NELSON GOVERNMENT GAZETTE.

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clearly that too much talking is permitted on ordinary occasions.

Lower Wakefield.—Mr. Chattock, Mrs Chattock assistant (69).—The children throughout have improved in their reading; the penmanship and dictation being fully up to last year\'s high standard. The arithmetic, though of quite average merit, fell somewhat short of what has been attained in this school previously. Fair discipline is maintained on the whole, though too much talking at work is allowed.

St Valley.—Mr. Roby (28).—Writing is well taught here. The children read correctly, but very slowly, and without the slightest expression. The spelling is very faulty, and the arithmetic so inaccurate that it may be pronounced a failure throughout, one only of the ten scholars in the first classes having passed in the papers selected by themselves. The discipline is unusually strict.

Upper Wakefield.—Mr. Combes, Miss Tunnicliff assistant (50).—The children of the first class, as those in the junior division, taught by Miss Tunnicliff, passed a very satisfactory examination, but though no fault could reasonably be found with the head or the tail, the middle of the school had not apparently received a due share of attention. The reading of these classes was indifferent, and their arithmetic so incorrect that only one of eight passed in the second class, while in the third class I had to record nine failures out of fourteen scholars. The dictation was better—but not much better—than the ciphering.

Fox Hill.—Mr. H. Ladley (28).—The copy books here, formerly very ill-kept, are now neat enough, and the discipline is much improved. But the arithmetic is almost as inaccurate as at Upper Wakefield, and the dictation very faulty.

Motupiko.—Mrs. Fugle (20).—Good work is being done here. At my last visit some months ago, I found that the children were getting rid of the drawl that formerly made their reading so unpleasant. The arithmetic had also gained in point of accuracy. The copy-books were very neatly kept.

Waimea West.—Mr. W. Ladley (38).—This school, which had quite fallen into decay previous to the appointment of Mr. Ladley, bids fair, under his skilful management, to take a good place among our smaller country schools. The whole tone of the school is far better than it has been for some years, the method of teaching and organisation being all that could be desired. An educational system, however, which results in placing one of our oldest scholars in a small country school, cannot yet be considered by any means perfect. The waste of power is too obvious.

Waimea West Village.—Mr. Robson, Jun., Miss Ladley, Assistant (36).—Although the experiment of putting one of the youngest of our masters at the head of an important school, which had been gradually improved by two good masters in succession seems a hazardous one, Mr. Robson seems to be conducting things in a way to merit, at least, judge from the result of a single examination. It is not easy, however, to speak positively as to the progress of a school which, at the time of my visit, had been left in excellent order only three months before, by Mr. Robson\'s predecessor. Frequent changes are very puzzling to an examiner.

Upper Moutere.—Mr. Cook, Miss Cook, Assistant (45).—I found, as usual, the standard modest aimed at in this school fully attained in every branch. The children read distinctly, write legibly, and spell fairly well. Few failed in the subjects they attempted. The younger children are not taught their tables early enough or carefully enough. The discipline is very good.

Neudorf.—Mr. Desaunais, Mrs. Desaunais, Assistant (39).—The improved attendance is beginning to tell favorably on this school, which is now about equal to the average of country schools of the same standing and standing. The reading is much more distinct than it was, and both arithmetic and dictation are of better quality than formerly. Good order is kept.

Dovedale.—Mr. Stirling (21).—Penmanship and dictation are the strongest points here. The upper classes also acquitted themselves well in arithmetic at my last examination. The school is of barely average merit. The discipline is good.

Lower Moutere.—Mr. Deek, Miss Guy, Assistant (54).—The loss of an able master like Mr. Robson, has taught a school for so many years as to be almost identified with it, will, for some time, naturally have an injurious effect upon the establishment that he leaves. But much has been done by Mr. Deck during his seven months\' tenure of office at Lower Moutere, to maintain the former high standard. In this he has been well seconded by his energetic assistant, Miss Guy, by whom the lower classes are exceedingly well taught. The arithmetic was very correct throughout the school, the dictation and geography being far above the average. The tone and discipline of the scholars are highly creditable.

Motueka.—Mr. Bisley, Miss Guy, Assistant (70).—Although the children leave school here at a very early age, insomuch that seven only of the seventy children present at my examination had attained their twelfth year, they acquitted themselves most satisfactorily in every branch. Arithmetic, dictation, and geography, were all of more than average quality. Such knowledge of the outlines of history as the first class possesses is readily available, as they all gave, without preparation, a fair account of a reign selected by myself. The intelligent liveliness of attendance is such that it is evident with less skilful and indefatigable teachers, go far towards defeating the objects for which the school is maintained. The organization and discipline in both divisions are perfect.

Ngatimoti.—Mr. Sutcliffe (21).—This school has been weakened by the loss of many of the older scholars, who have left the neighborhood. The young children who remain read fairly, spell well, and write neatly. Their knowledge of the outlines of geography is creditable, and their arithmetic, though slow, very correct, few failing to give the true answer to whatever sums they undertook. They are also very well behaved.

Riwakatotara.—Mr. Hale (24).—I was somewhat disappointed at the state of this school, which, in certain respects, has retrograded since my visit a year ago. The reading is getting throughout what is spiritless and almost inaudible; the children exceedingly slow and dull in answering the simplest question in geography and grammar, and the arithmetic so faulty, that only one in the first class succeeded in passing in the standard taken up. The next class did somewhat better, but only after being allowed a second trial, which is not my usual practice. On the other hand, the writing was good throughout, and the dictation of the first class was fair. A stricter discipline would be an advantage to the scholars. The average rate of attendance, which, during the December and March quarters reached 73 per cent., does not account for the backwardness of this school.

Brooklyne—(late) Miss Mickell (16).—This school of which I reported unfavorably last year, has since made up for lost time, the improvement of the young scholars in almost every branch—in the reading, in the arithmetic, especially—which I found singularly inaccurate at my former examination, there was not a single failure in the first class. I observed that an unusually large proportion of the children wrote in copy-books, but their penmanship is of that shapeless kind which, unless thoroughly reformed, will never develop into a firm, legible hand.

Riwaka.—Mr. Ponsonby, Miss Gaskell, Assistant (54).—The task of reorganizing a school that has been thoroughly broken up is a tedious one, but Mr. Ponsonby has already achieved so much, that another year of such sound teaching will probably suffice to restore this school to the position it held under the former master. He has lately succeeded in winning the confidence of both parents and scholars. The special branches in which the greatest improvement has been effected are reading and arithmetic. The discipline, though it ought scarcely to be called lax, might advantageously be made somewhat stricter.

Collingwood.—Mr. and Mrs. Dixon (32).—The present teachers had been appointed only a short time before my last examination, when I found that the school was being taught by Mr. Dixon alone, who had been at work three weeks. He is, therefore, in no way responsible for the educational status of the school, which had, also, been closed for two months previous to his arrival at Collingwood. It was, nevertheless, clear to me that the children were being thoroughly well taught, and that a complete reformation had already been effected in the formerly very lax discipline of the school. In one important great credit is certainly due to Mr. Dixon\'s predecessor. The reading was remarkably good, insomuch that both of the board\'s reading prizes, competed for by the Golden Bay schools, were easily won by Collingwood scholars. In all other branches the school was lamentably backward. In arithmetic, more than half of the first class failed to pass in the compound rules, seven only in the lower classes succeeding with the simple rules. The dictation was full of blunders, and even the first class knew scarcely anything of geography or grammar.

Motueka.—Mrs. H. J. Cook (22).—The alternate day system, which secured on y two and a-half days\' teaching week y to the attendants at each of two schoo s litt e more than a mile apart has been finally discontinued, to the manifest advantage of both teachers and scholars. The good effects of the change are most perceptible in the reading and arithmetic. The bo\'d, round, legible penmanship deserves special notice. The upper classes are also very ready in geography.

East Takaka.—Miss Burt (18), subsidised.—Great progress has been made in this little school since it was opened nine months ago. All who were present in the first class succeeded.