12

for the short time they were in operation in 1862, was

To Mr. Wm. Smith’s ........ £5 19 0
To Mr. D. Hoben’s ........ 8 5 2
To Miss M’Garvie’s ........ 7 4 2

Total .............. £21 8 4

The last of those four schools is that which was commenced at Te Wairoa (as a second school there) by Mr. and Mrs. Deerness on the 25th November, 1861. This school, or speaking more correctly, these schools, (seeing that Mr. and Mrs. Deerness have daily held two or three at villages some considerable distance apart,) almost entirely consist of young Maories, yet not exclusively by so, there being some half-castes among the scholars. During the short time (i.e. from 25th November, 1861, to 31st March, 1862,) that Mr. Deerness was receiving Provincial Government allowance, these Maori schools gave a daily average of 16; but the whole number of names of scholars on the Register was much more, being 43, and were steadily increasing. All who have had anything to do with teaching Maories, know, that the sad irregularity of their attendance has ever been one of the greatest obstacles to their advancement. Mr. Deerness, having (since the 31st March, 1862,) become a salaried schoolmaster under the General Government, is no longer in connexion with the Government of this Province; nevertheless, on my visit of Inspection to Te Wairoa in November I gladly examined Mr. Deerness’ schools, and I was gratified with what I then saw, (under very unfavourable circumstances,) and heartily wish Mr. and Mrs. Deerness every success. Were they still in connexion, sir, with the Government of this Province, I should deem it to be my duty to bring prominently to your Honor’s notice several matters for the benefit of the Maori schools under their charge, which would not be required for Europeans. In conclusion, I may briefly add, that several of the little Maories were already reading English, others were learning to write it, a few were doing elementary cyphering, and a good number of them sang several children’s hymns in English very nicely indeed. The total amount of Provincial Government aid granted to Mr. Deerness for the before-mentioned period, is £12 2s. 1d.

Concerning the three “Common” schools of the Province, at Clive, Petane, and Te Wairoa, still in active operation, I have to report:—

I. Of Clive.—The average attendance at this school during the last year has been 15.50 (the year before it was 13); during the December quarter, however, the average attendance was 19; and the names of children on the School Register were 25,—13 boys and 12 girls, of whom one of each sex is a Maori. The master holds an evening school also, which seems to be pretty well attended by those who cannot attend by day. Such a school should prove a boon to the bigger youth of Clive, particularly during the winter nights. I sincerely trust all such attempts will be duly appreciated by the parents. On my visit of Inspection on the 16th December, I found 14 present at the day school, comprising 11 girls and 3 boys. Two-thirds of them read and wrote, and repeated various useful tables tolerably well; six wrote from dictation, and a few were cyphering—only one youth, however, had made any considerable advance in figures, this one was in Vulgar Fractions. The total amount of Government aid, paid direct on account of this school for the year 1862, is £82 11s.

II. Of Petane.—The average attendance at this school during the last year has been 11.50 (the year before it was only 8); for the December quarter, however, the average attendance was 14, and the names of children on the School Register were 20, of which number 17 were girls, and only 3 boys. On my visit of Inspection on the 28th of November, I found 18 scholars present, (15 of whom were girls,) of these, 15 were reading, and 11 writing and cyphering. There was one class here of 6 girls, which stood a pretty fair colonial examination in Grammar, Questioning on Lessons read, and in General Geography and in Cyphering; one of this class performed with ease sums in the Rule of Three and in Practice, while the others managed without difficulty sums in Compound Addition, ditto Subtraction, and ditto Division. The total amount of Government aid paid direct on account of Petane school for the year 1862, is £74 3s. 0d.

III. Of Te Wairoa.—The average attendance at this school during the last year has been 17.75 (that of the year before being 14), of which number, however, a fair proportion is Maori. The daily attendance at this school has ever been very irregular, and I may almost say, necessarily so, when considering the scholars and their very scattered places of residence. In the last return for December quarter, there are—European children, 2; half-castes, 11; and Maories, 13—total 26; and yet the daily average for the quarter was only 15. On my visit of Inspection on the 21st of November, (a day previously arranged,) I found only 10 present at school, (including 2 of the children of the master,) of which number of 8, only 4 were half-castes—for whose especial benefit this school was originally built and the master obtained. This had mainly arisen from what I may briefly term a misunderstanding; which “misunderstanding,” I hope, has been quite rectified, and will not again occur. While, however, I felt anything but satisfied (after such a journey) to find so few present, I was very much gratified on ascertaining the improvement the half-caste scholars had made—the whole of them also being the children of one man.* These children read and

• Of Mr. James Carroll, an old settler there. It is somewhat against a rule I have laid down, to mention anyone’s name in a report; but I have done so in a note, that I may also state, that a good share of his children’s improvement is to be attributed to himself, as he never allows them to be absent from school, and always supporting the master’s proper authority—in these respects highly worthy of imitation by all other parents.—W. C.