NATIVE SCHOOLS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2211, 15 October 1907, Page 2

NATIVE SCHOOLS.

MR. DARTON’S REPLY TO THF MINISTER. iLL

Press Association.

Ar „ NAPIER, Oct. 14. Mr. George Darton, tho member of tile Hawke s Bay Education Board whoso statements regarding native schools have been impugned by tho Hon. G. I'owlds, Minister for Education, proved only too ready to take up the cudgels on his own behalf when seon by a “Daily Telegraph reporter this morning. “I am prepared to prove every statement I have made,” said Mr. Darton, “from tile Department’s own documents, or unreservedly withdraw tho whole lot. In regard to the Minister’s allegation that I have no personal knowledge of native schools, I desire to say that I live in a district riddled with native schools, and I am constantly in touch with_ parents whoso children attend them." Not only that, but .in my own district we have the experience of native children attending the public schools. At Maraetaha we have an Education Board school which, is composed almost entirely of native children. We are thus able to compare native children under the management of tho Hawke’s Bay Education Board and native schools under Departmental control.” Dealing with the cost if educating native children, to which the Minister had taken exceptira, Mr. Darton said he could only bay that his figures were compute! from page 24 of the Education Department's annual report of 1905, the last and only official information arailaote On being asked what he had to say in reference to the payment of native school teachers according to average attendance, Mr. Darton vigorously turned over the leaves of the Education Department’s report, and read the following: “A new scale of salaries has been approved, approximating to that set forth in the schedule to the Education Act Amendment Act, 1905 The effect will be to produce a more even distribution of the amount paid as salaries to teachers and to raise the salaries of assistants generally.” “That,” said Mr. Darton, “is all I can say. In Em-opean schools if the attendance tails the teacher’s salary is reduced : that is the law now. I will challenge the Minister to produce a single native school where ITic salary is reduced through falling attendance. If he can show this I am prepared to withdraw my statement.” “What have you to say about the supply of biscuits?” asked the reporter. “That I can prove,” replied Mr ~“1 would like the editor of the ’Daily Telegraph’ to send a telegram to Mr. Kirk, storekeeper, lore Awanui, asking him what native schools he has supplied witTi biscuits, and the amount supplied to each. I 'know for certain that-three native schools were supplied By Mr “-* 1 with biscuits, to the order of tile Department. There are other schools that I know have been supplied in the same way, but these three I can speak of with authority, t wili go even further, and say that Mr. Kirk was paid by a cheque from the Department. As for the Minister's assertion regarding the teachers in native schools and those under the control of the Board,” went on Mr. Darton, “the Department's regulations will not allow the latter to teach unless they are- certificated. There is no comparison between these and native school teachers. In my on district I can say that the majority of native school teachers are certificated.” Coming to the question of conveniences at native schools; Mr. Darton said he could easily prove his case. X only wish, he sflid, could show you some of the heartrending letters 1 have received from European parents whose children have to attend native schools. In connection with this matter I may say that the European parents at Nuhaka complained l , . Ha wke’s Bay Education Board chat the sanitary conveniences were not available for the children, being locked up. . The hardship is that where a native school as in operation the Education Board aro not allowed t-o set up one of their own. There is another thing I would like to again point out. To Maori children attending .public schools who pass the fifth Standard, or the fourth standard at a native school, before reaching the age of fifteen, scholarships to the vahie of £2O a year are granted to enable them to attend a secondary school or to become apprenticed to a suitable trade. If a European parent wants to apprentice his children to a trade lie lias to pay for it himself. ® Why should a Maori ch;]d be ■ u , *°, a G' a de which he never sticks to?”

“I can only repeat,” concluded Mr. Ha rton, that I have depended for all my statements on the documents of the Department, although I admit that the information published by the Department about native schools is /ery meagre. On my return to Gisborne I' will reply in detail to the statements of the Minister.”