79

E.—l.

Drawing Master's Department.—The report of the Headmaster of the Drawing Department will be found in Appendix H. This department has suffered considerably in consequence of the general retrenchment. The services of the principal assistant had to be dispensed with, and the teaching of drawing was discontinued in a number of outlying but important schools. The total expenditure on the department amounted to £876 ss. lOd. for the year, the receipts from fees being £143 19s. Scholarships.—Eighteen scholarships—9 junior and 9 senior—were offered for competition at the end of the year, and were duly awarded to the competitors who stood first at the examination. The number of junior scholars at the end of the year was 11, and that of senior scholars was 12. It is pleasing to find that most of the winners of senior scholarships at this year's examination gained junior scholarships two years ago. The holders of senior scholarships gained during previous years have also taken a distinguished position at the advanced schools at which they have been prosecuting their education. The appendix contains the report of the examiners, the examination-papers, the names of those holding scholarships, and other supplementary information connected with this matter. School-Buildings.—Tour department allowed this district for school-buildings out of the current year's vote the miserably inadequate sum of £6,000. The estimate of the Board's requirements, made out early in the year and submitted to the department, was £43,372 4s. 7d. In the course of the year the sum of £25,279 19s. 2d. was expended on school-buildings, a sum which is more than four times as great as that granted by the department, and nearly £20,000 in excess of it. The Board cannot count upon making any saving from the statutory capitation grant, all of which is required to meet the current cost of salaries and management. There are at present under consideration a greater number of applications for the erection of new schools and of additions to old ones than for some years past. Not only is settlement extending and rendering the erection of new schools necessary, but in many districts provided with schools of the smallest class the attendance is growing so greatly that enlargement or the erection of an additional class-room can no longer be delayed. If this is not done the schools will either be crowded to excess or children will have to be refused admission. For some time past the Board has found it desirable, in rural schools, to replace the pupil-teacher and sewing teacher granted, when an average attendance of 50 is reached, by a female teacher, at a salary of £70 per annum —an arrangement which costs about the same as the staff formerly allowed. Few country schools are large enough for a master and mistress to carry on their work efficiently in the same room, so that new additions are frequently required in consequence of this improvement in the school staff. Under these circumstances the Board would urge on your notice the great necessity that exists for making much more liberal provision for necessary school-buildings in this important and extensive district than was done for the past year. In consequence of the want of funds the Board has had to postpone the erection of a number of urgently-needed schools, and thus the list of applications now under consideration has been swelled. The Board desires to point out that, in the absence of provision for voters' rolls and for the taking of a poll at the elections of School Committees, the cumulative system of voting is very unsatisfactory, and suggests that the Act be amended to remedy this. By order of the Board. The Hon. the Minister of Education. P. G. Prtde, Secretary.

General Statement of Receipts and Expendituee for the Tear ending 31st December, 1880. Receipts. £ s. d. Expenditure, £ s. d. To Balance, let January, 1880—■ By Office and Board — Maintenance Account ... .... 8,678 8 9 Office staff, salaries ... ... 865 16 8 Grants from Government — Departmental contingencies ... 658 15 0 Statutory capitation (£3 155.) ... 51,764 14 1 School Inspection — Grants to Committees (10s.) ... 4,408 5 10 Salaries... ... ... ... 968 15 0 Scholarships (Is. 6d.) ... ... 693 5 4 Travelling expenses ... ... 418 10 3 Inspection subsidy ... ... 500 0 0 Printing ... ... ~, 51 0 0 Training of teachers ... ... 2,000 0 0 Examination of pupil-teachers ... 33 7 8 Specially for buildings ... ... 12,720 18 10 Teachers'salaries and allowances ... 52,056 15 11 Payments by School Commissioners from School Committees, for educational] pureducation reserves ... ... 5,393 15 11 poses ... ... ... ... 6,120 011 Eees for district high schools ... 94 15 0 Scholarships — Erom Public Libraries Vote... ... 1,008 16 9 Paid to holders ... ... ... 67113 4 School of Art fees ... ... ... 143 19 0 Expenses of examinations ... ... 38 7 0 Sale of old buildings ... ... 701 0 O Training of teachers ... ... ... 2,214 13 4 Sale of school sites ... ... ... 390 16 6 School-Buildings— Public library deposits ... ... 27116 7 New buildings ... ~. ... 16,930 18 8 Interest on credit balances ... ... 576 17 5 Enlargement, improvement, and re- ■ pairs ... ... ... 5,468 5 2 £89,347 10 0 School furniture and appliances (not Amount overdrawn in Bank of New included in preceding) ... ... 897 0 1 Zealand ... ... ... 1,580 11 1 Purchase of sites ... ... ... 460 0 0 Plans, supervision, &c. ... ... 985 17 7 Bent allowances ... ... ... 537 17 8 Library Committtees, out of Public Libraries Vote ... ... ... 674 1 0 Drawing-master's department— Salaries and expenses ... ... » 876 5 10 £90,928 1 1 £90,928 1 1 P. G. Peyde, Secretary and Treasurer. I have examined the above abstract, and compared it with the treasurer's books and records, and I certify it to be correct. —H. Livingston, Auditor,