i.—isa.

U. L. STEWART.)

53. 1 do not think there is anything in the Bill which would prevent an Inspector occupying the same position?—There is in the absolute relationship. That is firmly the opinion of our Board. 54. Would it not be in the interests of the whole of the Dominion that the teachers should have a wider knowledge of the whole of the teaching profession, and that they would gain this by a centralized inspectorate !— I underst lit was proposed that Inspectors should live in definite areas. 55. That is so?—And that therefore they would be confined to those areas, and would have less opportunities of intercommunication than they have at the present time. 56. The Bill does not say that?—No, the Bill does not say that. 57. Mr. Hogben.] With regard to clause 8 of your memorandum in regard to registered schools, have you looked at subclause (•'!) of clause 129, the definition of " efficient "?—Yes. 58. Does not that cover what you have said?— Well, I suppose really it does. Premises would include the playground and sanitary accommodation. My Board is aware of certain private schools where there may be sufficient class-room accommodation and not sufficient playground accommodation. 59. But is not that covered by that subclause?—Yes. it seems to be, but what the Board wants to emphasize is compulsory registration.

Thomas Reed Fleming further examined. (No. 33.) 1. Mr. Hogben.] In regard to inspection, do you think there should be secondary Inspectors associated with evety Education Board?—The Boards have an idea that all schools in the district, both secondary and technical, should conic under a Board, and then the inspectorate would be strengthened to meet any inspection in such schools. 2. How many Inspectors would be required to inspect an ordinary secondary school in all subjects—l mean in regard to their different kinds of work?—] think you would require about three—at least, three generally to take languages, mathematics, and science. Perhaps two might do it. 3. And do you think we could afford something between eighteen and twenty-seven Inspectors devoting themselves to that?—l do not think it means that, not at all. You took one of our headmasters and made him a secondary Inspector. 4. And how many years did he practically go lo all the large schools in company with the Senior Inspector of secondary schools;— That is a matter you know of yourself. 5. I want to ask you about tin- possibility of such a thing. Should the Education Boards have eighteen or twenty-seven men Selected who were capable of inspecting secondary schools?— Ido not quite see there is the possibility of such a position. Take our Board :we have only two secondary schools in this district. Wellington College and the Girls' High School, besides the technical schools, and they can surely be inspected by tin inspectorial staff of the Board. Our Board has four Inspectors 6. Have you Inspectors to examine in higher mathematics I —Yes, we have one who could do that. 7. Do you think that every district should be bound to appoint one man who can examine, say, in that subject for the higher leaving certificate which we are bound to give now?—I might say that all the Inspectors under our Board have got higher certificates, and if every Hoard could get a similar si all' they could do the work. There should lie special provision for art. 8. You think that from eighteen to twenty-seven Inspectors in New Zealand should be appointed, one of the reasons in their appointment being that they should be capable of examining the higher work in secondary schools?—Do you mean for the whole Dominion? 9. There are nine districts under the Bill, and you would require eighteen or twenty-seven who would be capable of doing that work ?—Yes. 10. Are there eighteen or twenty-seven at present?— You are asking tin to comment on the Inspectors. I do not think that with nine Education Boards twenty-seven would be necessary. I think the nine Boards could eventually get eighteen men to do that work. 11. Amongst their present Inspectors?—l will not answer for the junior Inspectors in smaller districts. 12. Mr. Malcolm.] I understand you .n-e speaking with a close knowledge of your own education district. Are you quite satisfied that the. Inspectors at present employed by the Board could carry out the inspection of the secondary schools in the district.'—I have done the work myself. Most of the work of the districts will be primary. We are not interfering with the Department's inspection of secondary schools as arranged at present. 13. Are you of opinion that if the whole of the inspection were left to the Board's officers that they could carry out the inspection of all the schools, including the secondary and technical? —I think Mr. Hogben will understand me when I say that probably in time there would need to be a slight adjustment of appointments to the inspectorate to meet that view. The appointments at present do not meet that view, and there is no doubt something in what Mr. Hogben has said about it. 14. Do you think the Boards, in making future appointments, could make them to meet that view?—Yes, I think so, to some extent. 15. You say there are only two purely secondary schools in Wellington ?—Yes. 16. Do you know the Inspectors of other districts?—Yes, some of them. 17. Are not the Inspectors of the larger Boards well qualified to inspect secondary schools'? — Yes.

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