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35. You, as an old and distinguished member of our Legislative Assembly, would be prepared, if the £4 capitation grant would not be ample, to support more in Parliament ?—The question does not come into the Legislative Council; the House of Bepresentatives would have to decide that question. 36. Mr. Gilfedder.] Do you think that your Education Board has established too many of these aided or household schools ?—We cannot avoid it; we get an application that there are four or five children, their teacher is appointed, and we simply confirm it. The appointments are only temporary ones, just as long as there are enough children to give £4 or £5 a head. From what I can see, the householder generally finds the food, and the money the teacher receives goes for her clothing. 37. I see the average attendance ranges from 3 to 10. Were other Education Boards throughout the colony to establish aided or household schools under similar conditions they would have less funds at their disposal. Have these schools in the Sounds been established on the recommendation of the Inspector ? —Yes ; he inspects the district about twice a year. He knows the wants of the people, and he states to the Board what is required. 38. You stated, in reply to Mr. Mackenzie, you did not consider the £4 capitation grant, if paid to each Education Board, would have the desired effect in the case of weak Boards, such as Marlborough ? —I said it would assist them to a considerable extent. 39. Under one or two of the strong Boards of the colony the teachers in certain grades of schools get very large salaries, much larger than they would get under the colonial scale, on the adoption of which they may get a little less, and the smaller and weaker Boards a little more; a few shillings saved from the largely populated districts means a very considerable item to the weak Boards ?—Yes ; and that is the scheme as far as I understand it. 40. How do you get on in this district with regard to house allowance ?—ln most places the teachers have houses ; as far as I remember, there is an allowance of £40, the assistants getting no house allowance. 41. Sewing-mistresses appointed in your schools of from 30 to 54 get £12 a year?—-Yes. 42. Is it not a fact that the sewing-mistress is expected to teach a class or two in the school ? —In some of the schools such is the case ;in the smaller schools Ido not think it is the case; it varies according to circumstances. 43. You have no difficulty in obtaining the services of female pupil-teachers, but you have as far as male teachers are concerned ?—We have plenty of female teachers. The bulk of them are probationers, beginning at £16 ; some of them we keep on from year to year after their term has expired. 44. Does your Board discourage the employment of male pupil-teachers? If there is a vacancy is preference given to the female ? —I think generally the male gets it; the School Committees are in favour of males, because they think they exercise greater moral control. 45. What about the sewing?—lf the man is married his wife may be appointed sewing-mis-tress. 46. Do you not give preference to female pupil-teachers on the understanding that they teach the sewing ?—I do not think that has been considered by the Board. 47. In regard to assistants other than pupil-teachers, have you any difficulty in getting these assistants ? —We get plenty of applicants, but whether they are good teachers is a very moot point. I would rather take one of the ordinary pupil-teachers and put her in the position than take one from outside. 48. Mr. Luke.] In regard to the division of the sexes, do I understand that in your public school it was done at the request of the School Committee?—As far as my memory serves me it was so ; at least fifteen years ago. 49. Then, the Board established that system at the request of the School Committee ?—Yes. There was a good deal of bitterness about it, and a lot of political animus at the bottom. 50. Mr. Hogben.] With regard to figures —the expenses of the Board, and so on —I suppose it will be better for me to ask Mr. Smith those questions later on ? —Yes, I think so. 51. Speaking of the reasons that have actuated the Board in setting up these small schools, have you considered the fact that at many of these small schools the children are of the same family, and practically you are aiding the settlers to keep private governesses ?—Yes; very often the school may be composed of no more than the actual family. 52. So that they are really private governesses ?—Yes. 53. I suppose the wife, the mother of the family, would not be able to teach reading, writing, or arithmetic ? —No. 54. Would you be prepared to recommend such a system throughout the colony in the Legislature, as far as you can express an opinion?—l consider that I look upon it from an enlightened point of view, speaking on behalf of the Marlborough Board, and I do not think we are singular. 55. You have thirty-nine schools under 10, out of the total of 129 for the colony —a very large proportion ? —Yes ; but the other parts of the colony are not similarly situated with these Sounds districts. 56. They have isolated homesteads in other parts ?—Yes. 57. If the same policy was adopted you would be prepared, as a legislator, to support an expenditure of £70,000 or £80,000 a year alone, throughout the colony? —If the public were desirous I think it would be a good expenditure of money. 58. With a £4 capitation the whole of the vote would amount to £450,000, and out of that you would allow nearly £80,000 for these small schools : do you think it would be a wise policy ?—I think so; it would be an enlightened policy, though no doubt it would be a heavy tax on the colony.