E.—l

106

large number of applications for new schools and for enlargements, many of them of acknowledged necessity, for which the Board finds it impossible to make any provision. In view of the greatlydiminished extent of its expenditure, and the improbability of its being in a position to undertake any large or costly building, the Board came to the conclusion that its work was no longer such as to require the professional assistance of an architect, and accordingly resolved on discontinuing the services of its architect, and substituting a clerk of works at a much lower salary. This change took effect on the Ist December. Maintenance op Schools. —The payments to teachers during the year amounted to £50,991 16s. 6d., and incidental expenses connected with the management (including all allowances to Committees) to £6,901 14s. lOd.; making a total of £57,893 lls. 4d. The average attendance for the year was 15,588. The total cost of maintaining the schools was therefore £3 14s. 3yd. per head of the attendance, and the cost of the teachers' salaries and allowances £3 ss. sd. per head. These amounts show in each case a slight decrease on the cost for the previous year, which was at the rate of £3 15s. sd. and £3 6s. 4Jd. respectively. The following table shows the amounts spent on salaries and incidentals from the year 1878 to 1887, inclusive: — Salaries. Incidentals. Total. Year- & s. a. £ s. a. £ s . a. 1878 ... ... 31,919 0 0 ... 6,276 6 9 ... 38,195 6 9 1879 ... ... 34,417 14 6 ... 5,856 9 8 ... 40,274 4 2 1880 ... ... 38,136 17 8 ... 5,856 2 1 ... 43,992 19 9 1881 ... ... 36,683 411 ... 5,591 15 6 ... 42,275 0 5 1882 ... ... 39,418 13 11 ... 5,901 18 1 ... 45,320 12 0 1883 ... ... 42,240 19 10 ... 6,090 15 9 ... 48,331 15 7 1884 ... ... 44,727 17 4 ... 6,431 14 1 ... 51,159 11 5 1885 ... ... 47,543 16 4 ... 6,566 2 3 ... 54,109 18 7 1886 ... ... 48,686 12 10 ... 6,647 3 1 ... 55,333 15 11 1887 ... ... 50,991 16 6 ... 6,901 14 10 ... 57,893 11 4 Table No. 7,* appended, gives the names of the teachers employed in each school, with the amount of the salaries and incidental expenses. The number of teachers employed at the end of 1887 was 530, of whom 213 (60 males and 153 females) were pupil-teachers. The number of sewing mistresses was 48. Attendance. —The number of school districts at the end of the year was 136, and the number of separate schools, including the practising department of the Normal School, 154. Two of these were aided schools. The schools were classified as follows : Under 15 pupils, 4 ; 15 and under 20 pupils, 15 ; 20 and under 25 pupils, 16 ; 25 and under 50 pupils, 43 ; 50 and under 75 pupils, 24 ; 75 and under 100 pupils, 14 ; 100 and under 150 pupils, 16 ; 150 and under 300 pupils, 12 ; 300 and under 500 pupils, 5 ; 500 pupils and upwards, 5. The usual returns of the number and ages of the children, and of the number receiving instruction in the various subjects, are appended. The following table shows the total roll number, number in average attendance, and percentage of attendance in the schools of this district from 1878 :—

Inspection.—As was explained in the Board's last report, it had been resolved at the close of the previous year to employ three Inspectors in this district, and the newly-appointed Inspector, Mr. G. Hogbcn, entered on his duties on the 10th January. This addition to their number has enabled the Inspectors to make up the arrears outstanding at the end of 1886, and (with one or two exceptions, in which circumstances rendered it necessary to defer the examination of a school till after the holidays) to complete the work of inspection and examination by the end of December. The Inspectors' annual report, which is appended, contains very full information on the general condition of the schools, with statistical tables showing the results of their examinations. It is gratifying to find that they report a substantial improvement in nearly every respect. The percentage of passes is higher than it was last year in every standard, and for the whole district has risen from 38-61 to 42-95. Noemal School. —Early in December an official notice was received that after the current year the grant of £2,000 hitherto allowed to the Board for the maintenance of the Training School would be discontinued. The Board was accordingly compelled to terminate the engagements of all the officers of the training department, and at the end of the year the Normal School as originally constituted ceased to exist. Subsequently, by the date of this report, arrangements have been

* See Table No. 9, ante.

Quarter ending District Schools. Aided Schools. Total of Schools. On Eoll. Average Attendance. Percentage. 'ecember 31, 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 106 116 121 128 133 139 143 143 145 152 4 4 2 1 2 4 3 3 3 2 110 120 123 129 135 143 146 146 148 154 13,647 15,240 16,437 16,051 16,907 17,797 18,332 19,223 19,402 20,045 10,076 11,381 12,233 11,760 12,747 13,462 14,210 14,863 15,445 15,935 73-83 74-72 74-42 73-26 75-39 75-64 77-51 77-27 79-35 79-49