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Statement of Assets and Liabilities on 31st December, 1884. A. Exclusive, of Building Fund. Assets. £ s. d. Liabilities. £ s. d. Cash in bank on this account, £ s. d. Due tc teachers .. .. .. 4,208 8 3 31st December, 1884 .. 3,115 2 5 Due to Flavoll .. .. .. 50 0 0 Less prepayment by School Due to school libraries .. .. .. 15 0 0 Commissioners to be de- Duo for printing .. .. .. 26 1 8 ducted from capitation Due for advertising .. .. .. 17 15 9 allowance for 1885 .. 589 8 9 Due for rents .. .. .. .. 45 14 0 2,525 13 8 Due for stationery .. .. .. 25 8 3 Due from scholarships .. .. .. 435 14 2 Due for sundries .. .. .. 8 18 Balance .. .. .. .. 1,435 1 9 £4,396 9 7 £4,936 9 7 B. Building Fund only. . £ s. d. £ s. a. Cash in bank on Playgrounds Account, 31st Balance of account, 31st December, 1884 .. 4,492 0 5 December, 1884 .. .. .. 1,500 0 0 Balance of amounts due or to fall due under Due from'grant, 1884-85 .. .. 10,682 0 0 contracts .. .. .. .. 216 0 0 Due on account of furniture .. .. 30 0 0 Duo on account of playgrounds .. .. 1,500 0 0 Balance .. .. .. .. 5,943 19 7 £12,182_0_0 £12,182 0 0 Vincent E. Eice, Secretary.

TAEANAKI. Sik,— New Plymouth, 7th March, 1885. In compliance with the provisions of clause 102 of " The Education Act, 1877," I have the honour to submit the following report of the Taranaki Education Board for the year ending 31st December, 1884. Boaed.—The vacancies caused by the retirement, in March, of Messrs J. Kelly, W. M. Syme, and E. Veale, were filled by Messrs. E. G. Bauchope, F. Bluck, and E. Voale. About the same time an extraordinary vacancy was caused by the resignation of the Chairman, the Venerable Archdeacon Govett, who was about to visit the Home-country. This vacancy was filled by the election of Dr. O'Carroll to the Board. Mr. E. Veale was elected chairman. The Board held twenty-four ordinary meetings and one special during the year. The following are the attendances given by each member : J. Andrews, 23; J. Elliot, 22 ; H. Faull, 23 ; H. Govett, 2 ; B. C. Lawrence, 22; E. Veale, 22; J. Wade, 23; E. G. Bauchope, 18; F. Bluck, 18; and P. J. O'Carroll, 17. The three last-named gentlemen held office for nine inonths only. Standing orders were framed, which have greatly facilitated the transaction of business. The Board regrets to record the resignation, through advancing years, of Mr. William Northcroft, who has filled the position of Secretary since the origin of the Education Board in Taranaki, and wishes to express their appreciation of his long and faithful services. Schools. —The number of schools open during the year was thirty-seven, but this number was reduced by one owing to the closing of the Smart Eoad School, the attendance having fallen below the minimum. Teachehs. — The number of teachers on the staff at the end of the year was sixty-two; their classification being as follows : — Males. Females. Total. Head teachers... ..-. ... ... 21 17 38 Assistant teachers ... ... ...1 7 8 Pupil-teachers ... ... ... 1 15 16 23 39 62 Of the above number, sixteen hold certificates, two are provisionally certificated, three " partial success," two "license to teach," twenty-throe are uncertificated; four pupil-teachers are in their second year, and twelve in their first. Great difficulty is experienced in obtaining suitable certificated teachers and assistants. The pressing necessity of providing accommodation diverts a very large portion of the General Fund, so that the Board is not in a position to offer sufficient to induce properly qualified persons to apply for vacancies as they occur. The sum of £758 2s. has been granted to the Building Fund during the year. The Board is, however, desirous to remedy this state of matters as soon as the wants of the district can be fairly met by the subsidy to the Building Fund. During the month of May a circular was forwarded to all uncertificated teachers in the district, intimating that, unless they obtained "partial success" or a "license to teach" from the department at its annual examination in January, they would receive notice that their services would be dispensed with. In accordance with the new regulations, the examination of pupil-teachers was held in July: of the fourteen who were examined, five passed the requirements of the first year. The papers of three were so unsatisfactory that the Board determined their engagements. Attendances.—The attendance for the year under review showed a slight increase over 1883. The number of scholars on the rolls at the end of December, 1884, was 2,113. The working average also shows a slight increase, the average for the last quarter of 1884 being 1,548, against 1,458 for the corresponding quarter of 1883. The irregularity and want of punctuality in the attendance of