NELSON GOVERNMENT GAZETTE. 107

Long Plain.—Mrs Dixon, mistress—(23).—The present tone and discipline of this school leave nothing to be desired. Though none of the children can be said to read really well as yet, their intonation is decidedly better than it was. I noticed that the arithmetic is of a more practical type than usual, the scholars being exercised in making out bills, and in solving such questions as they are likely to meet with after leaving school.

Motupipi and Clifton.—Mrs Robinson, mistress—(18).—The children here read with good intonation, recite poetry well, write neatly, and cipher correctly. Long-continued and very general sickness has, however, lately told unfavorably on the school, which in several respects is just now scarcely up to the high standard of former years. The sooner the preposterous system which compels the children of Motupipi on alternate days to exchange a spacious and well-ventilated building for a small and inconvenient old room is discontinued the better.

Collingwood.—Mr Marten, master; Mrs Marten assistant—(34).—A very perceptible improvement has been made in the reading throughout this school. Considerable pains have evidently been taken to give the children a good intonation. The initial H and the final G are also enunciated with unusual distinctness. Few mistakes were made by the first class in writing from dictation. The arithmetic is also accurate as far as it goes. The discipline, though improved, is still far from being perfect.

Westport.—Mr Larchin, master; Mrs Larchin, mistress; Miss Blaxall, assistant—(134).—A thorough reformation has taken place in this school since the appointment of an efficient staff of teachers. It is only to be regretted, for the sake of the children of Westport, that my plain and repeated representations as to the necessity for a change were so long disregarded. The number of good readers and writers has trebled during the last year, and a proportionate advance has been made in every branch except arithmetic, in which improvement is of usually slow growth. Great intellectual activity prevails throughout the school year. The parents here are more to blame in this respect even than those in the neighborhood of Haven-road, for it seems that out of 172 scholars, 24 only have attained their ninth year. A child seldom stays at school beyond their twelfth year. The success to the fact that a large proportion of the children remain with their master than is usual at the other West coast schools. This year, out of a total of 66 at Cobden, 20 had attained their 9th, 15 their 12th year.

Addison\'s Flat.—(Subsidised school.)—Miss Gibbs, mistress—(29).—Although this school has suffered from the illness and consequent resignation of the late teacher, much has been done by the present mistress to make up for lost time. The reading is generally very distinct, the spelling correct, and the geography fair. Few, however, can do much in arithmetic. The children generally are well-mannered and orderly.

Charleston: Blacket-street.—(Subsidised school.)—Mr and Mrs Moore—(53).—The division of labor that the employment of two teachers has rendered possible is beginning to tell favorably upon this school. The upper classes read distinctly and with good emphasis, some of the older scholars displaying a very creditable acquaintance with the outlines of history and geography. The handwriting of the first class is excellent, their exercise and account-books being neatly kept and well arranged. The gradation of classes is carefully preserved and the discipline is good.

Charleston: St Patrick\'s.—(Subsidised school.)—Mr Delany—(64).—It is no reflection on Mr Delany\'s powers of instruction, which are considerable, to say that he has failed to teach effectively a large proportion of the children who presented themselves at the last examination. I foresaw, and pointed out last year that something of this sort must inevitably happen unless the teaching power were increased, the three upper classes, including about one half of the scholars, are very fairly taught. They read and write better than they did, and most of the first class acquit themselves creditably in dictation and grammar. But between the third and fourth classes there is a gap which will hardly be bridged in two years, the third class being able to read the 4th Irish book fluently, while the fourth class can just stumble through the 1st sequel in the same series.

Cobden.—Mr Ray, master—(55).—Cobden still deserves its high reputation, though the numbers given in the annual return scarcely do justice to the quality of the teaching. It has always been Mr Ray\'s practice—a practice that I should be glad to see more common—to keep his scholars in the elementary stages of writing and arithmetic until they have mastered them. The result is that though advanced scholars invariably show the advantages of this prolonged grounding, those recorded in the higher branches are relatively fewer than in schools where the children are pushed forward more rapidly, and where the teaching is more superficial.

Brunnerton.—Mr A. Young, master—(34).—I found that the first class here read well, the second fairly, and that both classes were well grounded in arithmetic. Their knowledge of the geography of New Zealand was very accurate, and they parsed well. The writing was still poor with one exception; the discipline, as usual, good.

Reefton.—(Subsidised school.)—Mr A. Brown, master—(81).—Though much of Mr Brown\'s time was taken up at first by the task of enforcing order and habits of application among the untrained children who have flocked to this school since it has been under his charge, an improvement is already observable in several important points. The children in the first class now read distinctly and with a tolerably correct intonation. They also passed a creditable examination in history, a subject they have taken up only lately. Their knowledge of grammar is also fair, and their writing much better than it was last year. The discipline is excellent, though it is obvious that the numbers are already too great for a single teacher, even after counting the slight and precarious help that can be given by two young monitors.

Brighton.—Mrs Murphy, mistress—(34).—Nearly twice as many children appeared at this inspection as were present last year. As the school life of the children does not extend beyond a few months, much cannot be expected as yet. I found, however, the first class fairly proficient in arithmetic, while the geography of the first and second classes was unusually ready and accurate. Good order is kept, mainly due to the excellent understanding that exists between teacher and scholars.

Ahaura.—(Subsidised school.)—Boys: Master, Mr Harron; Girls: Mistress, Miss Easton—(44).—Important changes, in the expediency of some of which I do not concur, have been made here during the past year. Not only has an entirely new teaching staff been appointed—a step in the right direction—but a school that counted 18 boys and 23 girls daily when I visited the Ahaura has been split into two distinct establishments. What may be urged in favor of the separation of the sexes where the numbers attending are large enough to admit of the employment of a complete set of teachers for each school so divided, I cannot see what is gained by sub-dividing a school, when united, is barely sufficient to furnish classes numerous enough for emulation. After making due allowance for this serious drawback, I can report favorably as to the general progress of the scholars. Both the reading, dictation, and grammar of the upper classes are very fair. It is to be hoped, however, that as the teachers gain experience they will learn to keep better order. As at Cobden, the children do not appear to know what discipline means.

No Town.—(Subsidised school.)—Miss Ferris, mistress—(22).—Most of the children who are taught here are very young, two only of those at my examination being over 12 years of age. A fair elementary education is being given by their mistress, who is very painstaking, and who has succeeded in establishing perfect order in her school.

Pakawau.—(Subsidised school.)—Mr Ponsonby—(9).—I regret that the shortness of the attendance, after a nine months\' trial, has compelled the Board to withdraw its subsidy from a school where the children had made extraordinary progress while they were under tuition. How to provide for the education of children in thinly-peopled districts like Pakawau without unduly taxing the education fund, or pressing too hardly upon the resources of the neighborhood, is, perhaps, the most difficult problem that the Board is called upon to solve.

I am, Sir,
Your obedient servant,
W. C. HODGSON,
Inspector.