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ment—the boarding and training school of the London Missionary Society at Tereora. The success of this school in keeping up its numbers and in the teaching of the children is highly gratifying. The question is how far the same principle could be successfully applied to the ordinary day schools on which so many of the children must depend. Personally I am very reluctant to see the education taken out of the hands of the people themselves and transferred to the churches. To see the children of all creeds growing up together as citizens of a common country is, to my mind, an immense gain over a system that would bring them up in different camps and tend to create jealousies and ill-feeling. But the paramount question is the secular teaching of the children in the English tongue. That consideration must take precedence of all others. I suggest the subject as one which the Arikis should bring before the Rarotonga Council, and when the views of the Council are known, that the Arikis should have such measures framed as they may consider most advisable. The following is the education rate collected for the year ending the 30th June, 1897 : Avarua, £81 4s. 6d.; Arorangi, £21 17s. sd. ; Takitumu, £32 os. 5d.: total, £135 2s. 4d. I am, &0., Rarotonga, 26th August, 1897. Fbedebick J. Moss, British Resident.

Report from the Teachebs of Public Schools. Whebeas experience has proved that it is impossible to determine beforehand the best time for the school vacations to accommodate the various districts, therefore we would respectfully recommend that section 6 of the School Regulations of Rarotonga of Bth November, 1895, as amended 2nd December, 1896, be amended to read as follows: — The following are to be the regular holidays in each year:— April 4—Anniversary of the declaration of the British Protectorate in 1891; June s—Anniversary of the adoption of the Federal Constitution in 1891 ; October 27 —Anniversary of the hoisting of the British flag in 1888 ; and such other days as the teachers may arrange, with the approval of the Ariki of the district. Whereas children are detained or suffered to remain away from school till the attendance is often practically nothing, and because of which the public-school system is in imminent danger of being counted a failure, not from unfaithfulness on the part of teachers or because the system is at fault, but because the school is not supported, and the teachers have no power whatever to back them in securing attendance or enforcing discipline ; also because parents and guardians generally, not appreciating as yet the value of education, allow the children to come or go at their option, or detain them for the most trifling causes : Therefore we would further recommend that a new section be added to the present School Regulations of Rarotonga, to read as follows :— (a.) No child of school age, or who attends by special permit, shall absent himself or be detained from school without first obtaining the written consent of the head-teacher and the approval of the Ariki. (£>.) For every day that a scholar is absent without said consent he pay a fine of two shillings (25.). (c.) For serious sickness or emergencies the head-teacher may, with consent of the Ariki, waive the penalty, provided the same shall be promptly reported within that school week. (d.) This section will not interfere with those who are in actual attendance upon any private school, or prevent any from leaving the public for a private school or from cancelling " special permit " attendance, providing that such shall first obtain a written certificate from the head-teacher that all dues are paid, and that he is honourably discharged. (c.) The head-teacher shall keep a faithful record of all who are granted " leave of absence," with the reason therefor. (f.) The head-teacher shall report to the' Clerk of the Government at least once a month, giving a list of all those who are subject to fine, with the amount of the fine opposite each name. (g.) All fines are due, and the Clerk of the Government shall take the necessary steps to collect the same, within the month. (h.) All moneys thus collected, except the usual commission, shall be paid into the general Public School Fund of Rarotonga. Respectfully submitted, E. A. SIEVEWBIGHT, \ J. D. Rice, ITeaohers. Rarotonga, 2nd August, 1897. H. Ellis, )

(13.) Papbb by Rev. Mb. Hutchin on the Education System. To Sir James Prendergast, Chief Justice of New Zealand. Youb Honoub, — I have the honour of submitting to your notice a statement concerning the education difficulty in Rarotonga From the commencement of the mission in this island by the London Missionary Society in the year 1823 to the year 1895 the schools were in the hands of the native pastors, aided by the English missionary. A competitive examination was conducted by me every year (1882-94), in order to test the progress of the children. Twelve children were selected from each of the five schools for examination. Examinations were also occasionally held of the whole school in each of the five villages. Rev. J. Chalmers commenced a boarding-school in connection with the Institution for the Training of Native Teachers, which was carried on by the late Rev. W. Wyatt Gill, 8.A., and myself, but was for various reasons given up ; and the missionary then commenced to teach English classes in connection with the Avarua Village School. In 1893 a new departure was made, as in that year the Cook Islands Parliament proposed that if the London Missionary Society would commence a boarding-school for boys and girls they would give a grant towards the maintenance of the children of £2 10s. per head up to fifty children. These proposals were accepted by the London Missionary Society; and towards the close of 1893 Miss Ardill commenced the nucleus of a boarding-school at Arorangi with fifteen children. The number was necessarily limited, as the premises were not large. The fact that the children of some were taken and that the children of others were not taken produced a great deal of irritation among the natives. They are naturally very jealous of each other. We were sorry we could not do more, but naturally had to make a selection. At the commencement of 1891 we began to build the Tereora School, and the building was completed the same year. Steps were also taken to establish public schools. On the 29th January, 1895, a public meeting was held in the Parliament House, at which resolutions were passed that public schools for teaching the natives English were needed, and appointing a committee to make inquiries, and asking that Miss Large, who was on her way from Samoa to join our mission, should be appointed to the school at Avarua. Two members of the committee waited on me. I told them that Miss Largo had been sent specially for the Tereora Boarding-school, and that Tereora School was for all the islands. I also told them that I could not remove Miss Large, as she was appointed by the directors of the London Missionary Society ; that if I did so the claims of Arorangi, Ngatangiia, and the other islands would have to be considered; that if a day-school were established I would assist in getting information as to the expense of getting teachers from Auckland, Sydney, or London. Probably such teachers would require their travelling-expenses paid, and some guarantee for their salary. The wife of Dr. Caldwell, a trained teacher in America, offered to teach forty children for £60 per year. Father Eich, of the Catholic Mission, said that three teachers would be out in April, that they could teach in secular schools if they were opened and closed with the Lord's Prayer, and the sum paid to each sister not to exceed £50 per year.

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