The school-houses at Clive, Petane, and Te Wairoa, require some trifling repairs, which should, I think, sir, be granted; wholly or in part. And the ground enclosed around the Petane school-house, (originally, I presume, intended for a garden,) should be kept in order and made a proper use of.

I have the honor to be,
Sir,
Your Honor’s
Most obedient servant,

WILLIAM COLENSO,
Inspector of Schools,
Province of Hawke’s Bay.

To
His Honor
The Superintendent
Of Hawke’s Bay.

Napier, 20th January, 1863.

HALF-YEARLY REPORT.

Sir,—I have the honor to present my half-yearly report on the state of the Public Works in this Province.

The roads are, owing principally to the dry season, in very good order, and as the weather has been likewise favorable for the necessary repairs and the new works, I feel confident that the principal roads will be very practicable during the coming winter; but the want of rain, combined with the frequent high winds, has had the injurious effect of reducing greatly the thickness of the coat of metal, by the action of the wheels grinding the surface to dust, which is afterwards blown away by the winds. Another disadvantage of the want of rain is, that the newly spread metal does not bind together.

On the road from Waitangi to Clive, 62 chains have been formed and metalled, and a bridge has been built over the Tidal Creek. The whole of that road being now metalled, and a good supply of spare metal stacked alongside of it, the expense of maintenance will be very trifling during the next eighteen months.

On the road from Clive to Havelock 90 chains have been lockspitted, levelled out, and tenders called for; but the contractor for the portion between Clive and the Maori stockyard has been prevented by the Natives from carrying out his contract; and no one has as yet been found to undertake the portion near Havelock at a reasonable rate, but I believe that it will be taken up very shortly.

On the Te Aute line of road the metalling of about 80 chains in different small pieces near the Louise Creek, at Te Matai and near the Silverstream, contracted for during the previous half-year, have been completed. About 90 chains at Te Ahiaruhe, Long Jack’s Bridge, the Southern College Boundary, the Corkscrew Gully, and at Waipawa, are now in the hands of different European and Native Contractors, and will be completed in about three months. A portion of the road at Muheke (the swamp between Waitahora and the Puki Puki), which had settled down considerably, has been raised above the ordinary flood level, and has been widened to twice its original width.

In conclusion, sir, I trust your Honor will pardon my presuming to suggest what I cannot but consider as beneficial to the schools of the Province:—

1. That they be inspected oftener.

2. That small rewards for merit of every kind be annually given.

3. That the master regularly keep a list of daily attendance of each scholar, inserting, when absent, the reason of such absence.

4. That the master also keep regularly a Mark-book of Merit, in which shall be inserted meritorious conduct of every kind, such as attention, obedience, industry, quietness, cleanliness, kindness, good-nature, truthfulness, disuse of bad language and bad habits, early at school, keeping place in class, taking care of books, &c., &c., as well as the more ordinary good marks for reading, writing, &c.

I could easily suggest other, and greater, modes of improvement; but, sir, I must not lose sight of the smallness of the pecuniary means likely to be attainable for this purpose. For the present three schools £10 per annum would cover all expenses in the shape of rewards, and would not be thrown away.

I may also add, that, having received your Honor’s sanction, I have obtained, and am preparing, books for the purpose of daily attendance and mark books, which will be ready for issue in a few days.

In common with the masters of all the schools, I have to deplore the frequency with which children, whose names are on the school Register, are kept at home for little things; besides those children who are never sent to school. The carelessness of parents who so act, in a country, too, like this, where schools are scarce, and where youth of both sexes commence early to seek their own livelihood, is much to be regretted. I am very sure such unwise conduct will in due time bear very bitter fruit.

Wrote very well, and cyphered pretty well; and stood a rather severe examination in Arithmetical and other tables. One of them worked two not very easy sums—one in Compound Multiplication and one in Compound Division,—which I had set him, with ease, assigning also, to me, in English, the correct reason for everything he did; this boy is also a very good writer, and so is his sister, a little older than himself, while his younger brother reads excellently. I brought away (with permission from their father,) a copy book written by each of them for your Honor’s inspection which I have much pleasure in forwarding with this Report. The others that day present, 6 in number, were all learning to read and write. The total amount of Government aid for 1862, paid direct on account of Te Wairoa school, is £87 5s. 6d.