NELSON GOVERNMENT GAZETTE. 85

apparent. It is within the power of the Committee to deal at
once with the greatest drawback to the welfare of the school,
the undue length of the school hours; but no establishment
intended for children, nine-tenths of whom have not reached
their seventh year, can be considered at all complete without a
large play-ground attached to the premises, where half of the
school-hours should be constantly found. The present cramped
yard is almost worse than nothing. It must be admitted that
the great cost of a suitable site for a play-ground, which ought
to be at least half an acre in extent, is a serious obstacle. The
matter ought not, however, to be entirely lost sight of.

Haven-road—Mr. J. L. HODGSON; assistant, Miss DEMONT;
school-teacher, J. BURN.—This is still the most numerously
attended school in the Province, 110 scholars being present
daily. Writing and Arithmetic are the strong points here, the
Reading and Spelling being also of more than average merit.
It is, however, almost impossible to maintain good order in this
school with the present insufficient accommodation. For want
of space, it has been found necessary to crowd more than 50
children into a class-room under the charge of the assistant, while
the size of the school-room does not admit of the master and
the assistant teacher bringing up their classes at the same time,
without interfering with one another. The addition of a few
feet to the building would obviate much confusion and loss of
time.

Hampden-street—Mr. M'INTOSH, assisted by Miss TUCKER.—
Some improvement has been made both in the Reading and
Writing here, and the discipline, in both divisions, is better
than it was; but it is exceedingly difficult to restore public
confidence in a school after it has once been withdrawn—
and withdrawn not without reason. The attendance has
continued to diminish, notwithstanding the amendment that I
have recorded, until the daily attendance, in both divisions, has
fallen to 60, last year's average being 84. In every branch,
except Arithmetic, Hampden-street compares unfavourably with
the other Town Schools. It is to be hoped that the appoint-
ment of a new master may in time have the effect of raising it to
its proper position in the front rank of our schools.

St. Mary's (Boys)—Mr. RICHARDS.—The upper classes here
Read and Cipher well, but the Writing, with a few exceptions,
is indifferent, and the Spelling of decidedly less than average
merit. The older boys are, as I remarked last year, much better
taught than the beginners, the school having quite outgrown
the teaching capacity even of its present experienced master,
who has hitherto had no better assistant than a monitor. I am
glad to learn that this obstacle to the complete success of the
school is being removed by the appointment of a competent
assistant.

St. Mary's (Girls)—Taught by Sisters of Charity.—A large
influx of children from other schools has swelled the numbers
in this school since it was re-opened under the present manage-
ment, the average attendance for December, 1870, being 59, as
against 83 in June, 1871. Considerable allowance must be
made for this disturbing element in estimating the present state
of the school, as well as for the time necessarily lost in the
work of re-organisation. The teaching appeared to be judicious
and remarkably methodical, the discipline being perfect. The
Reading and Arithmetic of the upper classes were, upon the
whole, very creditable; the Handwriting, though somewhat
improved, still far below the average, and the Spelling bad
throughout. I noticed a marked improvement in the lower
division of the school.

Clifton Terrace—Mr. GILBERT.—The extreme irregularity of
the attendance, which, during two quarters of the past year
averaged only 56 per cent., must, so long as it continues,
prevent Clifton Terrace from rising above a very low level. I
was not therefore surprised to find, at the first examination,
that children who did not come to school on average, for
three days a week, read indifferently, knew very little of
Arithmetic, and that little almost entirely by rote—and spelt
badly. In Geography, the children in the first class were quite
unable to say whereabout Great Britain was but thought that it
might be in the Mediterranean. The only redeeming point
was the particularly neat Handwriting. All that care and
attention on the part of the master can do has been tried, but
it is pretty clear that nothing can make up for such a wretched
attendance as I have recorded above.

