8.—14.

32

should be prepared as a teacher, if I accepted a school of the second grade, to accept the salary fixed for that grade whatever the attendance in the grade was. 342. Do you not think that a man's salary should rise £2 for every unit ?—Yes ; the principle of increase for numbers is all right; but I would make about eight classes of schools. As I said before, I think 35 to 75 too big a jump altogether. 343. Do you think it better to have a sudden jump of £10 from a school of 25 to 26, £10 in some cases, and nothing at all in others, or do you think it better to rise £2 at a time for every unit ? —I object to a man's salary being fixed on average attendance at all, but would rather forego the possibility of increase "to obviate the unpleasant possibility of decrease. 344. Do you not think it would be very dangerous to pay on the roll-number?—l do not think so ; the roll has to be purged. 345.. As a matter of fact, is the roll purged ?—ln our district it is and would be. It would depend on the Inspector. Our Inspector looks closely into registration details. The roll-number could be more easily checked than the average attendance. 846. Speaking generally, as a matter of fact, is it your opinion that rolls are kept purged throughout the colony?— I can only speak with regard to schools I know of; lam of opinion that they are. 347. You stated that the School Attendance Act of 1894 has been the means of encouraging bad attendance ? —Yes. 348. Then, how do you account for the rising in attendance throughout the colony after the passing of the Act ?—I do not know that it is so. I know that parents in this district have taken advantage of the Act, who previously sent their children regularly to school. 349. However, you think that the Act encourages bad attendance?— Yes, I do. 350. Then, would you not expect to find that the attendance had fallen throughout the colony ? ■ —Yes, one would expect so. 351. Then, on the whole, you would not say that the Act had encouraged bad attendance?—l think it has been ineffective here in improving the attendance. 352. You spoke of it being a teacher's duty to simply .teach, and not to look up pupils, or anything of that kind?— Yes, I did. 353. Do you think it is fair, on moral grounds, or on other grounds, that a teacher's duties should be strictly limited to twenty-five hours a week?— Yes, I think so—the duties he is engaged to discharge. I think it is the business of the parents to send the children. 354. Then, you do take the higher ground in looking at the question ?—I do not think it is the teacher's business; if he takes an interest in his children he will, of course, naturally endeavour to get them to attend regularly for their own sakes, and has already quite enough inducements to do so, when you consider that his reputation as a teacher may be involved in it. 355. Then, taking the higher ground, a teacher should do something to see that the children do attend ?—Yes, I suppose so. 356. On the question of certificates, you are aware that the certificates depend on three elements : literary attainment, length of service, and the marks for efficiency ?—Yes. 357. You are also aware that the marks for efficiency are given by the Inspectors of Schools? —Yes. 358. You are aware that there are marks for length of service ?—Yes. 359. And those together give the means of arriving at the figures ?—Yes. 360. Did you notice that four times as much was deducted for the figure as for the letter ?— No, I do not think I did. 361. Then, your remarks were made with the idea that more weight was given to the literary attainment? —No; I was speaking of Committees. Committees attach more importance to it. I am strongly in favour of the English classification system. 362. You do not consider it a disadvantage to a teacher to have a degree, I suppose?—No; but I think he has at present an unfair double pull over the man who has not. 363. You have considered the question of staffing?— Yes. 364. You have considered it from the point of view of not merely instructing children in order to pass certain standards, but with a view to the training of their powers ?—Yes. 365. Do you consider it the more important view to look to the training of their powers ?— Yes, I do. 366. At what stage would you give a master some assistance if you were drawing up this scale ? —After thirty in average attendance, as soon as possible. 367. You would prefer that the assistance should take the form of a certificated teacher and not of a pupil-teacher ? —Yes. 368. Mr. Mackenzie.] By what process would you suggest that promotions should be made, and what authorities should make those promotions ?—I think that Boards should distinctly understand and should exercise their right of transferring teachers from one part of their district to another, and promote deserving men from lower schools to higher. In some districts it is done; the Wellington Board often transfers. In the case of the Marlborough Board nothing of that sort is considered; 'all places are thrown open to public competition. 369. You think that the Boards should promote without consultation with the Committees?— Yes, I think so. 370. In alluding to one of these homestead schools, Bobin Hood Bay, you stated that it was a great strain on the finances of the Board, did you not ?—No; I said it might be so in regard to aided schools generally, not in regard to Bobin Hood Bay. 371. How could an aided school like Bobin Hood, with twelve children, be a great strain on the finances of the Board ?—I do not know that schools of that size are, but many have only an attendance of two or three.