E.—l.

Expenditure.

Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Assets. £ s. d. Liabilities. £ s. d. To Balance on Current Account .. .. 546 16 9 By Land Fund .. .. .. .. 435 15 11 Cash in hand .. .. .. 15 3 Balance of assets .. .. .. 1,481 12 9 Savings-bank.. .. .. .. 11l 17 11 Fixed deposits .. .. .. 323 18 0 Rents due and in arrear .. .. 929 2 9 Interest accrued to 31st December, 1895 4 8 0 £1,917 8 8 £1,917 8 8 R. Parris, Chairman. E. Veale, Secretary. Examined and found correct.—James Edward FitzGerald, Controller and Auditor-General.

WELLINGTON. Sir,— Wellington, 10th March, 1895. I have the honour to forward herewith the seventeenth annual report of the School Commissioners for the Wellington District for the year ended 31st December, 1895. A number of sections were offered by auction in January, 1895, at a fair rental, for periods of twenty-one years, with a right of renewal for a further similar term. Although these sections were well advertised, no offers were received. This, however, may be partly attributed to the large quantity of Crown land in the district either available for selection or just previously taken up, and perhaps upon a more favourable tenure than the terms of lease offered by the Commissioners, and also, we think, largely to the hard winter of the previous year. Inquiries are, however, now being made about these sections, and applications are frequently being received for them. Only three sections, containing an area of 1,021 acres and 17 perches, at a rental of £10 3s. lid., have been let during the year. They are as follows : Section 223, Pahaua, 911 acres; Section 55, Kaitawa, 5 acres 2 roods 35 perches; Section 453, Foxton, 104 acres 1 rood 12 perches. Two leases have expired during the year—Sections 157, 248, 250, Featherston, 50 acres; and Section 102, Masterton, 110 acres. It is intended to offer the former at the next sale, no application for renewal having been made; but the Commissioners have consented to the latter lease being extended for a further period. The total area of reserves now amounts to, in round numbers, 84,301 acres, of which 45,510 acres are let at a rental of £2,364 6s. 3d. The greater portion of the balance consists of sections quite recently gazetted, the certificates of title to which have not yet been issued. The Commissioners regret to report that arrears of rent have increased considerably during the past year. This is partly owing to losses from destructive bush fires and the exceptionally high floods in March, but perhaps chiefly to the depression caused by the low prices of produce. As dairy farming is making such rapid strides in the bush districts, and prices of other farm produce have made a considerable advance, the Commissioners are of opinion that these arrears will soon be considerably reduced. They feel also that they have only done right in not pressing their tenants during a time of depression, and are glad to say that the arrears are now rapidly being paid off. The sum of £8 10s. mentioned in last year's report " for completion of return of lands recently set aside " has been charged under office salaries, in compliance with a request from the Education Department, dated 19th December, 1895, in which also it is requested that the allowances to Commissioners may be specified. These latter expenses are nil, no charge or claim being made by any of the Commissioners for expenses incurred in the discharge of their duties.

96

Primary. Secondary. Total. ly Officer's salary ... ... Ranger's salary Commission Surveys Rates Law charges Expenses of leasing ... Expenses of reserves... Stationery, printing, &c. Travelling-expenses of members Refunds Taranaki Education Board Wanganui Education Board ... New Plymouth High School Board Wanganui High School Board Balance—Bank, £546 16s. 9d.; savings-bank, £111 17s. lid.; fixed deposit, £323 18s.; cash in hand, £1 5s. 3d. £ a. d. 37 10 0 56 5 0 33 12 4 71 14 1 1 13 4 9 12 6 15 8 5 12 13 0 2 16 5 10 9 18 0 0 871 2 0 528 18 0 £ s. d. 12 10 0 18 15 0 10 13 5 £ s. d. 50 0 0 75 0 0 44 5 9 71 14 1 1 18 3 9 12 6 15 8 5 12 13 0 2 16 7 2 6 18 0 0 871 2 0 528 18 0 248 17 10 151 2 2 04 11 1 "il 9 248 17 10 151 2 2 983 17 11 . Total expenditure 3,091 13 11