44 PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. — SECTION III. 



of America and to Canada — to Massachussets. for example, and 

 Ohio in the former, and to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in 

 the latter. There the same tendencies form.erly existed towards 

 the establishment and multiplication of small single-teacher schools, 

 with the result that the provision made in the rural districts was 

 practically the same as that which I have described as existing 

 in South Africa. It was found impossible to improve these small 

 schools to any material extent, and moreover, as people were 

 drifting to the towns, the attendance tended gradually to 

 diminish rather than to increase. Recourse was eventually had 

 to a scheme of consolidation, in some cases one central school 

 replacing as many as nine small single-teacher schools. The 

 system w^as first tried in Massachussets, and there, in 1903, out of 

 353 school disti-icts, 285 were spending money on conveyance. In 

 the State of Ohio in 1897 nine district schools were abolished and 

 a consolidated school built at the centre, and since then the move- 

 ment for centralisation has spread throughout the State. Indeed, 

 so widespread and popular has the movement become that the 

 people boast that their country schools give an education as good 

 as that provided in the cities. The movement has extended to 

 many of the other States, and, as I have said, has also been adopted 

 in Canada. In the latter country, owing to the public spirit and 

 munificence of Sir William Macdonald, very important steps have 

 been taken in the direction of consolidation of schools and of the 

 improvement of their curriculum. His adviser. Professor Robert- 

 son, after personally investigating the working of the Ohio schools 

 and studying the effects of Nature Study and Manual Training 

 both in America and in Europe, initiated experiments, in the v/ay 

 of Consolidated Schools with an altered curriculum, in Nova Scotia 

 and New Brunswick. In order that the question of local rating 

 should not interfere with the experiments the schools were partially 

 maintained from the funds of the Macdonald Trust. The results 

 of this departure from the former educational arrangements are 

 very interesting, but I have no time to go into details. Notwith- 

 standing certain difficulties that had to be contended with, the 

 scheme has almost invariably proved a success. It has been found 

 that not only has the attendance increased but that it has become 

 more regular. The salaries and conditions of life of the teachers 

 have improved, and the methods of teaching and the curriculum 

 have been modified to great advantage. Notwithstanding all this, 

 there has been no material increase of cost, and in some cases there 

 has even been a considerable saving. 



The commonest method of transport is by school vans, which 

 are strongly but simply built to accommodate from 20 to 26 

 children. The contract is given annually to some suitable person 

 who makes the lowest tender, the School Committee defining the 

 routes and the conditions as regards the arrival at and departure 

 from the school. 



The change has not been brought about without considerable 

 opposition. One can sympathise with the desire of parents to 

 have schools as near their homes as possible, and it was to be 

 expected that the farmer with children of school age would use 



