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557. Are you of opinion that the salaries paid to female teachers in your district are below what they should be ?—Yes. 558. Do you think the salaries as set forth in the suggested scale are satisfactory for female teachers ?—They are entirely satisfactory from no point of view. They are much too low. 559. Mr. Luke.] One of your objections against the proposed colonial scale is that the salaries there quoted are in some instances below the salaries paid in other education districts, such as Otago, for instance ? —Yes. 560. You are of opinion that the longer a man teaches the less salary he gets ?—That is our experience in Westland. Fourteen years ago I was appointed to the school lamin at present, at an advertised salary of £140. For some" years I received that salary, but now, with the same average attendance as then, I am receiving a salary of £129 and a few shillings. 561. Mr. Hill] Have you a residence ? —Yes. 562. Mr. Gilfedder.] Are teachers in this education district boycotted when applying for positions under other Education Boards ? —Yes. 563. Do you think that is a satisfactory state of affairs?— No. 564. How came it about that certain reductions were made by the Westland Education Board: was it not on account of the Board establishing so many household schools ?—We were consulted on the question of reduction, and asked whether we would agree to a reduction or a diminution of the staff, and we agreed to the s|-per-cent. reduction. Later on 6J per cent, was the reduction taken on salaries over £140. 565. Do you consider the Inspectors should be placed under the control of the central department ? —Not unless the teachers are. 566. In the Westland Education District would the teachers prefer to do the same work as they are doing at present and receive fair and reasonable remuneration, or would they like an increased staffing and reduced pay ? —The attendances at the schools are so poor that I do not think the teachers could get less. 567. Do you consider the work of a country teacher with all standards entails greater hardship on a teacher than the work of an assistant taking one large class in a town school ? —The country teacher with all the standards is far harder worked than the class-teacher. 568. How many pupils have you in Standard VII. ?—Two. 569. How many in Standard VI. ?—Four. 570. Do you not group the standards ?—Yes, as much as possible. 571. Could you not manage your school yourself without any assistance?—No, I could not. 572. Then, what is your opinion of the teachers in Southland, who take all standards in a school up to 45 and do not complain about it ?—They are of a different race altogether. 573. Mr. Hill] Would you suggest that the salaries should be based on the roll-number, and not on the average attendance ?—Yes. 574. Do you not think such a system would be liable to great abuse?—So people say ; but it was never proved to me that it would be. 575. Supposing you were to allow names to be kept on the register when the children had been absent three weeks or a month, do you think that would be a fair way of estimating the salaries of teachers ?—According to the way our registers are kept in this district, with the concurrence and knowledge of our Inspector, a pupil's name can be left on the roll for half a quarter. I do not see, myself, that there is any greater chance of cheating if you pay on the roll-number than if you pay on the average attendance. 576. Would you regard a system of colonial classification as essential ?—Yes. 577. Would you approve of a separate department and a separate degree for teachers, so that it would be as difficult for a graduate to obtain that degree as it would be for a teacher to obtain a graduate's degree ?—Yes, I think so. 578. Mr. Hogben.] You stated that, in your opinion, a teacher at 36 does not need an assistant: do you think a teacher at 41 needs an assistant ?—There should be a little assistance. I consider 40 pupils enough for a teacher without assistance. 579. You would not go beyond 40 ?—No. 580. The Chairman.] You approve of a colonial scale of staff and salaries ?—Yes. 581. You do not approve of reducing any of the salaries?— No. 582. You think there should be an all-round increase ?—Yes ; there should be a levelling-up, and not a levelling-down. 583. You are not in favour of having teachers equally paid in different districts for the same class of work?— Yes, I am, decidedly. 584. But you would have a greater building-up in one district than another?— Yes. 585. The profession generally, in your opinion, is underpaid?— Yes; it is underpaid in this district compared with manual labour. 586. Is it not owing to the fact that there are so many females available for the work who, of course, could not undertake manual work? —Then, I say, it is taking a mean advantage of them on the part of the State by paying them small salaries. 587. You state your attendance is 43 ?—Yes. The attendance is bad; there are over 50 on the roll. 588. If you had a school of double that number would you consider you were overworked — No. 589. Then, you consider the headmaster of a school of between 40 and 50 pupils should be as well qualified as the headmaster of a school of double that number?— Yes, decidedly. I think, in the interests of the teaching profession, the schools should be graded. 590. You are not of the opinion that a headmaster should be paid according to the average attendance ? —No; as I said, he should be paid according to his roll-number. He is obliged to