E.—3

2

Head teachers of Native schools now receive salary at the same rate as do head teachers of public schools, and the payments are subject to similar conditions. Prior to the revision of the salary scheme the amount paid in salaries for 1906 was £17,519, for 1908 it was £20,292, and under the revised scale coming into force this year a further increase is effected. The average salary paid to head teachers of Native schools for the year 1908 was El6B Us. 7d. The staffs of the village schools included seventy-six masters and nineteen mistresses in charge, one hundred and six assistants, and five sewing-teachers. At the end of the year the standard classification of the children in the village schools was as follows :— Class P.. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,939 Standard I . . . . .. . . . . .. . . 465 Standard II .. .. .. .. .. ..524 Standard 111 .. .. .. .. .. ..536 Standard IV .. .. .. .. .. .. 376 Standard V .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 246 Standards VI and VII . . .. .. .. .. 131 Six certificates of proficiency and twenty-four of competency were gained in these schools during the year. The number of European children in Native schools at the end of the year was 410, of whom 376 were in the preparatory class and lower_ standards, and 34 in Standards VI and VII. Two certificates of proficiency and seven of competency were gained by European children during the year. The classification according to ra«e of the children at the 31st December, 1908, was as follows: — Maori or nearly so .. .. .. .. 80-5 per cent. Half-castes speaking Maori .. .. .. .. 7-9 ~ Half-castes speaking English .. .. .. .. 1-9 „ Europeans .. . . .. .. . . .. 9-7 ~ There were 4,429 children of Maori or mixed race attending public schools : of these, 63-51 per cent, were Maori, 6-25 per cent, of mixed race living as Maoris, and 30-21 per cent, of mixed race living as Europeans. Twenty-six certificates of proficiency and fifteen of competency were gained during the year by Maori children in public schools. So far as statistics are available the number of persons in New Zealand of Maori and of mixed race receiving instruction at the end of the year 1908 may be summarised as follows (omitting Maoris attending secondary schools and Maoris at certain schools not under Government inspection, of whom no separate return is made) : —■

No. 2. The Inspectors of Native Schools to the Inspector-General of Schools. Sir,— Wellington, 22nd March, 1909. In accordance with instructions, we have the honour herewith to place before you our report on the general condition of the Native schools and the work done by them during the year 1908. New Schools, kit., 1908. At the end .if fche year 1907 there were ninety-nine village scl Is in operation. During the year 1908 seven new schools were opened, live were transferred to Education Boards, and four were closed, so that there were ninety-seven schools working at the end of 1908. The new schools opened during the year were — Waiuku, Manukau Harbour ; Mataora Bay, neai W'aihi, Bay of Plenty ; Wharekawa, near Tairua, Bay of Plenty; Ngongotaha, near Rotorua ; Moliti Island, near Tauranga, Bay of Plenty ; Taemaro, near Mangonui ; and Kakanui, in Kaipara district. At four of these places— Waiuku, Ngongotaha, Taemaro, and Kakanui —school is being conducted for the present in temporary buildings, The following schools were transferred to the Boards of Education in their respective districts : ■ Puniho, in Taranaki; The Neck, in Southland ; Little River, Rapaki, and Kaiapoi, in North Canterbury.

Actual Number. Number per 10,000 of Maori Population at Consus of 1900 (47,731). I. Primary schools—■ (a.) Government Native schools (6.) Mission-schools (c.) Public schools 4,217 215 4,429 883-5 I .VI i 927-9 II. Secondary schools II. Special technical training 8,861 303 13 1,856-4 63-5 2-7 Totals . . 9,177 1,922-6