The Hawaiian gazette., 1900-05-04
OUR SCHOOLS
The Report Of Minister
Mott-SmIth.
Head Of the Department Of Public
Instruction Publishes His
Biennial Statement.

The report OF the Minister OF Public
obstruction. Honorable E. A. Mott
Smith. appeared yestei day. The bien-
NAL period ending December 81, 1893,
was marked by rapid increase Of
school population and corresponding
hack of school accommodations and
FINANCES. Progress, however, has been
made.
The greatest hardship perhaps has
fallen On the teachers On account Oh
resolution passed by the Comm sslon-
krs of rublIc Instruction last April, to
the effect that 40 si.dIies "e'' - "e
raised until the next appropriation by
the Legislature IUI an! .ause "udsso-
ever, nor would any application for In
crease of salary be considered. Even
the schedule by which salaries are rd.s-
led was suspended. This action became
necessary because the pay roll OF the
teachers euralled the monthly pro rata
of the appropriation. A surplus which
had Dee44 Accommodated ui,l.no tue eaiIy
part of the period woulo have covered
Ia consider able excess of the pay roll
over the pro rata until the end of the
period. but by law this Surplus lapsed
alizalion, and could not be used.
Under these circumstances the De-
partn.ent feels that the subject OF
teachers' salaries should receive spe-
cial attention during the present bIen-
MAJ peI.OL. lac teachers Commit
tee now have the maL.er under consid-
Grafton, with view TO rearrdnglng
salaries and remoueling the scnedd.e,
which does not appear quite compete.
CERTAIN lmporldAt pFIAclp.es nave
been more c.e.rIy aedLed. 1 ne nlsI OF
these is LlaL an Classes, wheeler cltl-
zen OF alien, are enLiL.ed, wl.hout con-
dition, equally and alike TO Inc beAe-
i fl % q. a.-.e ouucaCIon. WIS principe
|contemplateS Slngl systein or
schools. wItn equal privileges, open and
|aCcessID4e 10 al. 4 acre are Obstacles
to the general acceptabilly OF TINS
| principe. but It's general application is
becoming more and more acceptable IN
both senses OF the word.
Last n4ay II WAS resolved that the
fees Tor attendance in all public schools
| in the Hawaiian Islands be, and the
same are hereby abolished. ms action
| TO take eAect It the beginning OF the
next school year" The lee as the cri-
terlon OF selection for the pupils for
the four select schools was found to be
relatively ineffective and wholly unde-
Sirable. The revenue from 1t was IN
significant, and it kept out from the
select schools pupils possessing the
proper qualifications.
The necessity of Matchmaking the
diverse components of our community
through the medium of schools has also
found expression; English has been
recognized as a measure OF qualification
in promotion.
"As regards manual and industrial
training, the tendency of the Commits
sioners appears to incline to the fact
that neither the value of academic nor
industrial nor manual training in our
ordinary schools can be oyer-e estimated.
They are interdependent. The ratio of
one to the other should depend upon
the temperament of the whole school
population which in Hawaii Is of an
industrial rather than of an academic |
cast. |
Manual training it is felt should |
form an important part of public in
struction in Hawaii. 1t Is peculiarly |
adapted to this country. Its value lies |
in the contribution to mental develop |
ment as a result of hand and eye train
ing. Its object, however, Is a knowl-
edge of how to do things rather than
dexterity in mechanical art"
After these genera statements the
report goes on to dea. specifically with
a large number OF interesting details
about hours, books and other matters,
and to list the new buildings of the
last period and those required during
this one. The report of the Inspector
General occupies large part of the
volume; and tho whole of the volume is
1T
not, and Is worth procuring and read
ing by every man and woman who ex-
poets TO live on these Islands.