No. 9.
Copy of a letter from Mr. A. Mackay, to the Under Secretary Native Department.

Sir,—

In compliance with the instructions contained in your telegram of the 23rd June, requesting me to visit the Native school at Kaiapoi, on my return to Canterbury, I have the honor to inform you that on arriving there I called on Mr. Rolleston, as suggested, but he was too busily engaged in attending to Council matters to accompany me; I, therefore, proceeded to Kaiapoi alone. On visiting the school, on the 1st instant, I found fifteen children in regular attendance, twelve girls and three boys. Two of these, however, happened to be absent, on the occasion of my visit, from sickness. The whole of the scholars have been suffering, more or less, of late from measles and whooping cough, which has somewhat retarded their progress. The children are taught to read and write English. The whole of the number present, with the exception of the two younger ones, read very freely; their writing is also of a very fair character, and the copy books clean and free from blots; in arithmetic they are not quite so proficient as in-the other two branches. They appear to be very orderly and obedient, and presented a very cleanly appearance, as did also the whole of the school premises. Great attention is paid to the personal and domestic cleanliness of the scholars by their teacher, Miss Taylor. The whole of the domestic work on the premises is done by the children; they are also required to wash and make their own clothes. In the internal arrangements everything is very satisfactory; the schoolbuildings comprise a school-room, dining-room, two dormitories, teacher's apartments, kitchen and scullery. The apartment used as a school-room is a very well lighted and ventilated room, sufficiently commodious to accommodate double the number of scholars now in attendance. I have much pleasure in reporting that, on the whole, this school may be considered to be in a very satisfactory condition, and that a very fair amount of progress has been attained by the pupils, considering the short time the school has been established, and the difficulties that have to be overcome in the first place in teaching children an entirely new language, and in making them subservient to rules of order and obedience—qualities they are totally unacquinted with on first entering the school. It would be very satisfactory if there were more schools in other parts of the Middle Island in the same state of advancement, and under the management of equally painstaking teachers as Miss Taylor. Unfortunately for the success of the scheme the Natives evince very little interest in the matter; they seem to be entirely imbued with the idea that the Government ought to provide schools for them free of cost in fulfilment of promises made to them in former years.

The Rev. Mr. Stack complains very much of the want of co-operation on the part of the Natives, and of the difficulty he has to induce them to contribute their portion of the school fees. I am afraid this will be found to be the chief difficulty to contend with everywhere, and even if success is met with in the first place in establishing the schools, the guardians and teachers, however diligent and painstaking in the cause, will in the end become tired of a work, the remuneration for which is based on such a very precarious foundation, viz., on the regular attendance of the children, and the punctual payment by the parents of their proportion of the fees.

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As both the Local Committees of Waimatemate and Arowhenua declined to admit Native children to the local schools, I have written recently to the masters of each of these places, asking them if they would undertake to teach the Native children at these settlements, after their usual school hours were over. I have not received an answer as yet, and I am afraid from what little I have learnt personally that they do not favour the project. I also wrote to the committee at the Bluff, asking if they would have any objection to admit Native children to the local school. I have not yet received a definite answer but I am inclined to think from personal conversation with several members of the committee that no objection will be raised by them.

I am fully convinced from the little interest the Natives are likely to take in the matter, after the first novelty is worn off, that however anxious the Government may be to bring education within their reach, unless someone can be found near each of the settlements, who will take an interest in the schools after they are established, and make it his duty to continually urge upon the Natives the necessity of sending their children regularly, that little success can be hoped for. Two of the districts are fortunately provided in that way, viz., Kaiapoi and Ruapuke, the one has Mr. Stack, and the other Mr. Wohlers, to promote the welfare of each school.

There are four places in the Province of Otago, viz., Moeraki, Waikouaiti, Otago Heads, and the Taieri, in which admission to the local schools is quite out of the question for the Native children, the distance from the settlements being too great to admit of their attending. At Moeraki the difficulty will most likely be overcome by the establishment of a side school near the Maori settlement. At Waikouaiti, however, a special arrangement will have to be made to bring education within reach of the children there by establishing a school if possible at the settlement, as the local school is at too great a distance; there is also a tidal creek to cross between the settlement and the town of Hawkesbury, which in itself is a very great obstacle to little children going to and fro daily. At Otago Heads the case is the same as far as regards distance, as also at the Taieri. There are also several places in Canterbury, one especially, where a large number of children are located, at which special arrangements will have to be made if schools are to be established in their neighbourhood. When at Canterbury the other day, His Honor the Superintendent informed me that it was his intention to place the whole subject of education for the Natives resident in this Province under the management of the local boards, as he considered it was a duty the Province owed to the Natives. If that measure is carried out it will in all probability prove the most satisfactory mode of furthering the object in view, as far as the Natives of Canterbury are concerned. In Otago, the able co-operation of Mr. Hitlop, the Inspector of Schools, can always be relied on, as far as it is possible for him to assist, in furthering the establishment of schools for the Natives in that Province. I cannot point at present to any one in Southland who would be likely to assist in promoting the work there.