NELSON GOVERNMENT GAZETTE.

tell against the success of the school.

Eighty-eight Valley.—Mr. Roby.—This school, which was re-opened, quite as an experiment, little more than a year ago, has proved a success, the daily attendance having risen to 25, 75 per cent of the number on the books attending daily, though the roads are far from being good, and the distance to be travelled by the scholars, in some instances, very great. Extraordinary progress has been made by the children in every branch; but, in the light of seeming to check, ungraciously, the zeal of an earnest and indefatigable teacher, I venture to hint that there is some danger of exacting too much from children whose school-life has been so very short, and that a backward school of a few years can be expected for several, to vie with older establishments.

Upper Wakefield.—Mr. Phillips, assisted by Miss Tunnicliffe.—I find it difficult to account for the backward state of this school, which the present master, who has been appointed only since building, and who appears to be quite up to his work, can hardly be considered responsible for. The number of the per centage of attendance, 63, will scarcely afford a solution of the question, since schools where the rate of attendance is still lower succeed in taking a fair position. The fact remains, that the Reading throughout is drawing and monotonous, the Spelling very incorrect, and the Arithmetic so weak that only four of those present at my last examination could work an easy sum in Practice. The Geography and Grammar of the upper classes are about on a par with their other attainments.

For Hill—Miss Hinde.—The numbers in daily attendance here during the past year have fallen off from 16 to 12, the scholars being withdrawn, as a rule, from school at a very early age, only one having attained her twelfth year. Those who have attended with anything like regularity show the results of careful teaching, but the facilities now afforded by the erection of a bridge at Wai-iti suggest that the removal of the Upper Wakefield school to a point immediately south of the river would enable the Board to dispense with another of these small schools, the costliness of which is almost invariably found to be in inverse ratio to their efficiency, and whose ultimate extinction cannot well be regarded with regret. It is also obvious that the distance between the Upper and Lower Wakefield schools (less than three miles) might be considerably increased, without injury to either.

Motupiko.—Mr. Fugle.—The attendance in this school has increased to 15 since the appointment of the present teacher, the per centage for the year being 70. The attendance previously had fallen as low as 6. The children read and write much better than they did formerly, but as yet, can do very little in Arithmetic. The mistress appears to be thoroughly efficient.

Waimea West (Norton Division).—Mr. Thorburn, assisted by Miss Thorburn.—The present room is too small to accommodate the numbers that now attend, increased as they are by the closing of the school at Appleby. The most striking characteristic of the teaching here is thoroughness, and its freedom from any thing like cramming. The excellence of the Hand-writing deserves special notice.

Waimea West Village.—Mr. Larkin, assisted by Mrs. Hansen.—This school has been for some years so singularly unfortunate in its masters, that many people have begun to despair of its ever again taking a place among our 50 schools. It must be admitted that an attendance of only 50 per cent for the last two quarters does not promise well. The present master, though competent and unaccustomed to school work, is painstaking and systematic, and has the school completely under control. Already some improvement is perceptible both in the Reading and the Writing, and I believe that, if his efforts are properly seconded by the parents, he may yet restore the reputation of the Village School.

Upper Moutere.—Mr. and Mrs. Cook.—The opening of a school at Neudorf has not lessened the attendance here as much as was anticipated, the present number (45) less than the average, being about as many as the school-room will accommodate with respect to the comfort of the children. To reach the moderate standard of attainment aimed at, the method of teaching is very judicious, the greatest pains being taken to teach the German children, who compose the majority of the scholars, to read first, to the exclusion of every other subject.

*Neudorf.—Mr. and Mrs. Désaunais.—An average daily attendance of 41 during the last half-year, has fully justified the establishment of this school. As a large proportion of the scholars had been prevented by the distance from availing

themselves of the Saran School, they had everything to learn when they came to Neudorf. It is not surprising, therefore, that the classes are unusually backward. The vivacious and energetic style of teaching pursued by the master seems to be being exactly suited to the somewhat phlegmatic pupils with whom he has to deal, a want of intellectual activity being the pervading feature of the school.*

Lower Moutere.—Mr. Robson, assisted by a Monitor.—It will be sufficient to say of this school that it continues to deserve the high reputation that it has now held for many years under the management of its valued and experienced master.

Motueka (First Division).—Mr. Bisley, assisted by J. Guy.—The appointment of a pupil teacher, rendered necessary by the increasing numbers, has enabled the master to devote more of his attention to the better classes, with excellent results. The Geography and Arithmetic seem to me the best points in the school where, however, the teaching is sound and practical throughout.

Motueka (Second Division).—Miss Halpin.—The people of the Motueka, in losing the services of Miss Halpin, lose perhaps the most efficient and successful teacher of a junior division that I have yet met with in our Provincial schools, though there are several in the service of acknowledged merit.

Ngatimoti.—Mr. Sutcliffe.—The children here, though apparently carefully taught, are still very backward. It must not be forgotten, however, that children in secluded and thinly peopled districts are at a great disadvantage as compared with those with those who have been brought up in towns, or even hamlets, if only for this reason, that their intercourse with one another, so valuable an element in school life, is necessarily very limited. They see and hear little beyond their own contracted family circle. The numbers in daily attendance for the last half-year have risen to 21, and, in spite of a scattered population, the rate of attendance is, for the wider area, 67 per cent. These facts tell well for both parents and scholars.

Dovedale.—Mr. Soverno.—The master has done as much for the school as could fairly be expected from him, when the time and the path with which he had to contend are considered. The daily attendance, 12, is exactly the same as last year, the percentage 55, being even less than it was. Under these circumstances it is creditable to the teacher that he has effected some improvement both in the Handwriting and Dictation. In other respects, I can see but little progress.

Pangatotara.—Mr. Brown.—The rate of attendance at this school continues to be very low, and though large allowances should be made for the badness of the roads, and the distance that some of the scholars have to travel, I cannot help suspecting that the inhabitants hardly make sufficient use of the opportunities. I have observed, for instance, that in wet weather all the children, even those in live within easy distance of the school, are in the habit of absenting themselves. It has this naturally disheartened the teacher, who feels that his best efforts are thus neutralised. The children still write very neatly, and have a fair knowledge of Arithmetic than I should have expected, under the circumstances.

Riwaka.—Mr. Cowles, assisted by Miss Gaskell.—This school, which, partly owing to the illness of the late teacher had fallen off in every respect, has begun to revive under the energetic management of the present master, who is seconded by a very efficient assistant. The daily average has risen from 34 to 41, but the percentage of attendance, 61, is still lower than it ought to be, and much remains to be done before Riwaka can again take the place that it once held, almost at the head of our country schools.

Takaka.—Mr. Bow.—No pains have been spared by the present master to raise his school to a respectable status, but his efforts, hitherto, have met with but scanty success. The daily attendance is still only 20, the percentage, even during the summer quarter, 56. The scholars are thoroughly backward in every branch, and it is to be regretted that a considerable sum (that it is now close enough might have been better laid out elsewhere), was expended three years ago in enlarging the school-room. I see no reason why a mistress should not be substituted for a master at Takaka, where the expenditure has for some time wholly disproportionate to the results obtained.

Long Plain.—Mr. A. Langford.—The daily attendance here, 14, is just what it was last year, the number of good readers being rather greater than at Takaka. The Dictation is in decidedly better. In other respects, these neighboring schools