25

E.-14

184. With regard to these teachers in household schools, you have expressed the opinion that they should not be members of the family receiving tuition ? —They should not.. 185. Can you tell me how many there are of such cases ?—No; Mr. Smith may be able to tell you. 186. Do you think there ought to be a minimum salary for such teachers employed ? —Yes-; I think a girl should get at least £20 to £25 a year. 187. In addition to board and lodging ?—-Yes; that is always found. 188. You say from £20 to £25 ?—Yes. 189. You would give her less than a domestic servant receives ?—I think that is about the average wage a domestic servant gets. 190. Do you not think that is rather low?—I think it is a stepping-stone; they begin there and work up. 191. You are not a member of a trades-union ? —No, I am not. 192. Were you a member of a trades-union, do you think that would be a fair minimum wage ? Do you think a teachers' union would entertain a minimum salary of £25 and board and lodging ? —I think it amounts to £60 or £70 a year with board and lodging. 193. I will put it this way : Do you think £25 and board and lodging is sufficient as a minimum salary for a teacher ? —At least that; it should be higher if you can give it. 194. Then, you think it should be the minimum salary ? —Yes. 195. How much would you put board and lodging down at per annum ?—About £40 per annum; not so much in these outlying districts —say £26. 196. Then, you think I am not putting it too low at £30 per annum ?—No. 197. Who would find the difference in the minimum salary, in your opinion?— The parents must find the difference; they must make up the salary to a reasonable amount. 198. Do you require that now, say, in a household school with two pupils ?—Yes; we simply find the capitation on the two pupils; we allow ten pupils. We do not suppose any girl would teach for £10 a year and board and lodging unless she was very hard-up. 199. You do not require it ?—No; the householder first of all employs a girl to come and teach, knowing we will subsidise her board and lodging by so-much. 200. Do you not think it would be desirable to have a definite minimum salary—a fixed minimum salary ?—I think it would be. We do not inquire as to how much a particular teacher is being paid in all. 201. The Chairman.] The household teachers, I believe, are really appointed by the parents of the children, and the Board sanctions the appointment afterwards ?—Yes. 202. Do you think any improvement would be effected if they were appointed by the Board in the first instance ?—Yes, I think so. 203. Then, it should not be left to the parents to say whether a teacher will suit their requirements, say, in regard to music, and so on ?—No. 204. Is not this a system of subsidising educated servants ? —Yes ; no doubt the teacher does other work about the house. 205. The returns of the Inspector show that they are performing really useful functions ?— Yes. 206. After all, you do not consider the cost of those schools very excessive ?—Oh, no. 207. Have you compared those schools in the Sounds—the number of children, the number of schools, and the cost thereof—-with the cost of some of the more moderate-sized schools ?—No, we have not. 208. What is the cost of the schools you have in the Sounds—l mean the total cost? —£1,300 for salaries only; with other little additional expenses, £1,545 ; the number of pupils attending such schools, 224. The cost is about £6 per head. 209. You have about forty female teachers in aided schools receiving among them altogether no more than the amount given to one of the larger schools in the other centres ?—Yes ; there are very few males. 210. What is the reason of so few males offering themselves as pupil-teachers ? —The teachers are paid such ridiculously small salaries, and it is getting about that the teaching profession is not a good profession from that point of view. 211. Do you find, as a rule, that Committees prefer males to females ?—Yes; I think they always prefer male teachers. 212. What is your opinion with regard to the relative amount of work performed by a teacher in a small school with all the standards and that done by a teacher in a large school with but one or two standards to attend to ?—I think, decidedly, that the teacher with all the standards has far more work to do. 213. More responsibility ?—Yes. 214. On account of your funds being so limited you are not improving the schools as you would like—that is, keeping them in order and repair?—No; the Committees are told we are keeping the thing steadily in view. The Committees trust to our good faith in the matter, and we are at one with them in what we are doing. 215. Mr. Mackenzie.] You say that you do not think these household schools should receive boarders ?—They should not. 216. Is it not a fact that a good many of the children who go to these seaside schools are Bather delicate, and go for their health : should they not go as boarders ? —I think the whole system should be discountenanced. Ido not think it is right. 217. You think that the Government should do nothing to interfere with the children going to a ?—They may go to private schools if they please, so long as they get proper tuition, I do not think there is anything to complain of in the Bobin Hood Bay School. 4—E, 14.