9

E.—6

Taking into account the assets and liabilities of the various Boards, it appears that the total debit balance at the end of 1916 was £15,463, nine Boards being in debit and seventeen having a credit balance. The debit balances are for the most part due to loans required for the erection of necessary buildings. The following is a summary of the monetary assets and liabilities at the end of the year:— Monetary Assets. £ Liabilities. £ Bank balances .. .. .. 31,330 [ Overdrafts.. .. .. .. 9,921 Other assets .. .. .. 34,021 | Other liabilities .. .. .. 70,893 Total .. .. .. £65,351 Total .. .. .. £80,814 Debit balance .. .. £15,463 The figures below indicate the position with regard to the income and expenditure on account of free-place holders at secondary schools. The expenditure on account of lower departments has been excluded from these figures, which results in their being a little different from those given in the summary of income and expenditure above. Total number of pupils, excluding lower depart- 1914 - 191G - 1916 - -ments (roll number beginning of first term) ... 6,009 6,595 7,075 Total net income from endowments ... ... £9,781 £7,172 £8,608 Net income from endowments per head ... £1-63 £1-088 £1217 Approximate annual rate of capitation ... ... £10-60 £12-816 £12-304 Total available net income per free pupil for salaries and incidental expenses ... ... £12-23 £13-904 £13-521 Total expenditure on salaries of staff ... ... £62,805 £75,038 £81,999 incidental expenses ... £9,804 £10,526 £14,92.1 „ staff salaries, and incidental expenses ... ... £72,609 £85,564 £96,920 Expenditure per head of roll on staff salaries ... £10-45 £11-38 £11-56 „ per head of roll on incidental expenses £1-63 £1-60 £2-11 Total expenditure per head on staff salaries, and incidental expenses ... ... ... £12-08 £12-98 £13-67 The Education Act stipulates that the total expenditure on staff salaries and incidental expenses must not be less than the total amount calculated at the rate of £13 10s. per free pupil, together with the amount of tuition fees received. As the latter sum in 1916 amounted to £90,693 10s., and the expenditure on the items named was £96,920, it will be seen that, taking all the schools together, the conditions of the Act were complied with. With respect to individual schools this was not, however, always the case, and it will be necessary for refunds to be made to the Department. Further details of the income and expenditure of secondary schools will be found in Tables K6-K9. Secondary Education Reserves Revenue. The total amount received by High School Boards from this fund amounted in 1916 to £8,054. Details of the distribution are shown in Table KlO. Lower Departments of Secondary Schools. (Tables Kll andKl2.) The Education Act provides that pupils who have not obtained a certificate of competency in the subjects of Standard V or a higher standard of the public-school syllabus may be admitted to a lower department of a secondary school if they are taught in a separate building or class-room, and if no part of the actual cost of their instruction or maintenance of the_ department is met out of the endowments of the secondary school or out of any moneys granted by the Government. There were lower departments in fourteen secondary schools during 1916; the total number of pupils in these departments was 466- -296 boys and 170 girls; the total annual rate of salaries of teachers was £2,721; the total amount of fees received on account of the pupils was £3,482.

2—E. 6.