E.—l4

43

133. What happens when a teacher gets old ?—I do not think that has often happened—at least, not where they have become incapacitated. 134. Do you know of any provision in the Education Act for excluding children of any given standard from any school ? —No. , "■" 135. Have you referred to your legal adviser as to whether you have power to do this.-'—JNo; it has been done with the knowledge, if not with the consent, of the department. 136. Are you aware that it was decided by the Supreme Court in a Christchurch case that there was no such power ? —Yes, I was aware of it. 137. Supposing a boy at one of your side-schools wished to go to the central school, do you think you would have legal power to refuse ?—I do not know whether we should consider that we had legal power, but should decline to admit him. 138. Supposing a parent raised that question ?—Well, it has never been raised yet. 139. Mr. Luke.] Have you any difficulty in getting boys to join the teaching profession ?— They are more difficult to get than girls. It has been our custom to pay more to boys than to girls, but that is not approved by the department. ■ 140 Has the system of dividing the boys and girls been recently begun, or has it existed from the beginning ?—From the beginning. It existed under the Nelson Provincial Act before the present Education Act came into force. . 141. Mr. Hill.] You said just now that you had great trouble in connection with your aided schools? —Yes ; they are carried on at a loss. 142. Have you estimated the loss on the fifty-eight schools which have an average attendance below 20? —I have not done so. , 143. These fifty-eight schools are carried on at a loss of ss. a head each > —Yes ; and there is a further loss of the Committee allowance of lis. 6d. a head, making a total of 16s. 6d. a head. The Committee allowance is paid to the aided schools, but not to the household schools. 144. Are the household schools carried on in buildings erected by the Board ?—Yes, partly; only one instance. 145. When there are less than fifteen children ?—Yes, in some cases. 146. Do you think you should give Committee allowances to such small schools?— The lis. 6d. is not given to the teachers, but it is paid to the Committee. 147. Do the Committees assist the teachers in the payment of salaries ?—No, not out ot this allowance. ,_-,'. ~ „ A 7 , 148. Do your teachers actually live on the pittance the Board gives them /—Yes, unfortunately. In some cases they are worse off than the teachers of household schools, as they do not receive their board. ~»■«, , , .i 149 Do you require certificated teachers for these schools ?—Yes, when we can get them. 150 Can you tell us how many of these teachers hold certificates from the department, or have been trained under your Board as pupil-teachers ?—They have nearly all been trained as pupilteachers. Some have taken up the position after passing the Sixth Standard. 151. You recognise that the salaries are not sufficient: can you suggest what would be a fair salary for schools with attendance below 20 ?—I think £70 or £80 would be a fair salary. 152. These schools are generally in charge of women ?—Yes, most of them. 153. Do you think that women are more suitable than men in outlying districts ?—As suitable. In some'instances where there is rough country and no lodging facilities it would not be right to place a female teacher in charge. 154 Mr. Gilfedder.] How do you account for the fact that most of your town schools have mistresses instead of masters at their head: have masters not applied ?—lt is so long since some of them were appointed that I forget. 155. Do you experience a difficulty in getting male pupil-teachers !— Yes. 156. Do you think the department discourages the appointment of female teachers ?—No; the department discourages the inequality in salaries of pupil-teachers. 157 You have 25 per cent, more female than male teachers ?—We have. We do not choose them. We submit the applications, to the Committees, and the one selected is generally aPP °ISB. You send all the names to the Committees ?—lnvariably. We send the names of all certificated applicants. , '". , ', , . ~ , -, •i_ i 0 <~> 159 Do you not think the adoption of a colonial scale of salaries would be advisable .•'—Our teachers are certainly not paid so well as in other districts, nor so well as they ought to be. 160. If you did not have separate schools it would make a difference ?—lt would make some, but not much. 161. You fix 37 scholars as the limit for one teacher ?—Yes. 162. You then add a pupil-teacher, and this is sufficient up to 65?— Yes. __ 163 At Waimea West, with an average attendance of 40, the teacher gets £150, and at Spring Grove with an average of 52, £145 is paid : how do you account for that ?—They are paid according to'scale. The present teacher at Waimea West does not get so much as that set down. 164 What about residences ?—We have residences in the country. 165 Do you consider applications from outside applicants, or do you boycott teachers from other districts ?—Not altogether. We have some teachers who have come from outside. As a rule all things being equal, we appoint teachers from our own districts. *166 Do you transfer teachers who may not be getting on well with Committees from one school to another ?—We have done so. We would like the power ; when both Committees are 167 Do you not think the Board is rather liberal in the establishment of household schools ? —Perhaps so, but the districts are so scattered that many children would not get any education without them.