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NELSON GOVERNMENT GAZETTE.

Motueka, 2nd Division—Mr Guy.—It is no mean praise to say of this school that both discipline and teaching under the present teacher, are fully equal to what they were under the management of her predecessor. I have advisedly put "discipline" first, as the most important point, and that one in which nine-tenths of our younger teachers fail at first, especially in large schools.

Ngatimoti—Mr Sutcliffe.—I am sorry that both in numbers and in regularity of attendance there has been a falling off at this school. The former have decreased from 21 to 17, the latter from 67 per cent during the winter to 59 for the year. Those with attendance are fairly taught, but much progress cannot be looked for under the circumstances.

Dovedale—Mr Chamberlain.—Under the present management the numbers have increased by one-half, while the percentage has risen from 59 to 70 during the past two quarters, in spite of bad roads and bad weather. The discipline is now good, and the improvement in every branch already very perceptible, but more especially in the reading, which was formerly execrable.

Pangatotara—Mr Brown.—To state that the average attendance for the year has been only at the rate of 58 per cent., would convey a very inadequate idea of the difficulties that embarrass the teacher of this school. My two last inspections were made in fine weather, when the roads were in very fair order, but for fully two hours after my examination began the scholars were dropping in by twos and threes. All of these laggards would, of course, be entered as present, though, for all practical purposes, they might as well have stayed away. This, the master informed me, was the usual state of things. The progress of the children in several branches, especially in writing, though not great when compared with that made in well-attended schools, was far beyond what I looked for.

Riwaka—Mr Cowles, assisted by Miss Gaskell.—Careful teaching is beginning to tell favorably here, the reading and arithmetic being decidedly better throughout the school. I observe that great attention is paid by the master, when giving a writing lesson, not only to the method of holding the pen, but to the position of the feet and the posture of the body. This important point is generally much neglected, and bad habits are formed that become inveterate. The continuous low rate of attendance must, however, neutralise to a great extent the efforts of the best teachers.

Tahaka—Mr Langford.—The children have attended school with somewhat greater regularity than formerly during the summer months, while the state of the roads, which are well-nigh impassable in winter and spring, partly explains the thinness of attendance for half of the year. Though I am unable to record a marked advance in any of the subjects taught, I am satisfied that the master does his work conscientiously and intelligently.

Long Plain—Mr Langford.—Some progress has been made here during the past year, especially in reading and arithmetic, both of which are carefully taught. Great pains are also taken to make the children understand what they read. Here, as at Takaka, it is easy to understand how bad roads and floods prevent the children from fully availing themselves of the school for a part of the year, but it is not so clear why, during the rainless summer months, the attendance should not rise beyond 51 per cent.

Motupipi and Clifton—Mrs Robinson.—A modification of the half-time system, which may rather be described as the alternate-day system, has been recently adopted at these schools. The children, who are remarkably well-conducted, show the results of excellent teaching in every branch. But it is evident that the present plan of apportioning the school work which gives only two days a week to each school, must, sooner or later, tell unfavorably on the progress of the scholars. It is true that the elder children do, at great inconvenience, attend both schools for four days a week in fine weather, but this disposes of part of the difficulty only, and I cannot regard as satisfactory any modification of the half-time system that does not provide for instruction at each school for at least 5 hours daily, for 5 days a week.

Westport—Mr and Mrs Fraser.—The backward state of this, one of the most numerously attended of our schools, cannot be shown more clearly than by a comparison with Motupipi school. The 145 children who have attended Westport school during the past year show only 19 good readers against the 12 that Motupipi and Clifton produce out of their 30 scholars. The number of good writers and arithmeticians is about the same in both schools, that is, when the relative numbers are taken into account, the balance is nearly five to one in favor of the smaller schools, though the percentage of attendance at the latter is much lower. It must, however, be borne in mind, that the children at Westport are removed from school at so early an age that there are actually more children above 12 years old at Clifton and Motupipi than at Westport. The subjects in which the school fails most palpably are dictation, penmanship, and, above all, arithmetic. At my last inspection four only of the first class could work a sum in practice correctly, while none succeeded with a simple question in proportion. Reading, geography, and grammar are fairly taught, and the school appears to be tolerably orderly.

Cobden—Mr Ray.—This school has—and deserves—the reputation of being by far the most advanced of our schools on the West Coast. The proportion of good readers (34) to the total number on the roll, (61) is extraordinarily large; the arithmetic is also excellent, the whole of the first class solving correctly a series of questions in vulgar and decimal fractions, set them on my last examination. Writing, dictation, and geography are equally well taught. The discipline of the school is also good. It augurs well for the future of this school that a fourth of the scholars have remained until they have completed their 12th year, and that the percentage for the year is 73.

Brunnerton—Mr Young.—This school is steadily improving, the reading being better than it was last year, while the progress in geography, grammar, and dictation is very marked. The arithmetic is both ready and accurate. The children, living in close proximity to the school, are able to attend with great regularity.

Brooklyn—Miss Mickell.—The inhabitants of the western part of Riwaka, being effectually cut off from the Riwaka school by distance, and almost impassable roads, have, with commendable zeal, provided and fitted up a school-room at their own cost, the board paying a small salary to a mistress. Fourteen children who would otherwise be untaught are thus being educated. The school has not been long opened, and the scholars are very young, but so far as I can judge the mistress is doing her work very fairly.

Collingwood—Mr and Mrs O'Sullivan.—The present state of this school is most satisfactory, unusual progress having been made during the past year. The reading is particularly good, the dictation and English composition being also of more than average merit. Great pains are taken to explain the meanings of the more difficult words in each lesson. The rate of attendance, 72 per cent, is high, when the state of the roads for a considerable portion of the year is considered, and indi-