Or.—s

III

Given under the hand of His Excellency the Right Honourable William Lee, Baron Plunket, Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, Governor and Com-mander-in-Chief in and over His Majesty's Colony of New Zealand and its Dependencies, and issued under the Seal of the said colony, at the Government House, at Wellington, this thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and six. In Executive Council. J. F. Andrews, Acting Clerk of the Executive Council.

An enlargement of the above Commission, dated the 30th May, makes the following addition to the schedule:— To wit, the Crown grant, dated the 13th day of October, 1852, of all that piece or parcel of land, situate and being at Wanganui, in the Provincial District of Wellington, containing 250 acres and 32 perches, more or less, as more particularly described in the said Crown grant.

The time for report was extended from time to time to the 27th June, 1906.

REPORT.

To His Excellency the Right Honourable William Lee, Baron Plunket, Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over His Majesty's Colony of New Zealand and its Dependencies. May it please Your Excellency,— We, the Commissioners appointed under Your Excellency's Commission (issued under " The Commissioners Act, 1903," 3 Edward VII), dated the 30th day of April, 1906, the scope and period for the return whereof were extended by enlargements dated the 13th day of May, the 14th and 22nd days of June, 1906, respectively, have the honour to submit our report on the educational endowment trusts at Te Aute and Wanganui, into the management and administration of which we have been directed to inquire, with such recommendations and suggestions as to the future administration and control of the said endowments, the better efficiency and usefulness of the schools maintained thereunder, and the necessity for legislation in the premises, as we consider desirable or necessary. We held sittings (due notice thereof having been previously advertised) at Napier, Wellington, and Wanganui, and we also visited and inspected the endowments and the schools and other buildings thereon. The notes of evidence and exhibits produced, therein referred to, are forwarded herewith. We have also had recourse to and have perused all the records (a schedule of which is also forwarded herewith) of previous Commissions and parliamentary Committees, and also the Hansard debates referred to in the said schedule, relating to the management and control of the endowments and schools. The Te Aute Educational Endowments. These endowments consist of 6,561 acres or thereabouts of magnificent and highly improved (partly agricultural and partly pastoral), lands situate in the Hawke's Bay District, about thirtytwo miles from Napier. The railway runs through the property, and there is a railway-station about a mile from the school. The schoolhouse and other buildings on the property are built of wood, and are, having regard to their age, in good repair. The endowments were granted by His Excellency the Governor of New Zealand to the Right Reverend George Augustus, Bishop of New