the Mission Station, have to be carried on the shoulders of Natives from the East Coast. The grown boys and monitors are employed in this service, which last year occupied at intervals three months. The absence of the Superintendent during the greater part of that time, and the want of a teacher for some months preceding my arrival told unfavourably against the School. A fire, which about twelve months previous destroyed the Schoolhouse, has also tended to create a certain amount of confusion and overcrowding on the establishment, which, I trust, will shortly be remedied by the erection of a new Schoolhouse, which is to be set about immediately, the materials for which, if I mistake not, are already on the ground. A new Teacher has also been recently appointed to the School. Owing to its remoteness from all civilizing influences —for it is in the heart of a purely Native district—and also from the extreme difficulty of procuring the means and appliances for carrying on the work of education, together with the very insufficient allowance—viz., £6 per annum for each pupil—from the Church of England Board of Education, I felt induced to look with a less critical eye upon its defects than I should be disposed to do under ordinary or more favouring circumstances. As it is only just to give credit where credit is due, I must not withhold the meed of praise to to Andrew Barton, the Native Teacher of Karakariki School on the Waipa. He is a young man of

38

REPORT OF INSPECTORS