J. THOBNTON.]

G.-5.

39

We only begin at the third class, and that very little. It is not until two years before they propose to sit for matriculation that they begin Latin in earnest. 131. I counted fifty-four boys learning Latin in the school? —Yes, that is so. 132. Now, has it occurred to .you to do what we call specialise in the school? Do you not think that by specialising in your school you could differentiate, as it were, the boys to whom it is desirable to give instruction in Latin, and the others whose time would be better occupied in, say, agriculture, or other instruction which would fit them for their particular vocation in life? —I should have liked to have had an agricultural school, not established as part of ours, but as a separate institution into which we could draft a number of boys who are not likely to benefit by higher education. 133. I am not supposing an agricultural college will come at once, and I am supposing you carry on your College as a college: could you not by specialisation give room for more technical instruction than is at present being given, and give plenty of time for it?—So far as I understand the Department has not made provision for specialisation. It wants technical instruction given to every boy except in special cases. I think you will gather that from the correspondence. 134. You would say generally that in your own mind you are desirous of seeing up-to-date technical instruction given in the school, generally under what you may term the direction and syllabus of the Education Department?— What would be your definition of "technical instruction "? 135. I admit that it is a difficult question to answer. I may say generally it means that the instruction given in any one subject is not the training of boys to a trade or a profession or to a particular knowledge of a science, but it teaches the principles that underlie that subject. For instance, in carpentering the boys are not taught to build a house; they are taught the use of the tools, and the principle, we will say, of joining and mortising or grooving; it is, in fact, the teaching of the principles of a trade on scientific lines, for which purpose you must have your school properly equipped. I have been in schools lately both in England and abroad, and it would be quite surprising to some people to see the beautiful equipment they have in regard to plant and tools, and so on, which fit them for all this scientific instruction ?—AVhat you mean is the training the eye and the hand in these principles and applying them scientifically and practically. lam quite at one with you there. 136. I am now asking a question because I promised a Maori gentleman in Wellington that I would: Has the health of the school at all times been good ?—We have had our bad seasons years ago; but things are very much improved of late years. We have never had what you could call an unhealthy school; but years and years ago —I am speaking of from fifteen to twenty years ago —we were not so careful as regards the health of boj-s admitted as in these days, and very often we had weakly boys come to us and they got ill. I have a list of all the deaths that have occurred in the place since I have been there, and the average is very small indeed. 137. It is not abnormal?—No, it is the other way; it is abnormally low. 138. You do not think that the school needs remodelling in its buildings? —Do you mean more up-to-date desks and apparatus? 139. I mean principally as to the shape of the class-rooms and the lighting of them, and also as to your furniture. Would it not be much better for you to have single desks for each boy? — I have had no experience of single desks. I am not quite sure where the advantage comes in. However, the question of up-to-date buildings and apparatus is simply a question of ways and means. 140. Do you appoint the teachers yourself?— Yes. 141. Are the teachers in all classes men who have had any sort of training: I mean men who have had previous experience elsewhere?—l, of course, endeavour to get men with previous experience, and I have had a great many with previous experience. 142. Have your present teachers all had previous experience?— Yes. Two of them were brought up by myself at Te Aute—Messrs. Cato and Olsen. 143. Do you think it is desirable to promote a boy from a class to become a teacher?—lt has always worked very well with us. He begins at the lowest rung of the ladder, of course. 144. How is the boarding managed?-—The actual cost is entered into the accounts. All our groceries come from Williams and Kettle, and all our wood and meat from the estate, and so on. We do not call for tenders for our supplies. 145. Do you think this school is able to take in as many Maoris as are available? Do you have to constantly refuse applications ?—Yes, we could, take in many more than we do. 146. What do you suggest as a means to give a secondary education to all applicants, so that none should be refused: would you suggest that Te Aute School should be enlarged, or would you say that the State should establish another in another portion of the colony?—I think I should require to think that over; but speaking on the spur of the moment, I should think Te Aute ought to supply all the needs if it was enlarged—if there were larger buildings and a larger income. 147. Mr. Ngata.] In cases of sickness what steps are taken?—ln the first instance, we try to prevent the boys getting sick by having everything clean and plenty of ventilation, and by looking after their health in any way. If they fall sick we have my daughter, who is an enthusiastic and trained nurse to look after them. There is a doctor nine miles away, and we can get him down on short notice, as we did one day last week. There is also a matron who looks after the boys. No expense or care is spared in the matter. 148. Is there any examination of the pupils on their admission to the College as to their state of health? —In the form of application I require very close statements about their health, and the Government, I think, do the same in the case of their scholars. 149. There is no medical examination as to a tendency towards consumption or anything of that kind?—No; but from long experience we can pretty well tell ourselves,