1.—13 a.

H. TRIMBLE.]

35

and Opotiki. As far as the exact boundaries are concerned I should not like to say they are the best. It may be better for one county to be in Auckland and another in Hawke's Bay. It is rather difficult to tell that. Wherever you put your boundaries there will be some disadvantages. 32. Every school has to be examined by an Inspector, and it is only a matter of getting at it in the easiest way. Taking the proposed Auckland District under this proposal of yours, there are twelve schools of Grade X ? —Yes. I pointed out that Auckland was exceptional, and that you had to go by the four districts. 33. Do you not think it is in the interests of the teachers in any education district that there should be possible to them appointments such as are provided under your Auckland District —that is, that they should have thirty-two appointments possible in Grades VIII and X as compared with four appointments in the Taranaki District ?— From the teachers' point of view it would be better to have no district at all. 34. Is not the teachers' point of view to a large extent the pupils' point of view ? —No. 35. Is it not in the interests'of education in a district that you should get the best class of teachers in that district ? —Yes, you want the best class of teachers. 36. Then is it not in the direction of getting the best class of teacher that the teachers in the district should be able to look forward to appointments such as are possible in the Auckland Education District ? —I do not think necessarily so. 37. Mr. Malcolm.] Do I understand from you that your suggestion does not mean an increase of education districts? —It means no increase in the number of districts. 38. The proposed Taranaki District, then, would mean the elimination of the Hamilton District ? —Yes. 39. And your opinion is that educational affairs can be better administered from Taranaki than from Hamilton ?—Yes. 40. The district you suggest, 1 understand, can be easily reached by road or rail ? —Yes. 41. In regard to the difficulty in the Hawke's Bay District, you understand that it is proposed to appoint one Inspector for every fifty schools ?—No, it does not say so in the Bill. Ido not know what the proposal is. 42. Would it not be possible to have an Inspector situated, say, in the Opotiki, Tauranga, and Te Aroha district in order that he might be prevented from travelling over dead country ? —Yes, I think it would be quite possible. 43. Mr. Guthrie.] You said that Waitomo County was taken out of the Taranaki District and attached to Auckland ? —Not the whole of Waitomo —only a portion. 44. And you objected, did you not ?—Yes. 45. Was it not done on account of the railway connection ? —There is railway connection now. The schools in Ohura are nearer to us than to the main line. 46. You said that by road or rail you could get to all parts of the country. How do you propose to get to Kawhia ? —By road or by steamer. 47. Your educational centre is really New Plymouth ? —Yes. 48. And the principal teachers' classes are held there ? —Some are held at Stratford. 49. How would the teachers get from that district to attend the secondary classes at New Plymouth ? —-I do not think at the present time they can get to any secondary classes. 50. You propose going south to the Patea River ? —lt is a little farther. The Patea County goes farther south than the Patea River. 51. How far is that from Wanganui ? —I should think the nearest point is about eighteen miles. 52. Then if you move that district within eighteen miles of Wanganui it would make Wanganui the centre for the education district ? —Wanganui would be a convenient centre, but I am not very particular whether it is one side of Patea or the other. 53. Take the whole of that district, Ohura, Waitomo, and up to Kawhia, what greater development can you expect than there is to-day there in the matter of establishing schools ?—As settlement goes on there will be more schools. There is a lot of land to be settled there. 54. Take from Awakino to New Plymouth and Stratford : is there room for the establishment of many more schools in the locality ? —Yes, a good many more. 55. A considerable number ? —Yes. 56. With the roads improving ? —Yes. You will want more schools then. You must do, because the land will be cut up into smaller pieces. 57. Considering the future development of the country, would you say that New Plymouth was a better centre for a large portion of the district than Hamilton is ?—Yes, I think so. 58. Would you say that in the future it would be so ? —I do not know, of course, what developments may take place in the next fifty years. 59. Is it not a fact that the Auckland District is far too large at the present time ?—Yes, but we propose to cut a large part off. 60. There is only a small portion from Kawhia that you are cutting off ?—-Yes. 61. That is practically undeveloped at the present time ?—Yes, but it is in process of development. 62. There are no roads there ?—Yes, there are roads. You can get through in a motor-car. 63. In regard to Hawke's Bay, there are 158 schools established, and you know there is no communication between the north and east coast of Napier ?—You can go by road from Napier to Rotorua, and then you could get to the other parts. 64. How would you get up to the East Cape I —The East Cape is in Hawke's Bay at present. We are putting the Hawke's Bay District in a much better position than it is in the Bill. It is not enlarged at all in the Bill. It is left as a very small district.