E.—2

6

Whangarei and Kaipara. — District Superintendent, Mr. James Glendon, B.M. Ngunguru. —The Natives have shown great apathy with regard to their school, to which they might easily manage to send a fair number of children. There are now, however, some signs of life in the district, shown by complaints about the small progress made by the Maori children. Of course the Natives blame the teacher for all shortcomings, and not their own negligence with regard to the children's attendance. Still, the signs are hopeful, for anything is better for a school than absolute lack of interest in it on the part of the parents. Poroti. —A very satisfactory revival has taken place here. The Natives are doing their best to make the school successful. Pouto. —The hard and honest work done by the master does not produce adequate results. His efforts are largely neutralized, partly by the circumstances of the Natives and partly, also, by the apathy of some of them. Otamatea. —The new master had been but a short time at the school, but he had succeeded in establishing satisfactory relations with the Maoris. Oruawharo. —This is worked half-time by the Otamatea teacher. It is a useful school. The pupils take great interest in their work. Matakohe. —The master is making the best that can be made of a rather unpromisitig district. It would be well, perhaps, if his ability to do good work had freer scope in a more favourable locality. He has made his school stand fifth on the list this year —a very creditable achievement. Waikato and Thames. — District Superintendent, Mr. G. T. Wilkinson. Waitetuna. —The teacher had been too short a time at the school to allow the Inspector to estimate the capability of the teacher from the kind and amount of work done. Kirikiri. —Sickness and death have interfered with the attendance of Maoris, and bad weather and indifference have had a similar effect in the case of Europeans; but much good work has been done here nevertheless. * Tauranga and Hot Lakes~^-District Superintendent, Mr. H. W. Brabant, B.M. Huria. —The former master of Huria and Paeroa joint schools has now charge of Huria only. The temporary break-down of the mistress's health rendered this alteration necessary. Paeroa. —This is now being worked as a full-time separate school. Sufficient opportunity has not yet been afforded of seeing how the experiment will work. Maungatapu. —A great many of the children are small, but the school is doing work that is very satisfactory in every respect. Te Awahou. —Of all the schools affected by the Tarawera disaster this suffered the least; still, the sad occurrence for a time unhinged the minds of the Natives very considerably, with corresponding injury to the school work. It is not improbable that many of the surviving Wairoa children will eventually attend this school. Ohinemutu. —The Ohinemutu Natives were very much put about by the consequences of the eruption. After this took place the Wairoa survivors were for a long time the guests of the Ohinemutu people. For a while the Natives of the district were thoroughly unsettled, and perhaps complete recovery has hardly taken place yet. Just before the eruption many encouraging signs of interest in the school had become discernible, such as united and well-directed action by the Committee and regular attendance of a large number <}f the children. Boto-iti. —After suffering severely through the effects of the Tarawera eruption the work of the school was further interrupted through the destruction by fire of the school-building and material. School has since been held, in a hired building. Fort Galatea. —By a strange coincidence the fate of this school has been very similar to that of the school at Boto-iti. Operations had to be suspended because communication with the school was very nearly cut off, and soon after it was reopened the teacher's residence was burnt to the ground. Te Teko. —This school was ruined, temporarily, at all events, and probably permanently, by the volcanic eruption. Tarawera. —The destruction of this school and the loss of one of our best and most faithful teachers were referred to in last year's report. Maketu. —The attendance here is extremely fluctuating and irregular; but those pupils that go to school regularly always do well at examination time. Matata. —This is the largest Native school, and the attendance is increasing : the building will probably have to be enlarged. Whakatane. —When the school was visited it was suffering from the effects produced by the Tarawera eruption, and only a few children, mostly Europeans, were in attendance. Wai-o-eka. —A school of the highest class in most respects. The character of the methods has had, for the purposes of Table No. 7, to be estimated from the nature of the passes obtained; the extras have been taken from last year's report. The reason is that the inspection had to be made very short, because a great Native meeting was being held close at hand at the time of the inspection. Omarumutu. —This is one of a group of excellent schools. It speaks well for the tone of the school that an almost full attendance was obtained in spite of the great Native meeting at Wai-o-eka. Torere. —This is one of the best of the group of schools referred to in the last paragraph. Omaio. —Omaio is now closely approaching the high standard of the other schools on the eastern shore of the Bay of Plenty. It will be rather surprising if it does not reach it next year, Te liaha. —In nearly all respects this is an extremely satisfactory school.