TE AUTE TRUST.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1763, 1 June 1906, Page 3

TE AUTE TRUST.

WISE SUGGESTIONS,

STRIKE OUT LATIN, ALGEBRA, AND EUCLID.

Per Press Association

Woffington, last night. The Commission appointed to inquir into the administration of the To Auti Native Education Trust opened its sitting: in Wellington to day. MU POPE'S EVIDENCE. Mr J. H. Pope, who had been Inspector of Native Schools for twenty-live years, gavo evidence. In inspecting Tc Ante College during his term of office he hat found the system in vogue at the begini mug was the English Grammar School system, with slight differences necessitated by the difterencc of race. The masters had at that time done good work—us good ns could be expected from men who were in the main ignorant of their task. The luain difficulty was in regard to language. The authorities had aimed at making the school gradually adopt the English lan guage. The headmaster had endeavored to make tho standard at which the eduen tion should aim that of the matriculation examination. The object was to train the oest of the Maori boys to be leaders or guides and guardians of the Maori people “wording to Maori ideas. It had become ‘ k apparent to witness and others that not every Maori boy-could become a successful university man. In regard to tho . question whether the school should be open to both races or only to natives, there were many difficulties. Although the better class of Maoris were equal in mental capacity to the majority of Europeans, the natives had some difficulty in acquiring European learning. Consequently European boys were able to outstrip natives in their strides. As to technical and manual education, he thought natives should have equal advantages with European boys. They should be taught the use of carpenters’ tools, as had been done in former times at the school. About 50 per cent, of the boys really benotited by the higher education. More attention should be given to industrial education than at present. He had had two conferences with the trustees and with Archdeacon Williams as to the management of the school. . Judge Kettle : Do you not think, as the professions are overcrowded, it would be better for boys to be trained to work the land which their parents own ? They would not have to buy land. Mr Pope : I tbiak it would be a very good idea, witboul deiraotiog from Ibe value of other education. Mr Hogg asked how it wae if boys received a good Eogliab education that some of the men educated at Te Aute had required the services of an interpreter "“When giving evldenoo bofore the Oommis sion

Mr Pope thought there would be few instances of that necessity arising. It might be attributed to sbyi.es?. The boys had not been taught Maori-Eoglish and English-Maori tcars'atiop. To Judge Kettle : It might have been that these'men spoke Maori in order that the natives in the court, room might understand them. To Mr Lee : He was .'in favor of specialisation after boys bad reached about the fifth standard, The boys should then be seleoted according to their fitness for industrial or secondary oducttion. If the Maori language were taoght it would interfere with the teaching of English. Mr Ngala : la your report of 1902 you seem to infer that there is a blank between the time when a Maori boy finishes Jbis higher eduoation at Te Ante and the \time when he finds his piaee in the work Of life. Could not Te Aute training be adapted so as to enable boys to drop at ’ once into their plaoe ? Mr Pope agreed that it could ‘ ’ THE NATIVES’ GIFT. Mr F. T. O’Neill, Chief Clerk in the •Lands and Survey Department, gave evi-. donee as to Natives banding over to the Crown the lands now held by the Te Ante Trustees. VIEWS OF THE INSPECTOR. GENERAL.

Mr Q. Hogben, Inspector-General of School?, aaid one oonld hardly blame Te Ante authorities for being like many of the European school authorities, a little behind the times. The time had come for a radical change at Te Ante. Public opinion, and the opinions of the Trustees and of the Department, agreed on that. A 'n&iyngo had to a certain extent been made at fine Girls’ College at Hukarere. The result of the abandonment of the teaching of Latin at that college was that the girls’ educational status, was in no way lowered, La'in was not essential to secondary education. Maoris should be given such secondary education as would put them into the moat intimate possible connection with their future life. The only essential BUbj ’Ct was the English language. It was most important tba"> the.treatment of sub jeots should be such as to develop pupils’ intelligence and powers. In technical subjects the intellect oould be developed just as well as by teaching euolid and algebra. Bight away bo would drop Latin, euolid, and algebra oul of the oorribulum altogether. The.pupils should be taught to use the Eoglish language thoroughly well. Aritbemetio and principles of bookkeeping should beitaugh*. Other subjects should be mensuration, geography, history (as a study Of oivip lif-), and health. A certain amount of time should be devoted to religious instruction. The remainder of tho time should be spent in tsoohing agriculture and wcod work. He would allot tbo times as follows : English, sis hours per week ; geography, civic, add health (together), four hours; arithmetic, four hours; religious instruction, two hours; drill, 000 hour; agrioultaro and manual education (together), eight hoars. Agricultural training should bo on experimental lines such as were followed at Bt. Stephen’s Maori Boys,’ College at Auckland, Provision must be made for those who intended to attend the university, but the propo tlon of the whole population of the colony whioh went t&Tough the university was only from one to two per cent. Maoris should be selected in aooordaooe with their fitness for secondary educa ion. When selected they should be treated in the same way as Europeans, They should be sent to European secondary Bchoolp. If higher education were carried on efficiently along with other instruction at Te Aute, the endowments would bavo to be very largely increased. Natives should bo taught the dignity of intelligent aud manual labor. To Jddgo Kottle : Somo of tho boys could be picked out for higher education ~ beloro goiog to Te Aute- He had put the Department’s views suggestively before the trustees. The trustees had not given a final deoision on tho proposals, but had shown a disposition to oome some way towards meeting tho views of tho Department. The ohoioe ot the system of educa tion to be adopted at To Aute should be left with the trustees. The Legislature should, however, deoide upon a general sohome for secondary education, and if tho trustees’ system was Dot in aooordance with the oentral authorities’ desiros, a tribunal should be set up to deoide the matter. Tho Commission adjourned till tomorrow morning.