E.—l

II

58, and the attendance of the year 1890 by 2,426. The principal statistics of attendance from the date of the passing of the Education Act (1877) are given in Table A.

TABLE A.—School Attendance and Yearly Increase from 1877 to 1891.

Table B exhibits the statistics of attendance for the several education districts. In Otago and Westland there is again a slight decline in numbers, and there is also a decline in the Grey District. In 1891, for the first time, the average attendance of the fourth quarter falls below the average for the whole year The attendance for the whole colony for the fourth quarter is less by 1,092 than the mean attendance for the other three quarters. There are seven districts m -which the attendance of the fourth quarter is below the mean. The Boards of Otago, Southland, and Wanganui refer to influenza as the principal cause of unexpectedly irregular attendance , and the same epidemic, and others, affected the schools of North and South Canterbury In Otago and Southland it was found necessary to close some of'the schools for a time. The low attendance in the Grey District is attributed to a decline in the yield of gold and in the output of coal.

TABLE B.—School Attendance for 1891.

School Attendance, Yearly Im :rease on Year. "So Ilia ifII 3 g.SH *%$ j= n a H 3si ad O Average Ai CJ Q m O Si 1 ! P M IIP •ofl 13 I o 0) .o Average A( ;tendance. Fourth Quarter, Whole Year. Fourth Quarter. Whole Year. 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 50,849 59,707 68,124 74,359 76,309 79,416 84,883 90,070 95 377 99,206 103,534 104,919 108,158 110,665 55,688 65,040 75,566 82,401 83,560 87 179 92 470 97,238 102 407 106,328 110,919 112,685 115,456 117 912 119,523 49,435 57 301 02 946 03,009 66,426 70,077 74,650 80,183 83,361 87 386 f0,849 94,308 96,670 96,264 45,521 53,067 60,625 61,822 63,709 67 373 72,657 78,327 80,737 85 637 90,108 93,374 94,632 97,058 73-8 74-6 74-2 Y3-6 74-0 75-1 76-6 76-1 77-0 79-3 80-3 79-9 80-3 8,858 8,417 6,235 1,950 3,107 5,467 5,787 4,707 3 829 4,328 1 385 3 239 2,507 9,352 10,526 6,835 1,159 3,619 5,297 4,762 5,169 3 921 4,591 1,766 2,771 2,456 1,611 7,866 5 645 63 3,417 3,651 4,573 5,533 3,178 4,025 3,463 3,459 2,362 [-406] 7,546 7,558 1,197 1,887 3,664 5,284 5,670 2,410 4,900 4 471 3,266 1,258 2,426

Education Districts. Pupils at -Beginning of Year. ! I Ad- i T ff Pupils mitted : fliSJL belonging during 1 aunng at End the , Y ™ 6 of Year. ! Year - Year. Roll-Numbers. Fourth Quarter. Whole Year. Boys. Girls. Total. Average Daily Attendance. dm 1891. 1890. Fourth Quarter. Auckland Taranalri Wanganui Wellington Hawke's Bay Maryborough Nelson 20,753 2,466 7 223 9 780 5,831 1,822 5 415 1,082 1 665 20,327 4,637 21 321 7 923 9 785 1 108 3 850 5 717 3,001 910 1,779 563 463 8,021 1 881 7 844 3,347 7 009 577 3,058 4,339 2,004 692 1 365 525 503 7,290 1 474 6,692 2,683 22,749 2 997 8 015 11 158 6 228 2,040 5 829 1 720 1 625 21,058 5,044 22,473 8,587 9,666 1 153 3,078 4,641 2 559 896 2,329 671 702 8 960 2,081 9 786 3,687 9,014 1 080 2,816 4,132 2,305 764 2,243 685 663 8,115 1 964 8 920 3 354 18,680 2,233 5,894 8 773 4,864 1,660 4,572 1,356 1,365 17,075 4,045 18 706 7,041 18,534 2,095 6,109 9,028 4,992 1,540 4,619 1,365 1 362 17,514 4,039 19,051 6,810 80-7 72-4 74-7 80-1 79-2 76-2 78-7 76-6 81-7 81-8 80-0 83-3 78-7 80-2 72-3 73-£ 79'2 79-S 77-e 77-C n-t 81-S 80-t 795 84-1 78-1 Grey Westland North Canterbury South Canterbury Otago Southland Totals for 1891 Totals for 1890 110,665 108,158 48 269 48 868 39 411 39,114 119 523 117 912 SO 209 50,336 46,055 46,334 96,264 96,670 97,058 94,632 80-8 79-9 79" Increase in year Decrease in year 2,507 297 1 611 2 426 04 599 127 279 406