Hillside—Mr. COLLINS.—The children attend here somewhat
better than at Clifton Terrace, but the average of the last two
quarters, 60 per cent., contrasts unfavourably with the
attendance of former years, when Hillside took a high place
among our country schools. I find, for instance, the daily
average for the corresponding quarters of 1867, set down as 80
per cent. The Reading of the first class, though fluent, is very
indistinct, that of the other classes lacks both fluency and
distinctness, and the Spelling is incorrect. Writing and
Arithmetic are fairly taught, considerable pains having
evidently been taken with the latter branch. It would be for
the interest of the school if the discipline were stricter.

Stoke—Mr. and Mrs. SMITH.—Having lately laid before the
Board a special report on Stoke school, I need only state
generally that I find the Reading neither better nor worse than
it was last year, that the Arithmetic has so much improved as
to be more decided than any above the average, and that the penman-
ship is fair. On the other hand the children spell badly, know
little about Geography, and can give but a poor account of
what they have been reading.

Richmond (Boys)—Mr. HARKNESS, assisted by Mrs. HAR-
RINGTON.—The school is at present unfortunate in having
lost the services of Mr. HARRINGTON, and the school in it had
made remarkable progress. His successor, though comparatively
new to the work, promises well, and has the great advantage
of taking the school in the highest state of discipline and
efficiency, and of being supported by an experienced
assistant. The disadvantages of inexperience are obvious
enough, but it is usually forgotten that there are certain com-
pensations in the superior energy and adaptability of youth.
A novice, who has the gift of teaching, and is thoroughly in
earnest, will not be long in developing into a good schoolmaster.

Richmond (Girls)—Miss SPENCER, assisted by Monitors.—
Little more need be said about this excellent school than that it
fully sustains this year its former well-earned reputation. The
Reading and Spelling are especially deserving of praise, the
latter being, indeed, almost faultless. The Writing is also good
(Arithmetic is not systematic (though by no means bad) being,
perhaps, the weakest point in the school.

Ranzau—Mr. and MRS. COMBES.—The Reading of the older
scholars is much better than it was, owing partly to the great
pains evidently bestowed upon this branch by the master, but
mainly to the circumstance that these children, instead of being
withdrawn altogether from school for several months in the
year, are now allowed to attend the public school in the after-
noons. I am glad to find that the remarks that I felt it my
duty to make on this subject last year have been taken in good
part, and have produced some practical effect. In other
respects, the school, though well conducted and orderly, has
not made much progress.

Hope—Mr. LADLEY.—A great stride has been made here
during the past year in almost every branch. Though several
of the older children have come to the district only lately, and
quite untaught, the number of readers recorded as "good" has
increased considerably, the good writers and arithmeticians
having increased in a still higher ratio. English grammar,
which is too often made a matter of mere routine, is very intel-
ligently taught here, as, indeed, is almost invariably the case
where the teacher is thoroughly master of his subject is not limited to
the grammar of his own language.

River Terrace—Mrs. BRYANT, assisted by Miss BRYANT.—The
attendance at this school for the last half-year has been at the rate
of only 59 per cent. It redounds, therefore, to the credit of the
teachers that, in spite of this drawback (the serious nature of
which one who has not been actually engaged in the work of
teaching can fully realise), the Reading and Writing, through
out, should be of more than average merit. The Arithmetic
is still by no means what it ought to be.

Spring Grove—Mr. and Mrs. EDMUNDS.—As all my
visits to Spring Grove during the past year have been made in
wet weather, I am unable to do justice to an exceedingly well-
taught and successful school, not half the scholars being present
at any one of my inspections. I saw enough, however, to satisfy
me that the teaching is thorough, the Reading and Writing
being, as hitherto, particularly good, and the Arithmetic and
Dictation unmistakably above the average. Geography
and Grammar are also intelligently taught.

Lower Wakefield—Mr. and Miss CHATTOCK.—The most notico-
able feature here is the Handwriting, which is so uniformly
good as to call for special commendation. The Reading in the
Upper Division is very fair, and the scholars, generally, seem to
understand what they are reading, but the children in the
Lower Division are by no means so well taught as those above.
This defect unless speedily remedied, must ultimately