E.—9

30

2. Balance-sheet, March, 1882, to 31st March, 1884. Receipts. £ s. d. Expenditure. £ s. d. Bents of reserves.. .. .. .. 3GI 7 8 Teacher's salary .. .. .. .. 155 11 C School Commissioners .. .. .. 64 7 1 Printing, advertising, &c. .. ~ .. 26 011 School fees .. .. .. 97 16 9 Sundries .. .. .. .. 280 10 11 Balance .. .. .. 61 8 2 £523 11 6 £523 11 6

ASHBUETON HIGH SCHOOL. Balance-sheet for Year 1883. Receipts, £ s. d. Expenditure. & s. d. Fees .. .. .. .. .. 179 1 6 Balance due to bank .. .. .. 27 4 5 Rents .. .. .. .. .. 444 17 7 Salaries to masters for thirteen months .. 650 2 9 Books .. .. ~ .. 22 7 3 Incidental expenses ~ ~ .. 100 13 3 Interest .. .. ~ .. 28 16 0 Refund .. .. .. ~ .. 10 0 Balance due to hank ~ ~ ~ 101 18 1 £778 0 5 J2778 0 5 I have audited this account and find it correct. — J. Ollivier, Provincial District Auditor, Bth April, 1884.

TIMAEU HIGH SCHOOL. 1. Statement of Eeceipts and Expenditure from Ist January, 1883, to 31sfc December, 1883. Receipts. £ s. d. Expenditure. £ s. d. Balance from 1882 .. .. .. 592 12 5 Salaries account .. .. .. 2,078 0 0 School fees .. .. .. .. 745 4 0 Insurance .. .. .. .. 11 2 0 Rents of reserves .. .. .. 825 13 11 Printing .. .. .. .. 52 5 4 Government grant .. .. .. 400 0 0 Stationery .. .. .. .. 33 13 4 Interest on investments .. .. .. 11l 13 4 Cartage .. .. .. .. 110 0 Captain Cain's gift .. .. .. 5 0 0 Ironmongery and sundries .. .. 14 9 9 Overdraft at hank .. .. .. 181 3 7 Planting and seeds .. .. .. 7 3 6 Cheques outstanding .. .. .. 41 6 3 Legal expenses .. .. .. .. 13 18 2 Interest .. .. .. .. 2 2 0 Refund •.. .. .. .. 200 Petty cash .. .. .. .. 4 0 0 Fuel .. .. .. .. .. 14 10 0 Cleaning .. .. .. .. 4 18 Travelling expenses (Rector's) .. .. 7 5 0 Chemistry .. .. ' .. .. 114 6 Prizes .. .. .. .. .. 39 18 0 Furniture .. .. .. .. 7 10 6 Repairs .. .. .. .. 4 10 3 Bonus (teacher) .. .. .. ~ 5 0 0 Special prize .. .. .. .. 5 10 0 Invested on mortgage .. .. .. 500 0 0 Examination fees .. .. .. 50 0 0 Governors'travelling expenses .. .. 30 10 6 Cash in hand .. .. .. .. 11 19 0 £2,902 13 6 £2,902 13 6 G, Chatee Miles, Secretary. I have audited this account, and have compared the items with the vouchers, and find it correct. I object to the item " travelling expenses " paid for the attendance of members of the Board; there is no authority in the Act to justify this expenditure.'— J. Ollivieb, Provincial District Auditor.

2. Professor Brown's Report. Sir,— Ist December, 1883. I have the honour to submit my report on the work of the Timaru High School in classics, French, English, and history. Speaking of the school as a whole, I find the subject that is best done is French, if the pronunciation be omitted. After that come Latin and history. These three subjects attain an average decidedly above that of a good secondary school in the colonies. The subject which stands lowest is English, chiefly through the very low percentages obtained in composition. But the grammar is so good that it quite makes up for this failure, and leaves the English about equal to the average of a good secondary school. Comparing the two sides of the school, I find that, if the four subjects be taken together, ths girls get almost the same percentage as the boys—a little above 50 per cent.—and in any examination such an average is an excellent one. The girls surpass the boys in Latin by 6-|- per cent.; the boys surpass the girls in English by 2 per cent., and in history by 6-J- per cent.; while the two sides are equal in French, each attaining an average of 54-J- per cent. Taking the classes separately, I find that in the highest, which is preparatory for the University examination, the boys surpass the girls in all the subjects, but especially in English, French, and Latin. For this class I set papers of the same difficulty as those usually set for Junior University Scholarships, and find the two boys and two of the girls so advanced as to be ready to enter on a University course. One of the boys has an extremely good chance for a scholarship, and the three other pupils are most likely to pass the