E.—l

distribution of grants according to population, contending that special consideration is due to districts that were ill-provided with schools when the Education Act came into operation. The Otago Board also objects to the principle, and would prefer a distribution according to school attendance.

TABLE L.—School-Buildings Expenditure.

At the end of 1881 the Boards had balances in hand on building account alone amounting to £18,390 4s. 3d., beside which they were entitled to receive balances, since paid to them out of last year's vote for buildings, to the amount of £43,582, so that there was altogether £61,972 4s. 3d. at their disposal for building purposes. Against this is to be set £35,349 10s. Id. for works in hand at the end of the year, leaving £26,622 14s. 2d. for proposed new works. The Boards have supplied estimates of works which they think should be undertaken, the total cost of which would be £172,065 ss. 6d. Deduct from this amount the above stated sum of £26,622 14s. 2d., and there remains £145,442 11s. 4d. as the estimated cost of proposed works for which no provision has yet been made. Table No. 4a, Appendix, page 4, shows the receipts and expenditure of each Board during five years on account of buildings, and the balances above referred to; and Table No. 4b gives a summary of each Board's proposals and estimates for buildings, together with some statistics which afford the means of judging to some extent of the reasonableness of the demands. The table No. 4b shows that in every district, except that of Wellington, there is sufficient accommodation for all the children on the school-rolls if it were distributed with perfect suitability, but that there are about 1,000 children (most of them being in Otago and Southland) in excess of the accommodation in a few crowded schools. To make room for these children, and to provide for about 6,500 others who are at present either unprovided for or taught in hired buildings, enlargements and new buildings are proposed, with space for between 12,000 and 13,000 children. The districts that anticipate the largest proportional additions of new scholars are South Canterbury, Hawke's Bay, Taranaki, and Otago. The proposals include 135 schools altogether new, additions to 45 old ones, and new schools to take the places of 6 old ones condemned as unfit for use. The number of hired schoolrooms is 96, of which 43 are in Auckland district alone, and a large proportion in the districts of Maiiborough and Hawke's Bay. It is also proposed to build masters' houses in connection with 190 schools: at j>rcsent there are 266 schools without residences, 105 of them in Auckland district, and a large proportion in the districts of Westland, Taranaki, Wellington, and Nelson. The estimate of capitation grants for the present financial year is the same as that for the last financial year, which, from the causes that have been already stated, proved to be £12,000 in excess of what was actually paid. Several of the Boards in their reports, express the opinion that the principle of payment accord-

XI

c S3 II Education Districts. £ ■o g Z Q s-s o rf o 2 -a om ° M bfi d.S.3 z New Buildings. School Improvements, F«™'urc and preceding. Expenditure in 1881 U ipon Plans, Supervision, and other Expenses. Total. Purchase ol' Sites. Auckland Taranaki Wanganui Wellington Hawke's Bay Marlborough Nelson ... Worth Canterbury South Canterbury Westland Otago ... Southland 194 30 57 48 36 20 70 129 33 35 63 869 836 89 "5 42 27 23 •4 40 122 28 138 52 604 569 43 £ s. d. 8,522 14 6 667 5 11 628 19 8 2,501 19 9 2,567 14 7 130 o o 1,036 5 8 5,245 17 ' 449 10 6 1,661 5 9 2,461 19 7 1,485 11 o £ s. d. 3>9'3 2 o 164 2 9 i,453 '9 3 2,828 3 5 313 10 10 448 2 Oj 522 8 4 4,007 3 6 546 6 8 1,850 9 9 2,568 3 5 936 10 2 £ s. a. 1,798 7 5 80 11 11 120 726 14 7 : 198 8 5 47 '5 6 214 19 3 912 11 g 131 14 6 429 17 7 207 13 o 152 4 4 ■ £ s. d. 2,045 10 7 46 2 1 £ s. a. 709 3 11 75 o o 57 1 3 374 8 o 37° 8 3 22 14 9 38 16 9 739 o 1 22 19 5 208 2 9 502 11 2 37i o 2 £ s. d. 16,988 18 5 1,033 2 8 2,141 2 2 6,431 5 9 3.650 2 1 648 12 3 1,862 o o 11,156 2 5 1,150 11 1 4,441 12 10 5,805 17 2 2,945 5 8. 4 s 8 5 8 200 o o 3 2 49 10 o 251 10 o 4 11 3 291 17 0 65 10 o Totals for 1881... Totals for 1880... 96 89 27,359 4 o 7M4i 9 5 '9:552 2 I 30,476 7 4! 4,902 o 3, 8,210 4 10 2,949 19 8 1,832 11 7 3,491 6 6 5,449 8 8 1,958 2 2 58,254 12 6 117,410 1 10 Decrease 44>o82 5 5 10,924 5 3 3,308 4 7 , 59,'55 9 4