The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1858-07-22
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.


W r
10 tks Ns5ses and Representatives Of the Hawaiian
Abeads, IN Lsgisiatipe Council .Assembled:
The report I now have the honor to submit will in
clude the business and transactions Of the Department
Of Public Instructina for two years; that is, from
Jan. l, 1856, to IAN. l, 1858, and so much OF the
current year as the returns and documents In the Of
fce will enable me to lay before you.
During this period the Board Of Education has
used is best endeavors to conduct the business Of the
Department with regularity and efficiency; and it is
but simple justice for me to say, that the duties and
responsibilities imposed upon my two colleagues in
this work have not been Of q triAing nature. All i'm
portant business has been admitted for their consid-
Grafton, and q record kept Of the action of the Board
thereon Their services have been rendered without
compensation, while they have been sufficiently bur-
dened with the cares and labors Of their own respect
i've departments.
In preparing this report, for the sake of convent
enoe, 1 shall follow essentially the same arrangement
a. in my former reports, and speak
LIST. OF the Common Free Schools.
ID OF the Select Schools.
3D. OF General Items the Haze Hatrdii, mar
riages, births, deaths, accounts, SC.
1sr, THE COMMON FREE SCHOOLS.
The islands are divided into twenty five school dis
tricfs, corresponding with the districts for taxation
purposes: Hawaii into eight; Maui into six, including
Molokai and Lanai; Oahu into five; Kauai into six,
Including Niihau.
Over each of these districts a School Inspector or
Superintendent and Treasurer are appointed by the
Board Of Education. and hold Office during its plea
Uore Inc Dfmer Is paio q salary out d m scnooi
money Of his district, varying from S25 to $50 a
year, according to the number Of schools under his
care and the extent Of the district. He is charged
with the care of all schoo. property in his district, has
the oversight Of all the public free schools. and re-
ports quarterly to the Department, by filing blanks
furnished him for the purpose He is also to see that
. registry is kept Of all the births and deaths that
occur in his district, which he does through the teach
srs under him, for which he pays 8 cents each, and
includes the number in his quarterly report. He is
also usually the agent for granting licenses to marry,
for each Of which he is entitled to charge % cents
The parents interested in each school have a right
20 meet and choose by ballot, annually, two trustees,
Who have Q voice in the local management OF that
school in the appointment and dismissal of the
teacher, the location, erection, care and repair of the
school house; 30 that the parents have a good protec-
ton against oppression or improper dictation on the
part Of the Inspector, If they choose to avail them
selves Of il; but in many Of the districts they are too
indifferent to meet and elect trustees.
The duty Of the School Treasurer in each district is
simply to receive the school tax when collected, keep
il safely, and disburse it to the orders of the Inspec-
tor, for which service he is entitled to a commission
Of Ave per cent Beyond this he has no official con-
troll whatever over the public schools
The two statistical tables found at the end of this
report are made up from the quarterly returns of the
School Inspectors and Treasures of the twenty-five
districts for the last two years, ending Dec. 81, 1857,
and exhibits the following results, viz: