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A Compendium of Official Documents Relative to Native Affairs in the South Island. Volume Two.

Enclosure in No. 17. — William W. Leggatt, Esq., Member of School Committee, Moeraki, to Alexander Mackay, Esq., Native Minister

page 165

Enclosure in No. 17.
William W. Leggatt, Esq., Member of School Committee, Moeraki, to Alexander Mackay, Esq., Native Minister.

Moeraki, January 15th, 1868.

Sir,

I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your favour of 8th instant, and have to apologise for a delay in replying, which was caused by a desire I had to communicate upon the subject of your letter with some of my colleagues of the District School Committee.

There is a district school established at Hampden, and with respect to the attendance and other particulars respecting it, I beg to refer you to the Report adopted at the Annual Statutory Meeting, held upon the 13th instant, and also to the tabulated forms accompanying the same, which I have no doubt Mr. Hislop will give you every facility for inspecting. From inquiries I have made, I find that only one half-caste is at present attending, though at a former period as many as four Native scholars were upon the lists. This falling off I attribute to the distance which the school is situated from the Native settlement (about fire miles), a distance which renders the benefit to be derived from it entirely inoperative, so far as the children of the Natives, and of others in the same vicinity, are concerned.

Of late, and as children grow up, this has come to be such a drawback that myself and others interested, some time since moved for the erection of a side school in connection with the district school, and, of course, under the Otago Education Ordinance. It was proposed to erect the side school upon the Education reserve, Section 30, Block I, Moeraki District; if you will refer to the map of Block I, you will be able to see at a glance the situation of the Native reserve, and also the proposed site for the school, and I beg to call your attention to the fact that it is a position quite accessible from the Native settlement, and I make no doubt would be largely availed of by the Natives. A subscription list was accordingly opened (as the Provincial Ordinance throws the whole onus of the cost of erecting buildings for side schools upon the settlers), and upwards of £100 in cash, materials, and labour, were promised. It was resolved that at present a school-house, 26 feet x 16 feet only, should be built, and that as a set-off against the teacher having to board and lodge himself, his salary should be subsidized by adding to it the amount received from the Provincial Government.

It was my intention to have furnished you with a list of the number and ages of the Native children in the settlement here, but I have not yet received the information from the chief; however, I will see that you have it.

You will no doubt be aware that the establishment of a side school under the Provincial Ordinance must, without doubt, press heavily, and also unequally upon some of us; the amount of actual cash at our disposal is small, and we make no doubt that unless we receive additional assistance to that promised, the building will upon completion not be without an incumbrance upon it. I also beg to point out to your notice that, although this school is not established under "The Native Schools Act, 1867," it will in effect be of as great advantage to the Native children in the settlement as if it were, and will also effect an actual saving to the General Government. The Spirit of "The Native Schools Act, 1867," as interpreted in clauses 13 to 18 is clearly in favour of a recognition of such advantages.

I, therefore, on the part of the Committee of the side school, would wish to be informed whether it is your opinion that an application to the Governor for an amount of money towards the completion of the school would be likely to be entertained. Such an appropriation, though not coming within the meaning of the Act, I submit to be quite justified by the special nature of the case.

I have, &c.,

Wm. W. Leggatt.

Alexander Mackay, Esq., Native Commissioner, Dunedin.