I—l3a.

22

A. L. WYLLIE.

2. The Chairman.] On account of prospective advantages?— That was all, especially in view of this Bill that was being prepared. 3. Mr. Malcolm.] Was the Bill published before he was appointed?— No. 4. Your argument, then, as I understand it, is that we should encourage the speculator?— No, sir. 5. I understand you to suggest that in no case previously have men applied for an inspectorship at £300 a year?—l have no knowledge of that.

Wednesday, sth Algust, 1914. EuTHK.viiA Simpson examined. (No. 12.) 1. Tin Chairman.] Whom do you represent?— The Women's Branch of the Auckland Educational Institute. 2. Will you make your statement to the Committee? —Yes. The executive of the Women's Branch of the Auckland District Educational Institute have commissioned me to express their deep appreciation of those progressive measures of the Education Bill placing women on the Education Council and on the inspectorate, and also those making it compulsory for one of the first two assistants in schools of Grades IV to YJI and three of the first six in Grades VI and VII to be women. The women of Auckland, knowing that these protective clauses are strongly opposed by a certain section of men, feel very keenly the necessity of urging their retention if the girls' side of our schools is to receive anything like justice in comparison with the boys' side. The teaching of girls is every whit as important to the nation as that of boys; yet at the present time in all our large Auckland primary schools there are three comparatively highly paid men, so that the interests of the boys are trebly secured; while, on the other hand, there is not one highly paid woman to exert the same influence among the girls. In most of our schools, indeed, the senior girls are taught by men, just at the age when they should be under the care of sympathetic and competent women. The Bill, progressive as it is in many respects, hardly goes far enough in the direction of .securing competent and suitable teachers for the older girls. Is it any wonder that our girls are not domesticated, so that when they leave school they prefer to work outside the home, as boys do, rather than take up domestic duties? The training of senior girls by men is one of the most serious defects in our education system, and its consequences are already becoming apparent in our national life. In Auckland the prominent men who have contended for the justice and desirability of throwing open the higher positions to women are precisely those who know most about the working of our schools while those who oppose it are chiefly the male assistants, who have not had opportunities of judging the work done by women. If it bad not been for the protective clauses in the last Education Act we feel there is not the slightest doubt that certain Boards would have given even the third assistantship in the large schools to men also, for it has been the unvarying policy of our local Board to keep women in the inferior positions even while admitting the importance and value of theii work. In 1912 Miss Hawkins, of Auckland, was appointed (on the recommendation of the Inspectors) to a second assistantship in the Mount Eden School, she having much the highest grading of any applicant for the position. The junior male teachers made such an outcry about the appointment that the Board apparently became frightened at its own slight measure' of tardy justice and cancelled it, to the deep and lasting indignation of the women of the province. Under the Otago Board the same practice of giving preference to men prevails, while under the North Canterbury and Wellington Boards women hold second-assistantships. It is evident that owing to the varying policy of local Boards the scale of salaries is hardly a Dominion one after all for women. Clause (d) in the Sixth Schedule will probably result in women being second in every education district, and thus tend to equalize matters. The main point that our branch wishes to emphasize is the urgent necessity of retaining clauses (d) and (c) in the Sixth Schedule, so that-the more capable women teachers may have a chance of obtaining some of the higher positions in the service in spite of prejudiced and non-progressive local bodies. The branch also desires to express its gratification at the establishment of special schools for afflicted children, this being a reform strenuously advocated for some years past by our association. I should like to point out that, while the Bill gives the second position to women, it practically debars her from holding the fourth position (£l9O-220), for it is impossible to doubt that in future men would be appointed by certain Boards to that position to the exclusion of women, and a competent woman is very much needed in the upper part of the school as well as in the infant department. If two positions in Grade IV were allotted, one for a man and one for a woman, this difficulty would be overcome; if not, then the great majority of assistant women teachers will never be able to command a salary above £140 (unless the maximum in that grade be raised). 3. There are two positions already in Grade IV? —But I mean in the large schools. 4. Mr. Hogben.] Have you noticed that in till schools in Grades V, VI, and VII the second and third positions are of equal grade? —Yes. It was the next positions I was speaking of where the 4 and 3 are. It is 7, 5, 5, and then 4, 3. 5. Is it not a fact that the fourth and fifth in the larger schools are better than they were before? —Yes. 6. Mr. Poland.] I understand you have come here with the object of strengthening the clauses (d) and (c) in this Sixth Schedule? —Yes. 7. So that no attempt will be made to alter that? —That is what 1 came down about.