A.—3

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In addition to the aforementioned the following works will be undertaken as soon as funds permit: — Liku to Mutalau Road (7\ miles). —This road, which was originally made by the Natives, has been open for vehicular traffic for some years, but it is very narrow and in some places rough. It is proposed to widen the road throughout to 16 ft, The work does not present any difficulites. Quarantine and Hospital Reserve. —A stone wall is to be built round this land on three sides. As there is plenty of material on the spot the cost will probably not exceed £25. Teacher's Residence, Tufu. —An additional room and other conveniences are required at an estimated cost of £100. Roadside Tanks. —An effort will be made to complete the roadside-tank system. At the time of writing eight additional tanks have been erected, making with those erected last year fifteen altogether. Preparations are now being made to erect fifteen more tanks. Office Accommodation. —The present accommodation, which is situated in the northern part of the Residency, and consists of three rooms, two of which are very small, is altogether inadequate for the'present requirements of the Administration. The largest room is used for Court sittings, Council meetings, and also serves as a public office, while, of the other two rooms, one is used by my assistant and the other by myself. The location of the offices in the Residency is very inconvenient, apart from the fact that they are some distance from the jetty and Customs sheds, where most of the business is conducted. In the near future a more suitable site must be acquired and better accommodation provided. Additional Residences. —It will also be necessary in the near future to acquire land on which to erect a residence for my assistant and a residence for the European Inspector of Police, who is to be appointed shortly. Provision will also have to be made for the erection of a suitable lockup. The foregoing is a list of the more urgent works which require to be undertaken as soon as funds permit. In another place in this report I have drawn attention to the fact that the present revenue of the Administration is inadequate, and recommended a course which, if approved, will provide sufficient additional funds to enable these works to be carried out within a reasonable time. Education. I am pleased to report that Tufu Government School has had another successful year. Everything has worked very smoothly, and the boys have made excellent progress under Mr. W. C. Smith and Mrs. Smith. However, the work of the school has grown to such an extent that the services of an assistant teacher are urgently required. Technical classes are carried on almost every day after the ordinary school-work, and that branch of the institution has undoubtedly contributed very largely to the success of the institution as a whole. The matter of appointing an assistant was brought before you recently, and is still under consideration. I hope that before the close of 1913 arrangements may be completed whereby several of the senior boys, who are now sufficiently advanced, may be appointed to take charge of elementary schools in their respective villages. By the gradual extension of this village-school scheme Tufu School will ultimately become a school for the boys who have passed with credit through the village schools. But it will necessarily be some years before a sufficient number of boys can be trained as village teachers and the scheme launched in its complete form I append hereto a report furnished by Mr. W. C. Smith on the present position at Tufu School and his anticipations as to the future. I may say that I fully agree with the statements and opinions therein expressed. Sir,— Tufukia, Niue, 12th April, 1913. I have the honour to submit the following report on education in Niue: — Since its reopening in August, 1911, Tufu School has been open full time, and has established itself in the Native mind as a' permanent institution. The course of instruction is that laid down in the New Zealand syllabus, and the present attainments of the pupils range from Standard V through all the lower classes to the preparatory. New admissions from the villages make the work very heavy, as they have all to begin with the rudiments, but recently some who have been passed on from the missionary's school at Alofi were found to have made admirable progress : this indicates how much more effective the work of Tufu can be made when the lower classes can be dispensed with and only those pupils taken who have passed through elementary English schools in their villages. The present roll number is sixty, ages ranging from, seven to twenty-two. Every village in the island is represented among the pupils, and these display a laudable desire to take home all books for display in their villages, and to gather facts and knowledge for the same purpose, numerous questions being asked with this end in view : thus it may be inferred that the influence of the school is not confined to its pupils, but is being exerted throughout the whole island, and must tend to the general enlightenment of its people. In this way too the New Zealand School Journal, which is in general use, will prove not only a valuable auxiliary in the education of the boys, but a means of disseminating knowledge among their parents and friends. At the end of_ each term an examination is held for the purpose of testing individual progress and to stimulate interest in the class-work. The results well repay the extra, work involved, and the added incentive to effort and care is one that appeals strongly to the Niue boy, an honourable place in the mark list being highly valued; indeed, copies of the lists may be seen displayed on walls of Native houses in the villages. Niue boys are very amenable to discipline, and there is no misconduct, but • tactful and sympathetic dealing is required to avoid wounding their susceptibilities or setting them in opposition. Their industry and their determination to make progress are most praiseworthy, while many of the elder boys (young men, really) have a certain nobility of character and a dignity which