A.*"~-~0.

The Resident Commissioner in Niue seems to suggest a scheme of education that involves the teaching of English to all Natives, and, although Colonel Gudgeon's expression of opinion is not quite so explicit, yet I infer that he holds the same views. Evidently the same policy should, as far as possible, be carried out in respect of the inhabitants of all the islands. 1 take it, therefore, that 1 am not wrong in assuming that the direction of Cabinet that the New Zealand system of education should be extended to the Cook Islands implies an adaptation of the Native-school system as carried out in New Zealand. 1 have said "adaptation," because to apply the New Zealand system fully would mean for the present the staffing of all the schools with European teachers, which would involve an expenditure of about £15,000 per annum, for which I presume the Government is not at present prepared. If the schools are not all staffed at once with European teachers, then time must be allowed for the training of Native teachers, especially in English and in manual work suited to the local conditions prevailing in the islands, for I take it that, as in our Maori village schools, these two subjects should receive by far the largest amount of attention. In a previous memorandum I have suggested that in Rarotonga there should be an institution consisting of two branches —viz. : (a.) A high school for the best pupils from the primary schools (and, perhaps, as Colonel Gudgeon seems to suggest, for the children of European residents in Avarua). The greatest stress should be laid, as in our Maori schools, on English and on industrial occupations; for this reason the land should be good and sufficient, (b.) A training school for teachers. The head of the training school and of the high school could be the same person, and, if his assistant were a well-qualified European, the headmaster could superintend and inspect the village schools. Both of these should be fully staffed. To give more, say, than twenty-five to thirty pupils to each fully qualified European teacher would be to court almost certain failure; or if there were not complete failure, I am sure that the results would be very disappointing in proportion to the expenditure. The numbers in the high school should therefore be limited to the number that can be effectively taught by the staff. I suggest that, if there are two teachers besides the superintendent, the number should be limited to seventy-five. The conditions for admission might be that the pupils should be, whether European or Maori, not under ten, should be able to transcribe in their mother-tongue four or five lines of easy prose, should know the numbers up to 100, and be able to do, orally, easy sums in these numbers. In the training college there should be from twelve to twenty student-teachers. They could obtain practice in the high school under the supervision of the English staff. The students should have passed satisfactorily through a high-school course, and the "professional" training should take from two to four years, according to the individual. Meanwhile the village schools should be left as they are; but whenever a trained teacher was available for a school, that school should be taken over and managed somewhat as a New Zealand Maori school is, under the general direction of the Superintendent. In course of time all the schools would be supplied with trained teachers. A similar double institution should be established at Alofi in Niue, perhaps another in Aitutaki, and eventually one or two others. If buildings are required for the school and students, the sum of £2,000 would probably be sufficient in each case—that is, if the cost of building in Rarotonga does not greatly exceed that in New Zealand. But probably existing buildings could be used for a time. For this scheme the following is my estimate of the annual expenditure in each place: Salary of Superintendent, £350; salary of first assistant, £200; salary of second assistant, £150; cost of boarding, say, fifteen students, £300; incidentals, £100: total, £1,100 per annum. The cost of the village schools Colonel Gudgeon puts down at £20 each for the salary of the teachers. I doubt whether a trained teacher, when he knew that he could earn in other ways (e.g., agriculture) more than this, would be willing to work for so little. Underpaid and therefore inefficient teachers would kill the scheme, and it would be better to leave things as they are than to introduce an inefficient scheme. As suggested in my memorandum of the Bth May, 1905, I think it would be of benefit if one of the Inspectors of Native Schools were once, say, in three years to visit the islands. Summary. If it is decided to anglicize the Natives —that is, to treat them in the same way as the Maoris are being treated in New Zealand —I recommend— 1. The establishment of two institutions (combined high school and training-school) as described, one in Rarotonga and one in Alofi, the number to be increased, if necessary, later on. 2. These institutions should be well staffed. 3. That the village schools should be taken over as soon as trained (Native) teachers are ready for them, and that they should be then treated as Maori village schools are with us. I ask for direction as to whether I am to draw up regulations on the lines indicated above. G. HOGBBN.

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