A YEAR'S EDUCATIONAL WORK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12547, 14 April 1904, Page 6

A YEAR'S EDUCATIONAL WORK.

AUCKLAND BOARD'S ANNUAL REPORT. The Auckland Education Board's annual report for tlie past year, which was presented yesterday, showed that the total number of teachers employed was 313, of which 356 were males and 457 females. The modification of salaries permitted by the proviso to section 4- of the Teachers' Salarios Act had now ceased, and all salarios were regulated according to tho colonial scale. The Board met with considerable difficulty in obtaining qualified teachers for tho smaller schools, for which the scale salary did not afford an adequate maintenance, and unless a more liberal provision wore made by Parliament it was feared that some of these schools would have to be closed. This matter had been specially brought under the notice of the Government. The roll number of scholars at the end of 1903 was 29,258, showing an incroase of 674- above the number at the cud of 1802. The average attendance for the last quarter of the year was 25,114, as compared with 23,209 for the* corresponding quarter of 1902. Eight district high schools were in operation during the year, namely, A at a 1.1, Cambridge, Ooromandel, Hamilton Vr est, Onehunga, Opotiki, Paeroa and Waihi. That at Taurauga was closed at the end of June owing to paucity of attendance. An attempt was made to establish a district high school at Hikurangi, but had to bo abandoned owing to the insufficiency of pupils. 'I he total number of qualified pupils receiving secondary instruction at the end of the year was 298. The receipts from all sources, including a balance of £3376 6s brought forward from 1902, amounted to £131, 16s lid, and the total expenditure was £129,990 8s sd, leaving an unexpended balance of £1593 8s 6d at the end of the year. The administration account showed a credit balance of £5122 os 9d. The expenditure lor secondary education exceeded the income by £332 14s 2d, but this deficiency was more than covered by the grants (£4lB ss) earned during the December quarter, lor manual and technical instruction the Board received £4807 7s Id and expended £5599 6s 5d leaving a debit balance of £791 19s 4d, to which had to bo added £396 on account of the Auckland Technical School. The capitation grants received amounted to £1150 2s lOd. ihe total deficiency for buildings amounted to £2249 13s Id. The total cost of the building and fitting up of three manual training schools was £3591 8s Id, towards which tho Government grants amounted to £2292. A request from the Board for a supplementary giant- of £1299 8s Id, to meet the additional cost, was still under consideration. There had been a substantial increase in tho amount of the ordinary building grant for the maintenance ana renewal of school buildings. It was impossible as yet to estimate whether the increased grant (£12,917) would suffice to meet all requirements. The applications for special building grants for the erection of new schools and the enlargement of existing schools, to meet the requirements of new settlements and growth of population, had been pressed upon the Government from time to time, but there had been a tedious and unaccountable delay in dealing with them. The Board could not believe that it was the desire of those in authority to withhold the means of education from those who were encouraged by the State to take up land in new and outlying settlements of the country, but several applications for schools m such districts had been held over for a protracted period for consideration and inquiry, and, as regarded tiie town and suburban schools, there had been a delay of fully 12 months in dealing with some of them. The Board regretted that no provision had yet been made by Parliament for the superannuation cf teachers. The problem of providing foi the retirement of those whose age and infirmity unfitted them for tho work of teaching was a. difficult one, but the interests of education demanded that it should be faced with the least- possible delay. The thanks of the Board were duo to "the Department for its generous dealing in tho matter of the adjustment of teachers' salaries, to the Auckland members of Parliament for their cooperation in obtaining a more liberal grant for the maintenance of school buildings, to the officers of the Public Health Department for much valuable help and advice in mattors of school sanitation, and to the school committees throughout the district for their cordial support and assistance in the administration of school affairs during the year. The report was adopted.