E.—l2.

H . A. E. MILNES.]

103

Supposing there were two classes of efficiency, A and B. Those children who showed good chestcapacity, and had showed attention to health and had gone in for swimming and life-saving, --should get a certificate of proficiency of Grade A; and those who had not passed the physical test, but had merely passed a mental test, should only get one of Grade B. It seems to me that .would be an excellent thing to lift up the attitude of the people at large towards physical culture. "Everybody should be healthy 7,' and very few are, speaking generally; and I think if people paid more attention to this work in schools they would be doing valuable service, because it would react so much on the mental side. Of course, healthy people are those who always do the best mental work. Another thing I would like to mention is the question of bursaries for travelling. So far as I know, there is no definite scheme here for young teachers who are anxious to improve their outlook to go abroad. There has been some talk, at various Conferences with regard to an exchange of teachers, and I think it might be a good thing if specially selected students who have been through the training college and been teaching in a school for several years, could have their fares paid to England or to some other country. They could teach while over there, because that is the best way to find out what is going on in educational work, so that no maintenance would be required while they 7 were away. I would suggest that they should sign a bond to come back to New Zealand and teach here, so that our children may have the benefit of their wider experience. It seems to me that would be an additional incentive to teachers. At the present time the conditions are not so attractive that good men will stay in the profession, and if an inducement of this sort were held out to them I think they would work more willingly. I have one other suggestion, and it is in connection with nomenclature. I would like to see used, instead of the word " Inspector," the word " Adviser." I think " Adviser-General " would sound just as well as " Inspector-General." When I first came here I was struck with the way the word Inspector was used —Inspector of Police, Inspector of Noxious Weeds, and Inspector of so-and-so. Inspector implies looking for something wrong, and I do not think that is just the spirit we should have in connection with education. An Inspector does not go to a school to ferret out faults there, but rather to advise the teacher, and help him in every way. I think if the word " Adviser " were used it would create a better feeling, and would be more in accordance with the modern attitude of Inspectors towards the teachers of schools. Of course, you cannot compel people to use the word " Adviser," but it might be used exclusively in official documents. Similarly, the indiscriminate use of the words " school " and " college " leads to much misunderstanding. When I first came here I was particularly struck with the class of children in the Normal School. I found there the children of doctors and lawyers and professional men generally, and I was very favourably impressed by the fact that the people as a whole were quite willing to use the primary schools for the education of their children; but it seems to me that there has since been a deterioration in this respect. Class feeling has sprung up, and private secondary schools and colleges so-called, such as King's College, have grown very largely since I have been here, whfch seems to indicate that people prefer to send their children to these private class schools. I think it is unfortunate it should be so. I think our primary schools should give the best education, and that everybody in the community should be willing to send their children to them. The word "college," it seems to me, is misused altogether. These private schools usually call themselves colleges, and the ordinary parent who does not understand thinks that the college, so-called, is a better institution than a school. I think it would be far better if in official documents all schools should be called plainly schools, and that the term "college" should be reserved only for the four University Colleges. The training college, I think, is wrongly named. I think it should be a school of teaching, just as one talks about a school of mines. I think confusion would be avoided if this system of nomenclature were adopted in all official documents. 2. Mr. Davidson.] You stated you had 100 students : is that the number in the other three training colleges? —I think so 3. Do y 7 ou know if your plan of providing practice in teaching is that adopted in the other centres?—No; the plan of having a normal school, of course, is, but not the plan of having picked assistants. 4. In your opinion, the providing of one normal school in each centre at which students may get practice in teaching is insufficient? —-Well, insufficient as it stands by itself; but if the plan we have in Auckland of using these other assistants were adopted, it may be sufficient. 5. You spoke about the advisability of providing bursaries for sending New Zealand teachers to other countries, and you mentioned England particularly, and suggested that these teachers might be employed there in teaching in different schools and receive salaries. Seeing that there is an oversupply of teachers in England at the present time, do you think it would be possible to do that?— Quite possible, because just now there is a strong feeling in favour of New Zealand, and I think the people at Home would be willing to do anything to favour New Zealand people. I am quite sure, if the New Zealand authorities took action in the matter, it might be arranged. Of course, it might lead to an exchange of teachers. 6. You spoke of English teachers being imported to supply the deficiency at present existing in New Zealand : do you think that if these teachers were sent to out-of-the-way schools they would be likely to be contented? —I think if the whole thing were properly explained to them before they came out, and they knew exactly the conditions under which they would work, they would not be discontented. I have had to do with two English teachers who wrote to me on this point. I told them very plainly what the facts were, and I put the case to them as badly as I could; however, they came out here, and they went to backblocks schools, and they like the work very much; in fact, they are delighted with it. If that has happened in two cases, I do not see why it should not happen in others. All that is necessary is that the position should be properly explained to them before they leave.

16— E. 12,