E.—•l

XXIII

entitling Maori youths to secondary education, or to enter upon industrial pursuits, are the passing of Standard IV. of a Native school, or Standard V. of a' public school, the age-limit being fifteen years. Seven apprenticeship scholarships were held under these conditions during 1904. The total expenditure on Native schools during the year was £24,957, which includes £85 paid from Native school reserves funds and £2,000 from Civil List for Native purposes. Deducting £76 recoveries from various sources the result is a net cost of £24,881 for the year 1904, as against £28,679 for the previous year. Included in this sum is expenditure on new buildings and additions, £3,273 ; on secondary education (including boarding-school fees for holders of scholarships from village schools, apprentices, hospital-nursing scholarships, university scholarships, and travelling-expenses of scholarship-holders), £2,348 ; and on the model kainga at Pamoana, £125. The staff of the village schools included 71 masters, 20 mistresses in charge, 86 assistants, and 11 sewing-teachers. The masters received salaries ranging from £264 lis. lOd. to £91 ss. ; the headmistresses from £214 9s. 2d. to £80 Bs. lOd. ; the assistants from £50 to £8 17s. 3d. ; and the sewing-teachers from £11 15s. to £8. In one school the master and mistress work conjointly, the total salary being £301 6s. at the end of the year. It must be understood that the assistants and sewing-teachers are generally members of the teacher's family who give assistance for some part of the day's work. Of the 3,754 children attending Native schools 80*93 per cent, were Maori or nearly Maori, 837 per cent, were half-castes, and 1070 per cent, were Europeans or nearly so. Of the 3,446 children of Maori or mixed race attending the public schools 59*2 per cent, were Maori, 74 per cent, were of mixed race living as Maoris, and 33 "3 per cent, were of mixed race living as Europeans. The standard classification of pupils of Native schools at the end of the year was: Preparatory classes, 1,205, an increase of 159 over last year ; Standard L, 631 ; Standard 11., 719 ; Standard 111., 568 ; Standard IV., 373 ; Standard V., 159 ; Standard VI., 68 ; and passed Standard VI., 31. Manual and Technical Instruction. A review of the year's work shows that considerable progress has been made by controlling authorities throughout the colony in the direction of improving existing arrangements and providing additional facilities for instruction in subjects of technology and of manual training. is now no education district in which' some provision, more or less adequate, has not been made for such instruction, and there are indications that in those districts in which the movement is most recent the local authorities interested in the matter will have no reason to regard their efforts as other than encouraging. Where it has been found that there was a well-grounded demand for instruction, the Government has provided the necessary funds for the equipment and maintenance of classes, as well as for buildings where the circumstances rendered special accommodation necessary. In many cases, local bodies and others have shown their interest in the work in a practical manner by contributing to the funds of the classes. Coincident with this evidence of local effort is an increase in the number of associated classes, that is to say, classes for technical instruction conducted in conjunction with the controlling authority by managers representing the various contributing bodies. There is little reason to fear that classes established on these lines are likely to prove other than successful. The number of technical, continuation, and school classes recognised during 1904 was 2,599, as against 2,287 for the previous year. Of the classes for 1904, 2,001 were classes for handwork in connection with over 700 primary and secondary schools, while 598 were special, associated, or college classes for instruction in the several branches of pure and applied art and science, and in plumbing, carpentry and joinery, cookery, dressmaking, and commercial subjects. While the actual number of technical classes was not greatly in advance of that for 1903, the returns show a great increase in the average attendance at them. For 1903 the average attendance was about 6,300, and for 1904 about 13,700. Technical classes are held at about fifty different places.