E.—l

Working-expenses represented 26 per cent, of the total receipts, exclusive of grants for buildings and equipment, in the case of classes conducted by Education Boards or High School Boards, and 29 per cent, in the case of classes conducted by Technical School Boards or Managers. For the year the total receipts from all sources exceeded the total expenditure under all heads by £3,180, indicating that the available funds were wisely administered by the school authorities as a whole. Payments by the Government by way of capitation, grants for buildings and equipment, and subsidies on voluntary contributions represented 76 per cent, of the total receipts for the year. With the view of placing the finances of the technical schools in a more favourable position than formerly and of enabling controlling authorities to meet their liabilities month by month, the system of interim capitation claims extending over the school year and into the financial year, hitherto in vogue, has been replaced by a system providing for the payment in regular monthly instalments within the school year of an amount approximating to the estimated capitation earnings for that year, thus obviating the carrying forward, as has been the case in the past, into the following year of any large amount due on account of the previous year. This change in the method of payments involves an increased appropriation for the current year. The following is a summary of monetary assets and liabilities, as at the end of the year, of Education Hoards as controlling authorities of technical classes and of Technical School Boards and Managers : —

In the case of Education Boards, nine in number, four show net credit balances totalling £11,957 14s. 3d., while five show net debit balances totalling £4,582 35., the total net credit balance being £7,375 lis. 3d. In the case of Technical School Boards and Managers, nineteen in number, eighteen show net credit balances totalling £20,064 18s. lid., and one a net debit balance of £2,528 2s. 10(1., giving a total net credit balance of £17,536 16s. Id. It is evident that the financial position as a whole is satisfactory, and indicates that the school authorities collectively are not hampered by insufficiency of funds. It will be noted that the financial position of some of the Education Boards does not compare favourably with that of the majority of the Technical School Boards. Account must, however, be taken in this connection of the fact that the classes conducted by Education Boards include a number of classes for elementary or single subjects at small centres —classes which earn capitation at lower rates than in the case of most of the classes conducted by Technical School Boards, where definite courses of work, both elementary and advanced, are the rule rather than the exception. Three full-time technical high schools (787 students) and 985 classes (over 10,000 students) were conducted by Education Boards at 115 centres during the

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Technical School Education Boards. Boards and Totals. Managers. Monetary Assets. Sank balances tther assets Total assets £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. 5,040 13 1 5,930 I 2 10,970 14 3 15,064 0 0 18,663 11 5 33,727 11 5 20,104 13 1 24,593 12 7 44,698 5 8 Liabilities. •verdrafts.. Ither liabilities 11,909 110 2.765 16 11 14,674 18 9 820 0 0 4,290 19 7 5,110 19 7 Total liabilities 12.729 1 10 7,056 16 6 19,785 18 4 7,056 16 6 19,785 18