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schools at Blenheim, a teacher's residence in Canvas Town, an addition to the Grove Town School, and a new school and residence at Havelock Suburban, and smaller repairs to many of the other schools and residences. Schools are required in Picton and Havelock,' and residences in Picton, Havelock, and Spring Creek. About £400 will probably be required for assisting local efforts in new districts, in the Sounds and other outlying places. Expendituee.—ln its ordinary expenditure the Board has very nearly balanced payments and receipts, the balance in band at the close of 1879 being £622 Is. 2d., and at the end of 1880, £635 17s. 4d., which, however, includes £75 ss. 7d., the remains of the building grant, which, being therefore deducted from the last-mentioned balance, shows that our expenditure has exceeded our revenue on ordinary account by £61 9s. sd. This result ought to be considered very satisfactory, seeing that during the later months of the year —from August onwards —the revenue received was less than usual by the amount heretofore granted for the School Committees. Your Board desires to call your attention to the low rate at which it maintains its departmental expenditure, notwithstanding the increase in the number of the schools and in the average attendance. I have, &c, The Hon. the Minister of Education, Wellington. A. P. Seymoue, Chairman.

Geneeal Statement of Receipts and Expendituee for the Yeae ending 31st December, 1880. Receipts. £ s. d. Expenditure. £ s. d. To Balance, Ist January, 1880— By Office and Board— Maintenance Account ... ... 622 1 2 Office staff, salaries ... ... 112 10 0 Special Buildings Grant ... ... 405 9 7 Departmental contingencies ... 51 10 8 Grants from Government— School Inspection —■ Statutory capitation (£3 155.) ... 3,051 9 0 Salaries... ... ... ... 125 0 0 Grants to Committees (10s.) ... 246 1 8 Travelling expenses ... ... 66 3 0 - Scholarships (Is. 6d.) ... ... 32 411 Teachers'salaries and allowances .., 3,094 12 4 Inspection subsidy ... ... 227 3 0 School Committees, for educational purSpecially for buildings ... ... 1,250 0 0 poses... ... ... ... 317 3 6 Payments by School Commissioners from Scholarships— education reserves ~, ... 179 3 6 Paid to holders ... ... ... 40 1 0 Fees for district high schools ... 38 10 0 Expenses of examinations ~. ... 6 6 0 From Public Libraries Vote ... ~. 75 2 3 School-Buildings—■ Sale of old bricks ... ... ... 110 0 New buildings ... ... ... 711 0 0 School Commissioners (secondary edtica- Enlargement, improvement, and retion), for scholarships ... ... 17 7 0 pairs ... ... ... 569 16 6 School furniture and appliances (not included in preceding) ... 229 0 3 Plans, supervision, &c. ... ... 70 7 3 Library Committees, out of Public Libraries Vote ... ... ... 76 2 3 Contingencies ... ... ... 220 High School fees refunded to Committees ... ... ... 38 10 0 Balance on 31st December, 1880 ... 635 17 4 £6,146 2 1 £6,146 2 1 John T. Robinson, Secretary. Auditor's Certificate. —Examined and passed.—R. Macalistee, Provincial District Auditor.

NELSON. Sic,— Nelson, 3rd March, 1881. I have the honor to submit to you the report of the Education Board of the District of Nelson for the year ending December 31st, 1880. The Boaed. —The Board has met fourteen times during the year, the average number of members present at each meeting being eight. School Attendance. —Sixty-five schools were at work at the close of 18S0, two schools having been closed and nine opened during the year. The number of scholars on the roll at the end of 1879 was 3,737 ; at the end of 18S0 it was 3,934 ; the working average at the same dates being 2,935 and 3,008 respectively. School-Buildings.—Although the most rigid economy has been exercised in the expenditure of the building-grant, the means at the disposal of the Board are far from enabling it to overtake the demand for new school-buildings, even of the plainest and cheapest design and construction. In the City of Nelson the Board is still obliged to resort to the expedient of renting more or less unsuitable school-buildings, while in the country districts it has been found impossible to dispense with several old and ill-contrived buildings, simply because sufficient funds to replace them with better structures are not available. Were it not, indeed, for the system of aided schools, five of which were opened during 1880 —three more being now almost ready to begin work, —the spread of education in the outdistricts would have been arrested some time ago. The burden, however, of putting up even the most inexpensive school-buildings at their own cost falls heavily on the struggling inhabitants of newlysettled districts, who have but little time, and less money, to spare from their more immediate and pressing necessities. Yet it is clear that the allowance of £3 10s. yearly for each scholar in daily attendance, at present made to aided schools by the Board, is quite as much as can be spared, leaving as it does a narrow margin for general purposes. School Requisites.—Until the beginning of last year it had been the practice of the Board to supply books and other school material to all scholars free of cost, on the requisition of head teachers, and subject to the discretion of the Inspector. But it was beginning to be felt, even before the