Enclosure in No. 21.
John Hislop, Esq., to Alexander Mackay, Esq.

Sir,—

Pressure of business and the weak state of my health have hitherto prevented me from replying to your favour of the 18th instant.

Permit me, in the first place, to assure you that, personally, I shall be very happy to render all the assistance in my power towards the efforts of the General Government and its officers, to bring a good school education within the reach of the Native and half-caste children of this Province, and I know that I can confidently give the same assurance on behalf of the Provincial Government and the Otago Education Board.

I will submit your letter to the consideration of the Education Board at its next meeting, which will be h[gap — reason: illegible]ld early next, month, meanwhile, I will endeavour to procure such additional information respecting the Taieri Native district and its vicinity, as may enable the Board to form an opinion as to the best course to be taken to carry out the object in view.

I will also, to-day, write to the School Committee of Waikouaiti, in reference to the admission of Natives or halt-caste children to their school. With regard to Hampden (Moeraki), I believe that a school, about to be opened near Moeraki township and harbour, will be more convenient to the majority of the children resident at the Native settlement there than the Hampden school. I will write on this subject to Mr. Leggatt, of Moeraki, the principal promoter of the new school.

The Government schools are of course open to all the children of the Province on payment of the moderate school fees chargeable, which range from 5s. to 10s. or 12s. per quarter of a year, and I have no doubt that if Native parents could be induced to send their children to any of the existing district schools, the School Committee and the teachers would be glad to see them, provided they appeared clean in person, and neat and tidy in their clothing.

Except in the case of orphan or destitute children, it might be well to ask the parents or guardians to pay a small portion of the fee, but, I presume, the General Government will arrange to pay a portion of the fee, say a half or three-fourths, on condition that the attendance is tolerably regular. I know that in some instances, when Native and half-caste children have attended our schools, the teachers complained very much of the extremely irregular attendance of such children, which in effect prevented them from reaping any benefit from the school. I may mention that Mr. and Mrs. Parry, at Otago Heads, sometime ago applied to the Education Board for aid towards the school under their charge, but the Board resolved to wait until the decision of the General Government on this matter should be ascertained.