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486. What is the total amount of salaries paid to the Whangarei High School ?—£2Bo. 487. Have you a copy of the District High School circular?—No, I have not. 488. I will give you one. Will you look at section 3, as to separate provision for staffing ? You see, in a district high school there is to be separate provision for staffing? —Yes. 489. The rest of the school to be staffed equally with any other primary school ?—Yes. 490. Will you refer to sections 5, 6, and 7 ? What is the total amount, over and above the capitation, that may be paid for any pupil in a district high school : is it not £6?— Yes. 491. What have you besides to each district ?—£3o. 492. How many pupils have you in the District High School?— 27. 493. At £6 that would give you?—£l62. 494. And the £30 for the school itself ?—£l92. 495. How much do you get from the High School Board?—£100. 496. That makes a total amount available of how much ?—£292. 497. And the expenditure in connection with the Whangarei District High School was ? —£2Bo. 498. There would be rather more than equal facilities for paying high-school salaries in Hokitika than in the Whangarei School, with four more pupils ? —That is so. 499. You are responsible for the organization here, are you not ?—Yes. 500. If you got something extra you would not expect it should necessarily interfere with the primary-school salaries ?—Not at all. 501. Generally speaking, you prefer to have a smaller number of assistants than a larger number of pupil-teachers ? —lf I was not so tied down to secondary work, and was able to train my own pupil-teachers, my preference for assistants would not be so decided, for I find that pupilteachers do excellent work. 502. Would there be any difficulty in your present buildings in working with a smaller staff? —There would be; the rooms are hardly large enough to take two classes. 503. Then, the question of the substitution of pupil-teachers would be affected by the convenience of the buildings? —Yes. 504. In some districts it might be desirable to allow the alternative, you think?—l think so. 505. The Chairman.] How long has the District High School been in existence? —I do not know. 506. How long have you been in charge of the District High School?— Just over two years. 507. Are those 27 pupils who constitute the secondary school taught exclusively by yourself? —I have a female assistant. 508. What salary does she receive ?—£l2s. 509. How do you divide your time between the primary and the secondary school ?—I give three-fourths, if not seven-eighths, of my time to the High School; perhaps three-fourths would be nearer. 510. You find the work in connection with the primary and secondary school very arduous ? —Yes. 511. Do you not think it would be advantageous if you simply had the secondary work to attend to ?—lt would be, decidedly, from my point of view, but it would be more expensive in the working of the school. 512. You say they are instructed in nine subjects?— Yes. 513. Seeing that a considerable amount of your time is devoted to the High School, do you consider the primary-school children are receiving fair treatment, when you take into consideration also that your assistant mistress also has high-school duties ?—Yes; the primary school is not neglected in any way. 514. Then, you are of opinion that the secondary class is not conducted at the expense of the primary-school children ? —No; rather say it is conducted at the expense of the teachers. 515. Is it not an anomaly that the headmaster of a primary school should so devote a very large portion of his time to secondary work ?—The school is under a different footing from the primary schools generally. 516. Who takes charge of the upper standards in the primary school when you are absent ? — The first assistant. 517. He has nothing to do with the High School ?—Nothing whatever. 518. You say you consider a teacher should be paid according to the roll-attendance rather than the average attendance ?—Yes, I think so. 519. I presume the climate here affects the attendance very much ?—Yes ; especially in the country districts. 520. You are of opinion that if the attendance is irregular the parents rather than the teachers should be held responsible ? —Most decidedly. J. J. Hendeeson, Headmaster, Arahura Boad School, examined. Mr. Henderson: I propose to read certain resolutions passed by the Westland Branch of the Educational Institute, and afterwards to hand them in as an exhibit. [Besolutions read —Exhibit 25.] 521. Mr. Mackenzie.] What are the articles in this district so much in excess of the prices paid in the Otago and Wellington Districts ? —I may say that the evidence we went upon in that respect was the evidence given before the Police Commission with reference to their salaries on the Coast, and it was proved before the Commission that the expense of living on the Coast was between 30 and 40 per cent, higher than between, say, Auckland and Christchurch. 522. Was there a comparative statement worked out in regard to all the details between east and west?— Yes; the usual articles of daily consumption were taken as factors in determining it. 523. You say it is in the report of the Police Commission?— Yes.