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9. The Chairman.] On whose recommendation ? — I think, on the Inspector's recommendation. If you had grades of Inspectors, the juniors could be employed in the remote country districts. When in the north I had charge of ninety schools, which I think was an absurdly large number. If you had junior Inspectors at £300 a year, able young men, who would take charge of a district and remain in it for a year or two, putting their best work into it and qualifying for £350 in a better district, it would be a good idea. But you want more Inspectors, and want to give them fifty schools each, not ninety. 10. Mr. Pirani.] Do you not think that such a scheme would involve an enormous increase in the number of Inspectors I —l think it would. But if you had the standards grpuped in the way I suggest, you could place competent assistants in charge of the schools, with one head teacher in control of a group of, say, four or five schools. That head teacher would then perform practically the functions of an Inspector. The fetish of a headmaster for every school under such conditions wants to be waved away. I think we have one of the most magnificent systems of education in the world, but Ido think it requires organizing from top to bottom, and wants to absolutely change its obsolete method of organization. 11. Do you think it would assist in making teachers more competent if in the remote parts of the district there were special schools —say, one- or two-teacher schools —where other teachers could be sent for a short or long time to observe the best method ?—I am sure it would. The most important work done in this country is being done in the model schools connected with the training colleges. If you had what in effect would be a model school in every group of schools —if in the northern district, with a group of fifty schools, you had a model school—for the management of a sole-teacher school is really the most difficult work known to- teachers —it would be a great advantage. It is all a question of method. If you had model schools of that type their management would be the main function of the Inspector in charge of the district. 12. Would it not be wise to place a good teacher in charge of such a school, giving him, say, £100 a year more than his ordinary salary would be ?—Unquestionably. It would really be economy. 13. Mr. Wells.] Do you think it would be an advantage if the Inspectors had more freedom of action in regard to inspection and examination—that they might be allowed to exempt a school which they knew to be thoroughly efficient, in order to help the weaker school % —lt might be possible under conditions such as that —that the Inspector, instead of having fifty schools, might have ninety schools. For instance, in the northern district I could have left out twenty really efficient schools that did not require me, and I am confident that I should have paid much more attention to the schools that did require me. There are any number of schools that never need to be visited by the Inspector. It would be advisable in such cases to go occasionally, if only to encourage the teachers in the good work they are doing. As I have said, there were numbers of schools in the northern district that I could have left alone, and I may add that I examined the Auckland City School with Mr. Mulgan for five years in succession, and I know that he agreed with me that we might have spent our time much better in another way. 14. What is your opinion on the question of putting the Inspectors under the Central Department ?—I do not know the central Department well enough to say. I think theoretically that Inspectors should be under the central Department. 15. If that were done, do you not think that under each Board there should be a capable adviser— a sort of resident Inspector ? —There would have to be an adjustment of rights as between the Department and the Board with respect to the control over Inspectors. I think it would be very desirable if each Board should have an adviser corresponding with the present Chief Inspectors. 16. With regard to the assisting of country teachers, do you think there would be any advantage in appointing an especially capable headmaster to exercise some sort of advisory control over the schools in his neighbourhood ? —That would logically follow from what I have just stated. I certainly think so. If you are going to keep the schools as they are, with all the standards right through, lam not quite certain that our schools should not be much larger than they are, in order to make it possible to classify the children into three separate entities. 17. Was the scheme you read to us drawn up before freedom of classification came into operation ? —No, subsequently. 18. Do you not think that the freedom of classification that now exists has done away with some of the evils you mentioned ? —No. In'point of fact, it was I that proposed the freedom of classification at the Inspectors' Conference. Would you specify the evil you refer to ? 19. With regard to trying to push the dull pupils along faster than they are really able to go ? —On the whole it has not done as much good as it ought to have done. My point is that in the larger centres the dull pupil ought not to be there. In the small country schools it does not matter, because there is no class teaching ;it is individual teaching. In a big centre such as Auckland you have class teaching, and must rely upon class teaching, and the boy who must take four hours before he can understand a sum ought not to be sitting beside a boy who can understand that sum in four minutes. 20. Do you not think that if Standard IV pupils were asked to walk two miles there would be a good deal of outcry ? —That is probable, but I do not think the distance would be two miles in many cases if there were three centres in Auckland. Assuming that Newmarket were one centre, the Onehunga children could come in by train, and the Remuera children would not be a very great distance away. I do not know that in a young country such as this the Government should not consider the question of subsidizing the Tramways Company to bring pupils in. It would certainly be an economy as against separate schools. 21. Have you anything to say on the question of grading ?—The grading of the teachers in the Auckland Province is largely due to myself. When I was a member of the Board I brought forward