J. (J. WILSON.]

5

1.—14b.

and there are illustrations of their work. This is a photograph showing the school itself. [Illustration in book referred to.] This one shows the flower-garden in front of the school. Then, here are the children working in the flower-garden, and then there is a plan of the garden itself. 5. Mr. Buchanan.] You might mention that that was originally a Scandinavian settlement? Yes, I believe it was. 6. Sir W. E. BvsseU.] It is most successful, is it not? Yes, most successful. lam going to refer to it again. I was just showing these pictures in the meantime. I think it was a very good thing that Mr. Kirk included this matter in the report. Of course, in the newer districts you cannot expect so much to be done. In some of the older districts there has been a good deal done in the way of beautifying the school grounds, and it is obvious, of course, that the children should be surrounded by beautiful things if they can be. Every one knows the great desire for flowers that all children have, and it ought to be encouraged in every way. Then, continuation classes have been suggested. Continuation classes, of course, are possible only in thickly populated districts. They are very useful. I may say that Professor Lowry is doing very good work in this respect in Canterbury, but we have not got a Professor Lowry here, and the whole thing is very spasmodic. Just a few people are gathered together at certain times, and there is no system adopted at all. The Veterinary Department started giving lectures, which were very useful indeed. Mr. Reakes is an excellent lecturer. He gave a series of lectures on veterinary subjects at Palmerston, which served a very good purpose. But there was a difference of opinion as to whether the people should go to the lectures free or pay 10s. for attending the course, and in consequence the lectures were stopped altogether. 7. The Chairman (Mr. Baume)]. What is your opinion?--The Veterinary Department are here to give the public information, and surely if the public want it they ought to receive it. A man ought to pay the 10s. if he is allowed to attend a course of lectures on matters of great importance to him in his calling. It is a small sum to pay. It pays for advertising and the hire of a hall, and so on, but it is a trifling matter for them to squabble about, and meanwhile the public suffers. 1 am informed that that is the position. 8. In your opinion, a fee ought to be charged I— Yes. I think it is a very small sum for a man to pay for a very valuable set of lectures. Mr. Kirk was also very kind in giving lectures in connection with rust, weeds, &c. Then, in the matter of teachers, Professor Robertson said, "To cope with the want of suitable teachers the third part of the plan provides for the training of persons who desire to qualify themselves in these newer subjects and methods of education. It is proposed to provide the Ontario Agricultural College at Guelph with such buildings (including a nature-study plant and growing-house), and such equipment as may be required for the accommodation of at least fifteen teachers, taking short courses in nature-study for rural schools." 9. Mr. J. Allen.] What is the date of Professor Robertson's report? —1 am taking this entirely from Mr. Hall's paper, copies of which I have put in for members. " These teachers are not only to receive this instruction without any charge, but are to be granted financial assistance to meet their board and travelling-expenses, when they have taken a full course satisfactorily. The Government of Ontario have offered to grant every County Council the privilege of sending one student to this College free of charge as to fees, and the County Councils themselves also offer similar scholarships, to give other settlers an opportunity of improving their education." In regard to the latter, I may say that the County Councils under the Counties Act have power to start an Agricultural College, but they have no money for this. They find that the money they have at their disposal is absorbed in the making of roads, and so on. They might, however, very easily provide scholarships amongst a group of agricultural counties. They might very well consider whether they should not provide a scholarship for agricultural purposes at Lincoln College or some other college. The fourth plan that Professor Robertson suggests is not practicable in New Zealand, because we have not any institution like Sir William McDonald's Institute. He gave, I think, $300,000 for the purpose. This plan is only possible where you can board-.the girls. This plan is intended to assist in providing courses of training for young women in country homes, in domestic economy and household science, including dairy-keeping, fruitgrowing, bee-keeping, and so on, in order that they may have opportunities for acquiring an advanced and practical education suitable and helpful to them, as other courses in the College are to young men. Then, I think, if anything of that nature were done, there ought to be the question of nursing taken in hand. One of the great difficulties that the country people encounter is when sickness occurs in their family. A nurse is very necessary, of course, but a nurse who cannot help in the domestic work of the house is of very little use. If the wife happens to be ill and the nurse conies in to nurse her, and there is no person to take the wife's place, the neighbours have to come in. So that, I think, elementary nursing is a very important thing as far as country school-teachers are concerned, in order to impart to the children some idea of the elements of nursing. I have said already that there is very great difficulty in getting teachers to go to the centres for instruction. Of course, those in places that are well provided with railways have a good opportunity of doing so —especially is this the case in such a place as Canterbury, where there is easy roading and easy communication, and in the centre a very excellent university. In Wellington, however, to take it as an instance, unfortunately the University is at the very furthest point of it, and any teacher who wants to take advantage of the classes in Wellington has to spend, most of his time on the railway, and is thus prevented from availing himself of the opportunity of attending. They are doing a great deal as far as summer and winter schools are concerned, and a great number of things of an educational nature are discussed. The teachers in the Wanganui District are devoting a very considerable part of their holidays to summer and winter schools. These are very valuable indeed, because they are in the shape of conferences at which the teachers themselves discuss the difficulties they encounter, and tell each other how they are getting on. Besides that, they have valuable papers read on different subjects. So that these schools may be made the vehicle of carrying a great deal of knowledge to the teachers. I