E.—9a

1887. NEW ZEALAND.

EDUCATION: THE WAITAKI HIGH SCHOOL (REPORT OF COMMISSION ON).

Presented to loth Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

Commission. Wm. F. DituMMOND Jeevois, Governor. To all to whom these presents shall come, and to the Honourable Joseph Shephaed, member of the Legislative Council, and William Montgomeby, Esquire, member of the House of Eepresentatives : Greeting. Wheeeas it is expedient that a Commission should be appointed to examine into the state of the secondary education in the District of North Otago, and, in the event of the same being in the opinion of the Commissioners unsatisfactory, to consider what measures (if any) are required to put such education on a satisfactory basis, having regard to the condition of secondary education in other districts of the colony of similar importance : Now, therefore, I, William Francis Drummond Jervois, the Governor of the Colony of New Zealand, by and with the advice and consent of the Executive Council of the said colony, having full confidence in your knowledge and ability, do hereby appoint you, the said Joseph Shephard and. William Montgomery, to be Commissioners for the purpose aforesaid ; and in furtherance of such inquiry to take evidence upon oath or otherwise as to you shall seem meet, and to report upon the same. And Ido hereby, by and with the advice and consent aforesaid, require you, before the first day of March next, or as much sooner as the same can be done, using all diligence, to certify to me under your hands and seals your several proceedings and your opinion touching the premises; and, with the like consent and advice, I do hereby declare that this Commission shall continue in full force and virtue, and that you, the said Commissioners, shall and may from time to time proceed in the execution thereof at such place or places, and at such times, as you shall judge convenient, although the same be not continued from time to time by adjournment. Given under the hand of His Excellency Sir William Francis Drummond Jervois, LieutenantGeneral in Her Majesty's Army, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over Her Majesty's Colony of New Zealand and its Dependencies, and Vice-Admiral of the same; and issued under the Seal of the said Colony, at Wellington, this seventeenth day of November, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty-six. Approved in Council. Bobekt Stout. FOBSTKB GOBING, Clerk of the Executive Council.

Be poet. To His Excellency the Governor. We, the Commissioners appointed by your Excellency " to examine into the state of secondary education in the District of North Otago, and, in the event of the same being in ' our' opinion unsatisfactory, to consider what measures (if any) are required to put such education on a satisfactory basis, having regard to the condition of secondary education in other districts of the colony of similar importance," have the honour to submit the following report to your Excellency : — In obedience to your Excellency's instruction we proceeded to Oamaru, public notification having been given in the local newspapers some time previous of the duties assigned to us, as well as the place where and the date when our inquiry would commence, and opened the Commission on Wednesday, the 12th January. On that and the two following days evidence bearing on the subject of our inquiry was received from a number of residents in the district. This evidence is appended to this report. Further, we personally inspected with great care the Waitaki High School buildings and grounds, the District High School buildings, and the building now occupied as a customhouse, the use of which it is understood the Government is prepared to grant for a term of years for the