A.—4b

Education Department. The appropriations of public revenue for the Department of Education should in any country be liberal. In Samoa it is essential to support the efforts of the several missionary denominations in the education of the people. These denominations were doing good work in the education of the Samoans, and with the assistance of the Government greater progress can be made. The sub-committee, however, desire to point out some of the items expended for educational purposes which they are of the opinion could be better applied to educational purposes in other ways than at present. The salaries paid to European teachers appear higher than in the other islands in the tropics, under British rule, and, moreover, they are paid in some instances to teachers who have not the qualifications to receive similar pay in these places. The committee ascertain that the headmaster at Avele, who receives £440 per annum, is a single man, and uncertificated, and that the Vaipouli School will be conducted by a gentleman who gained his certificate of the lowest grade last year, and he will receive a salary of £500 per annum and free house. Both these gentlemen teach a grade up to and including Standard 11. The attendance at the Vaipouli School and at Avele and the Malifa Native Schools does not exceed an average of seventy pupils in each school. The following table gives relative salaries paid in the three groups of islands :— Samoa. Fiji. Tonga. £ £ £ Superintendent .. .. .. .. .. 700* 600 520f (1) Headmasters— Ifiifi .. .. .. .. .. .. 545 415 (Grammar School). Malifa .. .. .. .. .. 515 400 (Levuka Public School). Vaipouli .. .. .. .. .. 515 500$ (Queen Victoria School). Avele .. .. .. .. .. .. 450 500J (Lau Provincial School). Organizing teachers .. .. .. .. 400 500$ (Northern Provincial). 400 500$ (Eastern Provincial). 400 400$ (Kadavu Provincial). Technical .. .. .. .. .. 460 Assistants for Ifiifi .. .. .. ..1,110 Office staff .. . . .. . . .. 105 Native teachers .. .. .. .. .. 2,211 Other charges .. .. .. .. .. 1,889 £9,700 * Transport allowance. f The Tongan Director of Education is also headmaster or Principal of the Tongan College, and he also is editor of the Tongan newspaper without increase of salary. J These teachers are University men holding degrees. Tropical allowance of £40 is allowed teachers in Fiji. They are also allowed quarters. The salaries stated are the maximum. Medical Department. Samoa. Fiji. Tonga. £ £ £ Chief Medical Officer .. .. .. .. .. 1,000 (1) 950* 900* (1) Resident M.C. .. .. .. .. .. .. 850 700f 604 District Medical Officer .. . . .. .. .. 940 400 (2) Levuka. District Medical Officer .. .. .. .. .. 940 600 (2) Lautoka. Assistant Medical Officer .. .. .. .. .. 888 600 (2) Suva. £604 888 600 (2) 888 Health Inspectors— Senior .. .. .. .. .. .. 500 250 Suva. Junior .. .. .. .. .. .. 380 Secretary .. .. .. . . .. .. .. 310 200 Dispenser .. .. .. .. .. .. 435 300 (3) Medical Superintendent at Leper Station .. .. .. .. 625* Storekeeper .. .. .. .. .. .. 320 * Quarters allowed (1) Transportation allowed; (2) has private practice; (3) is also Analyst, Pharmacist, and Medical Storekeeper. f Suva Hospital. The full appropriation for the Medical Department is £25,000, of which sum are —Person emoluments, £13,690; other charges, £11,310. The appropriation for the Medical Department in Fiji, not including the Leper Station, is about £16,000, and in Tonga the appropriation is about £7,400. In addition to the expenditure already enumerated, there are other charges of a public nature which, from their respective amounts and objects, induce an inquiry by the citizens. (1) Pares and allowances and expenses to and from overseas appropriation, £1,800. (2) Cleaning Government property and care of grounds on waterfront and Malifa bathing-pool, £500. (3) Subsidy to Malololelei, £300.

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