E.—2.

General Statement of Receipts and Expenditure for the Year ending 31st December, 1909. Receipts. £ s. d. I Expenditure. £ s. d. Balance at beginning of year .. .. 679 lfi 11 Staff salaries and clerical assistance .. 615 0 0 Grants from Government for — Office contingencies .. .. .. 302 13 6 Teachers' and pupil-teachers' salaries, and Teachers'and pupil-teachers' salaries, and allowances to pupil teachers .. 9,155 16 2 ; allowances to pupil teachers .. .. 9,510 12 5 Reserves revenue tot primary education 230 0 0 ' Believing-teachers' salaries .. .. 32 711 Capitation at 6d. for relieving-teachers .. 48 8 6 Special capitation to Schuol Committees .. 69 12 0 Capitation at 11s. 3d. and grant of £250 1,339 11 7 i Incidental expenses of schools .. .. 447 14 8 Special capitation at 9d. for School Com- Free school-books .. .. .. 44 10 f) mittees .. .. .. .. 70 1 0 Allowance to scholarship-holders and exConveyance of school-children .. 7 10 penses of examination— Inspection of private schools .. .. 9 2 6 Board scholarships .. .. .. 118 14 0 Expenses of distribution Dominion Day National Scholarships .. .. 70 0 0 Medals .. .. .. .. 013 0 Special (Duncan) scholarship .. .. 25 0 0 Free scliool-books .. .. .. 50 11 6 Manual and technical— Receipts from other sources— School classes ... .. .. 241 7 7 Truancy fines .. .. .. 117 0 Special classes .. .. .. 00 5 4 Sale of stationery .. .. .. 0 8 0 Training of teachers other than at trainRefund of teacher's salary .. .. 5 0 0 ing colleges .. .. .. .. 134 (i 0 Grants from Government for scholar- Maintenance of school buildings— ships— Alterations, small additions, repairs, reEducation Board .. .. .. 89 19 0 painting, &c. .. .. .. 715 8 4 National .. .. .. .. 52 10 0 Rent .. .. .. .. 26 3 4 Receipts from other sources — Special House allowances .. .. .. 205 11 1 (Duncan) scholarship .. .. 25 0 0 New school buildings, additional classGrants from Government for manual and rooms, furniture, sites, &c. .. .. 1,351 1 5 technical instruction— Balance at end of year .. .. .. 28 17 2 Capitation— On all classes .. .. .. 458 19 2 On account of free places .. . 914 6 Subsidies on voluntary contributions .. 10 0 0 Receipts from other sources, manual and technical— Fees .. .. .. .. 2 5 0 Sale of goods .. .. .. 12 6 Grants from Government for— Maintenance of school buildings, rebuilding, sites, &c. .. .. .. 130 10 0 House allowances .. .. .. 215 12 2 New school buildings, additions, furniture, sites, &o. .. .. .. 1,370 6 0 Other receipts— Interest .. .. .. .. 17 14 3 Rent .. .. .. .. 6 11 0 Sale of material .. .. .. 10 14 9 5 6 ; £13,999 5 6 R. McCallum, Chairman. E. Hylton, Secretary. NELSON. Sμ:.— Nelson, May, 1910. I have the honour to lay before you the report of the proceedings of the Nelson Board of Education for the year ending 31st December, 1909. The Board. —The personnel of the Board lias not changed during the year. The names of the members are : Messrs. A. T. Maginnity (Chairman), W. Lock, and F. W. 0. Smith. East Ward ; W. X. Franklyn, J. D. Beuke, and T. J. Baigent. Middle Ward ; J. L. Munson, G. B. Shepherd, and j. W. Fair, West Ward. At the annual meeting in August Mr. Maginnity was reappointed Chairman. Messrs. Maginnity and Franklyn continue to represent the Board on the Board of School Commissioners. Mr. Maginnity also represents the Board on the Victoria University College Council. There were twentyfour meetings of the Board held during the year, the average attendance of members being 7-5. Primary Schools. —There were 114 schools in operation during the year, including twenty-six Grade oor household schools. Five new schools were opened and four closed. Considerable difficulty has been experienced in providing an efficient teaching staff for a number of the smaller schools, due not so much to the salaries offered as to the inadequate number of persons offering for the profession, and an unwillingness on the part of some teachers to take situations other than in or near the centres of population. It is to be hoped that in the course of time the training colleges will provide enough teachers to enable the Board to have certificated teachers in every school above Grade 0. ((inexperience so far with the training college is that students who have gone from this district aftei completing their course have, in most instances, t.iken appointments in larger Education Districts where they are better enabled to finish their degree course, and thus for a time, at any rate, we are deprived of their services. I trust that when the regulations governing the admission and service of students in training colleges are revised the Department will be able to adopt some method whereby students can complete their courses at the University during the period of training, and so assist the Board to secure trained teachers for the district. District High Schools. —The secondary departments of the four district high schools, with the exception of Motueka, continue to have good roll-numbers and attendances. A distinct improvement in the attendance has been obtained in Reefton, where the school has risen a grade. It is to be regretted that the secondary department at Motueka was not so well supported as the claims of the school deserved, the number of pupils in attendance in one quarter falling to nine. It is only right, however,

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