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524. Have you studied the proposed scale?—-It only reached me on Friday last, and I have had very little time. 525. What salary do you receive ?—£l29. 526. What assistance have you ?—A pupil-teacher, though she ranks as an assistant. 527. What salary does she receive ?—£42. 528. What number of children do you consider sufficient to give to a male teacher in a school such as yours ?—I have all the Standards from 111. to VII. It is not so much the number in a standard as compared with the fact of having all the standards ; I could as easily teach 60 as 30. 529. With the same assistance ?—Yes. 530. You wish to see a general building-up "of the system of paying salaries ?—Yes. 531. You do not want your schools in this district to benefit at the expense of schools in other districts ?—No. 532. You do not consider a teacher in a school of 44 is too highly remunerated at a salary of £154 a year ?—No, certainly not; and I think I voice the sentiments of all the other teachers. 533. Would you prefer to teach a school with an assistant and to receive a fair salary rather than have an increased staff and a decreased salary ?■—Yes ; I would only require one assistant in such a school as that. 534. Mr. Davidson.] Generally speaking, what has been your teaching experience ?—I have been teaching for a great number of years. I was an assistant master in model schools in Ireland, and I was the headmaster of a large diocesan school in Ireland. 535. Have you noticed in the suggested scale what an assistant teacher is given when the average attendance of a school reaches 36 ?—Yes. 536. In a school of 36 children there would be two certificated teachers, or an average of 18 children per teacher : do you think that staffing is too liberal ?—Yes. 537. Can you tell me what the average attendance is in, say, Southland before a certificated assistant is added to the staff of a school ?—I do not know. 538. I would like you to notice these figures : In Southland I find a certificated assistant is not added to the staff until the attendance reaches 75; in Otago, 50; in Wellington, 76; in Hawke's Bay, 81; in South Canterbury, 41; in Victoria, 75 ; in New South Wales, 70; in South Australia, 75 ;in W'estland, 50. You will notice that, according to those figures, the staffing allowed in Otago is more liberal than in any of the Australian Colonies and the other school districts of New Zealand, with the exception of North and South Canterbury ? —Yes. 539. Were you aware of that ?—I had not studied the figures. 540. In South Canterbury, where a certificated teacher is allowed when the average attendance reaches 41, the salary paid to the assistant is £60 a year : is that a sufficiently high salary for any certificated teacher?— Certainly not. 541. Then, if the effect of introducing a certificated teacher in a school with an average attendance of 36 would be to materially reduce the salaries in districts where the staffing is already sufficiently liberal, do you think it advisable that such a step should be taken ?—An assistant is not required in a school of 36. 542. Have you noticed that the minimum salary paid to a male assistant is £80 under the proposed scale ?—Yes. 543. Do you consider £80 a sufficient salary for a teacher who has spent five or more years in hard study? —Most decidedly not. 544. Are you aware that the minimum salary in Victoria or South Australia is £100?— I was not aware of it. 545. Do you consider a headmaster and a certificated mistress sufficiently liberal staffing for a school of 85 ?—Yes, I do. 546. Then, a suggested scale that would allow additional assistance in the form of a pupilteacher, but would reduce the head-teacher's salary by £25 a year, in your opinion is not advisable ?—Certainly not. 547. Mr. Stewart.] Are you in favour of a colonial scale of staffs and salaries ?—Yes. 548. What salary are you receiving at the present time ?—£l29. 549. What is the average attendance at your school?— 42. 550. Under the suggested scale you would receive an increase of how much ?—£24 a year. 551. You have an assistant ?—Yes. - 552. Would she benefit under the suggested scale ?—Yes. 553. If you look at the suggested scale you will notice that in the different-sized schools running from an attendance of 14 up to 1,000 children the salaries of the teachers gradually increase in each grade : do you think it is in the interests of education and emulation among the teachers that this should be so ? —Yes. I think all the schools should be open to any teacher, no matter what district that teacher may come from, in order that he or she may look forward to obtaining one of the higher positions. 554. You are of opinion that the promotions and general managements of the staff should be vested in some central authority ?—Yes. I voice the feeling of seven-eighths of the teachers when I say that the appointment, removal, and dismissal of teachers should be entirely in the hands of the. department, and that the payment of the salaries should come, as at present, through the Boards. 555. Do you not think that there should be some consultation of local opinion up to a certain point, or do you think the central authority should have the absolute power ?—I think there should be some local influence, but I have not looked at it in that light. 556. Do you think it possible that teachers might succeed in one grade of school, but not in another ?—lt depends upon the training of the teachers. If a teacher is trained in a large school, and is then sent to take charge of a small school, that teacher would be competent to again take up the work of a large school.