E-.—l

IV

districts has a steady increase of the roll-numbers been maintained: these districts are Taranaki, Wanganui, Wellington, and Hawke's Bay. Auckland began the year with a largely increased roll-number, but the number admitted during the year was 699 less than during 1897, and the year 1898 ended with a smaller number on the roll than in the December previous. The decrease in Otago was 433 at the beginning of the year, and at the end of the year it had reached 603, or nearly 3 per cent, of the roll-number. Marlborough lost 59, or nearly 3 per cent, of its roll-number, and W'estland lost 85, or nearly 6 per cent. In the other districts the decrease of the roll-number was not so large. Such facts seem to correspond to a certain amount of migration from other districts of the colony into the four districts named at the beginning of this paragraph. Independently of the increased number of Maoris in the Native schools, there is again a slight increase in the number of Maoris attending the ordinary public schools, except in the case of half-castes living among Europeans.

Table No. 1 (Appendix, p. 1) shows the roll-numbers arranged as to age and sex, and Table C presents the same figures in a succinct form. The percentage of boys in the public schools of the colony is about 51 "9 ; of girls, 48" 1: these figures are nearly the same as for last year. 51*7 per cent, of the pupils are below the age of ten; 48 - 3 per cent, are over ten.

TABLE C.—Age and Sex of Pupils, December, 1898.

Table D, which is a condensed form of Table No. 2 in the Appendix, gives the numbers in the several classes. The proportion in the classes above Standard IV. continues to increase year by year, and the proportion in classes below Standard 111. to decrease, which is not at variance with the conjectures made above as to the causes of the diminished roll-numbers.

Half-< tastes liv Maoris. ring as Half■castes 1: among uropean iving No. of Schools in which there were Native Children. ire Haoi ■is. Total. E is. Education Districts. Boys. Girls. Total. Boys. Girls. Total. Boys.i Girls. Total. Boys. Girls. Total. Auckland Paranaki iVanganui Wellington .. Hawke's Bay.. Harlborough .. vfelson 3-rey /Vestland tforth Canterbury South Canterbury )tago Southland 263 24 100 85 216 167 I 16 61 51 112 1 2 ! 430 40 161 136 328 1 I 7 49 1 16 9 18 46 1 12 14 13 95 2 28 23 I 31 t 294 19 28 j 24 53 21 1 259 15 21 18 36 5 1 553 34 49 42 89 26 2 606 44 144 118 287 21 6 472 32 94 83 161 6 3 1,078 76 238 201 448 27 9 154 19 32 27 29 4 5 5 io 1 7 i 14 1 6 3 1 12 16 10 8 26 1 "l •• i "* 3 11 1 32 54 2 8 1 35 50 5 19 2 67 104 13 19 8 48 61 8 11 2 47 61 21 30 10 95 122 3 10 4 13 18 "2 6 I *ii j I "2 17 Totals for 1898 Totals for 1897 732 663 432 438 1,164 1,101 102 83 1 97 74 199 157 541 548 451 454 992 1,002 1,375 1,294 980 966 2,355 2,260 318 304 Difference 63 19 1 23 1 42 i 69 -6 -7 -3 -10 81 14 95 14

Ages. Boys. Girls. Total. Percentages for Five Years. Five and under six years Six and under seven years Seven and under eight years Eight and under nine years Nine and under ten years Ten and under eleven years Eleven and under twelve years Twelve and under thirteen years Thirteen and under fourteen years .. Fourteen and under fifteen years Over fifteen years 5,303 6,924 7,648 7,830 7,742 7,894 7,524 7,226 5,691 3,085 1,410 4,773 6,314 7,118 7,196 7,214 7,517 7,233 6,545 5,040 2,846 1,548 10,076 13,238 14,766 15,026 14,956 15,411 14,757 13,771 10,731 5,931 2,958 1898. 7-7 10-1 11-2 11-4 11-4 11-7 11-2 10-5 8-1 4-5 2-2 1897. 7-6 10-0 11-2 11-2 11-6 11-5 11-1 10-7 8-3 4-5 2-3 1896. 7-4 9-9 112 11-6 ! 11-6 11-5 11-3 10-6 8-1 4'5 ! 2-3 1895. 7-4 9-8 116 11-5 11-6 11-6 11-4 10-5 79 4-4 2-3 1894. 7-4 10-2 11-5 11-5 11-6 11-9 11-1 10-1 3 7-8 4-6 2-3 Totals .. 68,277 63,344 131,621 lOO'O lOO'O 1000 100-0 1000