J. FISHER.]

63

1.—13 a.

15. Were you present when the Otago evidence was given with regard to model schools ?—Yes. We approve heartily of this. We understand that it is not intended that the payment shall come out of the general grant. 16. With respect to the transfer of teachers, what cases would the Board want to transfer that are not provided for in subclause (3) of clause 67 ?—Supposing the Board has a vacancy and it has a teacher in the same grade or a grade a little lower whom it considers suitable for this vacancy, and that teacher has not applied for a transfer, the Board could not appoint him without inviting other applications. 17. Could it not do it by ascertaining from him whether he desired a transfer, and doing it tinder paragraph (c) ?—That puts the onus on the Board of ascertaining the teacher's desires. 18. The Board would have to know whether the teacher was willing to be transferred or not ?— Would that do away with the provision that " in all cases the Board shall call for applications ? " 19. If it is done under paragraph (c) would that not be an exception ?—After the vacancy occurs you mean that the Board might ask the teacher whether he would like a transfer '. 20. If the Board had a teacher in its eye it would not be entitled to find out whether that teacher desired a transfer or not ?—That means a certain amount of delay, but T think it would be better to obviate any necessity for advertising. 21. Would not the Board have to find out in any case whether the teacher was willing to transfer ? —Have they not power to notify the teacher that he would be transferred ? I would suggest that the words " or in any other case where the Board may deem it advisable " should be inserted. 22. Appointments are made open to the Dominion so as to secure Dominion promotion. The Board might never make a position open to the rest of the Dominion at all ?—ls that not met under the other provisions ? The Department is going to modify the various Boards of the applications they have for transfer. 23. Only where the grade has fallen ?—The contention of the Department is that it is more important that such teachers should be transferred than that the business of the Boards should be expedited. 24. How many hours a week do probationers teach ?—Fifteen. 25. How many hours a week does a cadet in the Government service work ?—I do not know. I presume they go on at 9 o'clock and work till 5 o'clock. 26. Supposing a youth is going to be a lawyer, what wages would he get while he was learning his trade ?—I do not know. 27. Would he be paid more than 10s. a week when he enters ?—I do not think he would. 28. Is not this rather an analogous case ? You limit the duty of the probationer to fifteen hours a week, and you are teaching him all the rest of the time ?—I do not think the cases are analogous, for this reason : In the case of the probationer he certainly has a certain amount of time in which he is studying, but he is going into a profession of which, before he enters, he knows the limitations. If he enters any other branch of the Public Service he is paid from the start. He knows the limitations, too, but they are not so great as in the teaching-profession. It takes him longer to earn a reasonable salary than is the case in any other Government Department. 29. In other words, you think the prospects are better in the Government Departments than they are in the teaching profession ?—Yes. A probationer must be not less than sixteen years of age, and he has very little chance of complying with the regulations and entering into the training college unless he has matriculated —no chance at all unless he has matriculated before his probationership has expired. That means that he is eighteen years of age before he is earning more than sufficient to pay for his food. Then he has to go for two years to the training college, where he earns £60 a year. He is therefore twenty years of age before he earns sufficient to pay for his board. 30. At the training college is he doing any work at all ?—Yes ; he is fitting himself for the profession he is entering upon. 31. Does he take the place of any other member of the staff ?—No. 32. Does a probationer on the staff of a school ?—No. 33. What has been your Board's practice with regard to relieving teachers ? —Our practice has been to confine our payments for relieving teachers to the amount provided by the Department. We have not been paving for relieving teachers out of the General Fund. The effect of the new provision will be apparently that in the event of the headmaster leaving his school for any time at all—one day a week the assistant can claim the head teacher's salary. We have not been in the habit of paying the assistant extra if he has been acting in place of the headmaster for only a limited time. If he was acting for. say, a month then we would anticipate that we would pay him : but for a limited period, such as a few days, we have not paid. We think there should be a limitation of at least one week before payment is made. 34. You would suggest putting in " for a period of not less than one week " ?—Yes. 35. Are you aware that some of the Inspectors are now getting only a little over £300 a year ?— Yes. 36. Would you raise them at once to £500 when taken over by the Department ?—Our contention is that an Inspector should not be an inferior officer. The natural step is from the teacher to the Inspector, and provision is made whereby a teacher's salary may be £490. 37. Yes, but would you raise the salaries to £500 a year right away of those Inspectors who at present are only getting £300 ?—No. I do not think so. 38. Supposing you were told that that was only a temporary provision to meet these cases, would you be satisfied ?—lf we received a promise that this was not to he made the minimum for future Inspectors. In any case we contend that the fourth grade should be cut out. 39. You must provide for these people ; you cannot put them out altogether ?—The number is not large, and the increase would not be great to bring them all Jinto {Grade 111. We think that Grade 111 for a Dominion scale of salaries is low enough to start an Inspector at.