F.— No. 1.

7.] Such an institution seems highly desirable as soon as the condition of the Colony admits of its being established with efficiency and success. It would do much to raise the character of education throughout the country, and would at once solve the difficulty of providing a Board of Examiners for scholarships and exhibitions which at present exists. J. Kinder, M.A., Trinity College, Cambridge ; Head Master of the Church of England Grammar School, Auckland.

TAEANAKI. H. R. Richmond, Esq.—l.] Believing that in a young Colony, there is a strong tendency towards the lowering of the standard of education, I think it most desirable that the Government should interfere, as far as it can do so, to counteract this tendency, in the way above proposed, amongst others. 2.] Yes, I think some portion of the money voted for the promotion of education should be spent in that way. 3.] I am not sufficiently informed as to the amount of supervision exercised by the different Provincial Governments over the schools in their Provinces to make the following suggestion with any confidence; but if there is a system of supervision by qualified inspectors in the larger Provinces, I think these inspectors might form a Board of Examiners for the examinations for school exhibitions. As regards the higher examination for scholarships, possibly some of the Judges of the Supreme Court who have received a high education might be willing to undertake the Classics and History. There are also high Government officials, amongst whom I might mention the Auditor-General, the Secretary for Crown Lands, the Under Secretary, the Comptroller of Revenue, and the Colonial Geologist, whose services might be obtained for such a purpose once a year, and who would be well qualified for the duty. 4.] With all the leading British Universities, and with any Australian Universities which are known to be conducted in a satisfactory manner. I do not know any reason why some of the American Universities should not be included. It seems to me desirable to give the student and his parents a large choice, as it will often happen that the fact of having relatives or friends living near one or other of the Universities, who would exercise some amount of supervision, would determine parents in their choice. Moreover, it is not only the University education, but also the general knowledge which the youth will acquire outside the University, which will be valuable to him and to his country in after life, and it seems desirable that this knowledge should be as varied as possible. 5.] My experience is only in reference to University College, a part of the London University. At that college none of the students were boarders in my time. I fancy that the actual expenditure of a student for board and lodging in a private family, or at University Hall, together with the college fees, would be about .£l3O per annum. It appears to me that it will be expedient (a given sum being voted for the purpose) to divide it into a good many exhibitions and scholarships of moderate value, leaving a proportion of the expense to be borne by the parents. Possibly some supplementary arrangement might be introduced for giving further assistance to those students whose parents were unable to bear any part of the cost. 6.] This, as regards the subjects, will be mainly determined by a knowledge of what subjects are necessary for taking degrees at the various Universities. The examinations for'scholarships will probably at first have to be easy, and afterwards increased in severity. But, at any rate, they must be such as to ensure the student having sufficient knowledge to be able to profit by the University course. A series of the examination papers for the ordinary annual examination of the highest class at the University School (from which the boys pass into the lower classes at the University College) would give my idea of what would be requisite. This, together with any other information that might be desired relating to that University, could be easily obtained by writing to the Secretary. . 7.] I hope that the time is not very far distant when this may be successfully undertaken; but at present I believe it would not be sufficiently supported. Statistics as to population of the Australian Colonies in which Universities have been established, at the time of their establishment, and of the attendance of students from year to year, the character of the education given, and the cost of the maintenance of those Universities, would throw much light on the question, and ought, I think, to be procured and published. *.£* I only wish to add here my opinion that there is a special risk of youths educated in New Zealand being deficient in a knowledge of the various branches of natural science which are yearly taking a more prominent place in education at home. I believe the head masters of our principal schools in New Zealand arc men from Cambridge and Oxford, where, until quite recently, the importance of these studies has not been duly appreciated. Moreover, the cost of obtaining apparatus for illustrating those branches, which can only be properly taught experimentally, may often be a difficulty. In England, besides what may be learnt of these things at school or college 18

69

ESTABLISHMENT OF UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIPS.