B.—l

XI

Native Schools. At the end of 1892 there were 63 ordinary Native village schools. 1 experimental subsidised school (at Waiomio), and 4 boarding-schools receiving Government scholars. The boarding-schools remain as they were. The experiment at Waiomio proved unsuccessful, and has been abandoned.- Five ordinary village schools had been closed, and four new ones opened, before the end of 1893, the number being thus reduced to 62, two of which —Waitapu and Matihetihe—are taught by one master, with assistance. The village schools closed were: Ahipara, on account of the apathy of the Native people, due, perhaps, to their pursuit of gum-digging; Otamatea, on account of the decay of the Native settlement; and Kirikiri, Tangiteroria, and Matakohe, because the preponderance of Europeans seemed to render it desirable that the work required should be taken up by the Education Board. The new schools are at Otamauru, near Whakatane; Matapihi, across the water from Tauranga; Opanaki, in the Kaihu Valley; and Te Houhi, not far from Galatea and just within the Urewera country. The average attendance at each of these schools in their normal state is between 30 and 40; but the latest returns show T a small attendance at Opanaki, where fever had been rife, and at Matapihi there is a decline apparently due to the objections offered by an influential part of the scattered population to the Department's choice of a site for a permanent school. The school at Te Kao (north of Mangonui) is about to be reopened ; Pukepoto was reopened in April, 1894. A new school was opened at Te Pupiike (near Whangaroa) in April, 1894, a smaller school at Parapara (in the Kaitaia district) in the same month, and a half-time school at Bawhia (subordinate to Eangiahua) in February. The number of headmasters at the end of the year was 51; of headmistresses, 10; of assistants, 44; and of sewing-mistresses, 11. The salaries of head-teachers ranged from £71 to £184, and those of assistants and sewingmistresses from £50 to such very small allowances as £6 or £7. The expenditure in 1893 was £12,488 11s. 9d., made up as follows : Teachers' salaries and allowances, £8,725 12s. 7d.; boarding-school allowances (including scholarships) and apprenticeship, £1,452 Is. lid. ; buildings, fencing, furniture, &c, £669 13s. 7d.; repairs and small works, £413 17s. 10d.; books and school requisites, £366 3s. 3d.; inspection (including travelling), £773 16s. 10d. ; cost of lantern-lectures, £13 15s. 4d. ; sundries, £73 10s. sd. The net expenditure is reduced to £12,405 6s. 3d. by the contribution of £83 ss. 6d. from Native reserve funds. The cost of lantern-lectures is a new item. The sum of £13 15s. 4d. that appears in the foregoing statement was expended on an experiment tried at three or four schools. An arrangement has been made for extending the experiment to all the Native schools. Two lectures at least will be given at each school, with very good lantern illustrations in natural history and physiology, with hygienic aims, varied with geographical pictures and other interesting matter. The epidemic of measles seriously affected the attendance at Native schools in 1893, and made heavy demands on the skill and kindness of many of the teachers, who were kept busy dispensing medicines and giving instruction and help in sick-nursing. The average weekly number of pupils belonging to the village schools was 2,220, and the average attendance was 1,585, which is 71*4 per cent, of the number belonging. With respect to race, 10 per cent, of the whole number on the school-rolls are described as half-caste, 16£ per cent, as European or inclining to European, and per cent, as Maori or inclining to Maori. (For Maori children attending ordinary public schools, see statement following Table B.) Forty-five per cent, of the pupils are above the age of ten years. The Inspector's report is printed as a separate paper (E.-2). At the Native boarding-schools for boys there were at the end of the year 24 Government scholars and 87 others, as follows : At St. Stephen's, Auckland, 13 scholars and 30 other pupils ; at Te Aute, Hawke's Bay, 11 scholars and 57 others, including 15 Europeans. At the girls' schools the numbers were—At Hukarere, Napier, 13 Government scholars and 26 others ; at St. Joseph's, Napier, 25 Government pupils and 22 others.