99

E.—l

CANTERBURY. There have been let during the year 1880 nineteen reserves belonging to the primary education estate ; of these, three had been previously let, and had become vacant by abandonment. The transactions of this nature are, therefore : sixteen new lettings, total area 6,085| acres; and three re-lettings, total area 649| acres. There are unlet at present, belonging to the same estate, ten reserves containing 2,285 acres. Five of these, total area 1,971 acres, were advertised for leasing, but no tenders were received for them ; and the remaining five, containing 314 acres, are not yet surveyed. The whole of these lands are of very little value ; part of it is pastoral land, poor and stony, and part bush, on the Peninsula Hills. Another reserve (1126), 640 acres, is practically unlet. The lessees, who are virtually insolvent, requested that a surrender of the lease might be accepted, and the Board agreed thereto. It is thought well to postpone for two or three months the offering of this reserve for leasing, and it will probably be re-let from the Ist of May, 1881. The total area of the primary estate under lease on the 31st December, 1880, exclusive of Reserve 1126, is 42,176 } acres, and the annual rental receivable, £8,850 9s. Id. The secondary estate in the hands of the Commissioners comprises 1,766 acres, of which 43f acres is unlet, and the annual rental is £491 os. 6d. From the secondary estate funds there was granted, on the 31st December, 1880, to the Timaru High School, £217. This is the proportion of the net amount in the hands of the Commissioners at that date, which, by subsection 2 section 21 of " The Education Reserves Act, 1877," is applicable to the South Canterbury Education District; and, out of the sum then in hand due to the North Canterbury Education District, grants of £250 each were made to the Ashburton High School and to the Canterbury College for the Christchurch Girls' High School. The balance at the credit of the secondary estate on the 31st December, 1880, was £439 15s. 4d., of which £400 has been placed on deposit for twelve months. The sums mentioned in the Cash Account as having been written off as lost are: Reserve 1300, £2 13s. 9d., payable Ist May, 1879, and a similar amount payable Ist November, 1879—the lessee became bankrupt and there was no estate; Reserve 1126, £200, payable Ist May, 1880, referred to above. Of the rents payable Ist November, 1879, £9 7s. 6d. is still unpaid. Proceedings have been taken against the lessee in the Magistrate's Court for the recovery thereof. John Maeshman, Christchurch, sth January, 1881. Chairman.

General Statement of Receipts and Expenditure for the Year ended 31st December, 1880.

Receipts. Primary Education Estate. Secondary Education Estate. Total. To Balance brought down from 31st December, 1879... Arrears due 1st May, 1879, from last account (less written off as irrecoverable, £2 13s. 9d.) Arrears due 1st November, 1879, from last account (less written off as irrecoverable, £2 13s. 9d.... Moneys payable within the year 1880 and collected, viz.— £ s. d. 299 16 8 £ s. d. 824 5 4 £ s. -d. 1,124 2 0 240 13 3 240 13 3 841 6 0 841 6 0 On account of half-year's rent, payable in advance on the 1st May, 1880 On account of half-year's rent, payable in advance on the 1st November, 1880 Moneys not payable until 1881— One of the tenants in remitting by cheque his rent, payable 1st Nov., 1880, remitted too much by... Other Receipts — Coup, timber on Reserve 1232 Immigration Officer, rent of cottage on Reserve 1193 .. Bank of New Zealand, interest on £750, secondary education funds placed on deposit for twelve months. (See report, December 31st, 1879) 4,303 9 7 245 10 3 4,548 19 10 3,727 5 5 101 6 0 3,828 11 5 0 0 6 0 0 6 20 0 0 20 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 48 15 0 48 15 0 9,434 11 5 1,219 16 7 10,654 8 0