E.—l

81

Classification of Teachers. —ln 1879 the number of teachers who held or were entitled to hold certificates was 69 per cent., while in 1880 the percentage was 70 nearly. The reason for the increase being so small is not far to seek. It is due mainly to the fact which has been already referred to —the existence of so many weak schools in the district, for which, owing to the low salaries offered, it cannot be expected that teachers, even of a low classification, will apply. The Board has, therefore, no other alternative than to appoint young men of good character and fair education as temporary teachers, on condition that they sit at the first examination which takes place after their appointment. Finance. —A detailed statement of the income and expenditure of the Board for the year ending 31st December, 1880, is inserted in the appendix, from which it will be seen that the income of the Board from all sources was £22,012 2s. lid., and the expenditure for the same period £20,563 2s. sd, Owing to the reduction in the Parliamentary vote for education, it was found necessary to make corresponding reductions in the expenditure of the Board. After careful consideration, the following resolutions were agreed to : (1.) Salaries under £150 to be left untouched. (2.) Salaries from £150 to £200 to be reduced 4 per cent. (3.) Salaries from £200 to £300 to be reduced 6 per cent. (4.) Salaries from £300 to be reduced 7 per cent. (5.) Bonuses to teachers to be reduced 50 per cent. (6.) Allowances to Committees to be reduced 50 per cent. (7.) The allowances to members attending meetings of the Board to be confined to the actual expenses incurred. School Fund. —A decided improvement has been effected by the Board in the mode of calculating and distributing the allowances to School Committees. The former scale was constructed so as to allow £20 to all schools having an average attendance of 24 pupils and under, and £10 for every 50 pupils in average attendance above that number. This scale was found not only to be too liberal, but to be marked by a groat inequality in the sums allocated to Committees. For example, a school with an average attendance of 99 received £40, while'another with 100, or one pupil more, received £50 a year. The problem which the Board had to solve was to discover a method of distribution which would combine economy with equality. This has been most satisfactorily accomplished by the following'resolution, which was adopted after very careful consideration: " Every school in the district will receive a fixed sum of £20 a year, along with the sum of ss. for each pupil in average attendance above 24 for the quarter preceding that for which the allowance is payable; the balance (if any) at the end of the year to be divided among the subsidized schools." This scale commends itself on account of its simplicity, and the fairness with which the various sums are apportioned among the several Committees. In justice to many of the Committees, it ought to be mentioned that, supplementary to their allowances from the Board, they have raised for various purposes, by means of donations, voluntary contributions, and entertainments, the sum of £669 16s. sd. A more strenuous effort will require to be made this year in order to make up for the reduction of 50 per cent, in their allowances. The Board considers the present allowances to Committees altogether inadequate to meet the costs necessarily incurred by them in their department of school management. School Statistics. —In the appendix to this report will be found the statistics of each school for the year 1880, showing the area of each school, the number of pupils at the beginning and the end of the year, the number on the roll, and the strict and average attendance for each quarter. It may be interesting as well as instructive to present in a tabulated form the number of pupils at schools in the district for 1880 as compared with 1878 and 1879, in respect of ages, standards, and subjects prescribed by the Act. Table I. —Ages. 1878. 1879. 1880. Under 5 years ... ... ... ... 80 219 202 5 and under 7 ... ... ... ... 524 806 928 7 „ 10 ... ... ... ... 1,086 1,473 1,645 10 „ 13 ... ... ... ... 1,045 1,272 1,423 13 „ 15 ... ... ... ... 297 475 570 Above 15 years ... ... ... ... 44 99 123 Table II. —Standards. 1878. 1879. 1880. Infants ... ... ... ... ... 439 764 1,065 Preparing for Standard I. ... ... ... C 56 1,054 1,064 11. ... ... ... 541 676 1,018 lIL ... ... ... 494 739 829 IV. ... ... ... 402 497 540 V. ... ... ... 226 239 264 VI. ... ... ... 99 93 108 Passed Standard VI. ... ... ... 5. 1 5

Table III.—Subjects.

1878. 1879. 18S0. 1878. 1879. 1880. Reading Writing Arithmetic 3,076 2,459 2,416 1,680 1,746 529 4,344 4,024 4,012 1,812 2,192 1,340 4,891 4,771 ■ 4,617 2,294 ' 2,925 1,702 Science Drawing Object-lessons ... Vocal music Needlework Domestic economy 208 618 908 577 692 65 658 1,962 2,639 2,800 1,196 67 939 2,622 3,301 3,529 1,606 57 Grammar Geography History