E.—l2.

84

|_E. SIMPSON.

25. Would you carry that further? Suppose a school of Grade 4 rose to Grade 5, would you allow her to remain ?—I see no reason why she should not. •~26. To carry that to a logical conclusion, it does not matter what size that school grew to, you think she should still remain as head teacher?—l think so. I do not see any- reason why women should be excluded from any position at all in the service. 27. What about the control of the boys in our schools, and military drill? —At present, as far as military drill is concerned, if the men drill the boys the women give physical drill to the i girls, and they also take an extra subject in sewing, which men cannot take, and that goes against the cadet work which the men do. I think in a school of that kind a junior male teacher should be quite competent to take the cadet work just as a junior female teacher will take sewing. 28. In Mr. McKenzie's school there is an average attendance of 926 : do you think that awoman should have the right to be head teacher of that school ?—I see no reason whatever why' a very competent woman should not have it. 29. Mr. Thomson.] Do you know of any reason why the Boards in Otago and Auckland exclude female teachers from the position of second assistant in schools of Grades 9 and 10 ?—One reason that has been offered to us is that we cannot take cadet work. 30. That is the only reason you are aware of? —I do not know of any other reason that has been brought forward. 31. You never heard it advanced that a woman could not carry on a school as efficiently as a male teacher?—l have not heard it from the Board as an official announcement. 32. You do not know whether these Boards have ever expressed that opinion? —I have not been in a position to know what opinion the Board has on that matter. Of course, the Board is entirely composed of men, and they would be apt to have one-sided opinions. 33. You considers female teacher is equally as capable as a male teacher of conducting any class of school in primary work?—l think so. In American schools I think a good deal of that is done by women, and we have one notable instance where a woman has done that. I will take the Mount Eden School. A woman there is in charge of a very large department of over three hundred children, and she organizes and manages that department with perfect satisfaction. If that number were doubled or trebled, Ido not see why she should not do it as well. Of course, the women in New Zealand do not get the opportunity to try to manage these big schools, so f cannot give you any certain information as to whether they could or could not do so, but I see no reason whatever why they should not be capable of it. Sometimes we are asked how we would deal with the big boys in case of difficulty. Well, my- experience has been that big boys are easier to manage than girls. I find that with tact and discretion you can go a long way, and many women manage them admirably. There is only one last resort women cannot take, and that is the cane, and if the final ground of preference between men and women is the ability to use the cane, then the best way to obviate the difficulty- would be to have well-regulated whippingmachines in the schools. 34. Do you think it would improve matters if women were eligible for seats on the Board?— I think they are eligible now, but it would improve matters considerably if they had seats on the Board. 35. Mr. Kirk.] Is there a real danger of the lady teachers resigning from the service if this scale of salaries is not revised? —I think so. We compiled a list —I have not got it with me —of women who have resigned during the last few years, and taken up other occupations. Some of them were very good teachers indeed. They did not resign to be married, but to take up other work. 36. Do you know the nature of the other work? —Yes; I know in two cases the women have gone into journalism, and in another case I think the woman is a typiste, but whether her salary has increased or not I cannot say; but she probably prefers a low salary there to the low salary in teaching, where the work is so very arduous. 37. You do not think it is to some extent matter of preference of employment, and that now these other "avenues are open it is merely preference of employment that has taken the ladies in these directions? —Of course, there may be something in that. In days gone by there was only one respectable occupation for women, and that was teaching. Nowadays there are many. 38. Do you think that the increasing status would be the desideratum after all?—It would largely tend to keep women in the profession. Dissatisfaction is rife throughout the whole of the Dominion now. We are in a position to know. The women are actually getting up a petition on the subject. 39. Apart from your evidence-in-chief, can you help us so far as your observations are concerned as to any improvements in the methods of teaching, or as to any improvements in the educational system from a woman's point of view? —Yes, we have recommendations to make, but another member of the executive is going to speak about them; she is prepared to answer any question on that topic. 40. Mr. Wells.] Did I understand you to say that the girls now coming forward are not equal to those who came forward in the past? —I did not positively say they were not, but I think it is more difficult to induce girls of that type to do so. I am speaking from personal experience, because I have tried to get two or three girls of my acquaintance to enter the profession, but they are all looking ahead, and they are looking so far ahead that they do not like it. 41. You are aware, I suppose, that a far greater number of girls offer than boys?— Yes, I know there are. You will always get women in your schools; there is absolutely no doubt about that. 42. You know it is a difficult matter to get a supply of males? —I know it is difficult to get either.