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Nelson College. Sir,— College Office, Nelson, 23rd June, 1904. I have the honour to acknowledge due receipt of your letter of the 26th ultimo, enclosing a copy of another dated the sth February, addressed to the Hon. the Minister of Education by Mr. Sinclair, Chairman of the Otago High Schools Board. Both of these have been carefully considered by the Council of Governors of Nelson College, with the result that they have come to the unanimous conclusion that the age-limit of fourteen years required by clause 3 (b) of the regulations (not 3 (d) as in type-written copy) should certainly be maintained for the following, amongst other, reasons :— 1. They do not find that deserving pupils in primary schools in country districts are under any greater disability from the age-limit than are the pupils of town schools ; on the contrary, a large proportion of the distinctions open to all primary scholars in the Nelson District have been gained by country pupils. 2. Except in rare cases, which may be accounted for by some special reason, and which may be met by clause 3 (d), the Governors consider that no pupil who has not passed the Sixth Standard examination within the prescribed limit of age is deserving of State aid towards secondary education. Your suggestion re the extension of the privilege of granting scholarships under this clause should, if acted upon, meet all requirements. 3. In the opinion of the Governors, the course of education given by the secondary schools should be begun early, and the longer it is delayed the less advantage the pupils gain from it; moreover, secondary education beginning late and lasting for a year or so is of little practical value, and may in some cases be time wasted. 4. The admission of any considerable number of pupils of fourteen or fifteen years of age or more, and so backward as to have only just passed the Sixth Standard, would greatly disorganize any secondary school, as it would tend to create a set apart from the rest of the school (a condition which the Governors have earnestly and, so far, successfully striven to avoid), and their lack of ability would tend to bring the whole of the free pupils into contempt. 5. To raise the standard of qualification for older pupils would serve no useful purpose. The pupils would merely be kept so much longer at the primary school, trying under a less efficient system to do work which it is the part of the secondary school to teach. 6. The Governors based their decision to come under the Act (which they believe they were the first school in the colony to do) upon the average number of pupils annually qualifying, and for which they can see their way to provide sufficient teaching-power. If this number were greatly exceeded, the assistance which they have been already compelled to ask towards cost of buildings would be needed still more urgently and to a greater extent. In fact, without aid the Governors could riot provide more accommodation than at present exists at the Nelson College. To sum up— (a.) The Governors do not consider that the evil referred to by Mr. Sinclair exists in this district, (b.) Whether this be so or not, free places were meant for deserving pupils, not for idlers or incapable children, (o.) The admission of backward pupils of advanced age will be useless to themselves and demoralising to the rest of the school. I have, &c., The Secretary for Education, Wellington. Jas. Blair, Secretary.

Rangiora High School. Sir, — Rangiora, 14th July, 1904. In reply to your letter of the 26th May, covering a memorandum to the Department from the Chairman of the Otago High Schools Board, I have to state that your letter was forwarded to the headmaster of the school under our management. I append his report, which was considered at a meeting of the Board last evening, and adopted as an expression of the Board's views on the matter. I have, &c, The Secretary for Education Wellington. Robert Ball, Secretary.

[Enclosure.] Sir, — Rangiora High School, 14th July, 1904. I beg to acknowledge the receipt through you of a memorandum from the Education Department, covering a copy of a. letter sent to the Department by the Go\>erno-s of the Otago High Schools. The said letter contains a suggestion that the age-limit for free pupils be abolished. The Department's memorandum invites the opinion of the governing bodies on the matter, and I have the honour to forward herewith a statement of my views on the question. I shall first deal seriatim with the special points noted in the memorandum. 1. It is quite true thai anj child with ability above the average should pass the Sixth Standard under the age of fourteen. But if a boy's birthday is in June, and the primary school examination in August, he must either pass at the age of 13 years 2 months or lose his chance of a free place ; whereas, if his birthday is in December, he must pass at 12 years 8 months. In either case he might, of course, get into the secondary school by waiting until the next annual examination, and entering the secondary school at the commencement of the last term. But to this course there are two decided objections— (a) the secondary school authorities may object to an influx of free scholars during the last term, on account of the consequent dislocation of work ; (b) and, in any case, at the end of fifteen months at the secondary school the pupil, if desirous of continuing there, is asked to pass the same examination as those who have had the full term of two years.