17

H.—l

weeks (at Christchurch thirteen weeks) during the year are allowed for holidays. In all the schools the long holiday occurs at midsummer, and it ranges between six and eight weeks in length. We have ascertained the opinions of the headmasters and other witnesses on the question of the division of the school-year, and find that the balance of evidence is in favour of the division into three terms rather than into quarters. We think, however, that the decision of this point should rest with the governing bodies of the various institutions, as they are best acquainted with local circumstances and feelings which may affect their decision. The extent of the accommodation provided for boarders varies considerably at different places, being naturally regulated by the demand which has existed, and the amount of funds procurable for this purpose. The arrangements also differ materially in respect of the degree of responsibility undertaken by the governing bodies of the schools. At Auckland College and Grammar School and at the Christohurch Girls' High School no provision for boarders has yet been made. The headmaster of the Wellington College and the lady-principal of the Dunedin Girls' High School have been provided with houses capable of receiving twenty-eight and thirty boarders respectively, who pay a fee of 50 guineas per annum. At the Auckland Girls' High School there is a similar arrangement, but the accommodation provided is less ample, and the boarding-fee is £50. At Christ's College Grammar School three boarding-houses have been built by the governing body on the school-grounds, and are occupied by the headmaster, the classical master, and the assistant classical master. These houses afford accommodation for eighty boarders, and the boarding-fee is 50 guineas. The private residence of the present bursar of the College has also been sanctioned by the governing body as a boarding-house, and the fee charged is from 40 to 45 guineas, according to the age of the pupil. At Nelson College boarding accommodation has been provided at the expense of the governors, who also collect the boardingfees. The fee for boarders is £50 per annum; but there is a remission of £10 in the case of boys belonging to the Provincial Districts of Nelson and Marlborough. The charge of the boarders is given to the second master; and, as he is paid at the uniform rate of £40 for each boarder, a small profit remains in the hands of the governing body. At the Dunedin Boys' High School the whole cost and responsibility of the boarding arrangements are undertaken by the governing body. The supervision is intrusted to one of the under-masters of the school, who on that account is not required to teach during more than three hours each day. He receives a fixed salary and an eighth part of the fees paid by the boarders. The boarding-house has accommodation for forty pupils, and the charge for board is £40. It would be premature to pronounce any judgment on the relative advantages of these different arrangements, since some of them have not been subjected to the test of a sufficiently long experience. We hold, however, a decided opinion that it is desirable to make arrangements in some form for the boarding of pupils, provided that this can be done without encroaching on the funds which are requisite for rendering the teaching efficient and the course complete. We think also that, although the headmaster ought to be provided with an official residence, he should not as a rule be required to take boarders, his responsibilities being sufficiently heavy without this charge; and that the boarding-house should not be attached to the school-buildings. The remuneration paid to the headmasters of the chief boys' schools, although j derived from different sources, does not appear to vary greatly in amount. The salary of the headmaster of Auckland College is a fixed sum of £700. The principal of Wellington College has a fixed salary of £500, a capitation allowance of £1, and a house with accommodation for twenty-eight boarders. The principal of Nelson College has a salary of £500, a capitation allowance of £2, and an allowance of £84 for rent. In Christ's College Grammar School the headmaster has a salary of £450 and a house with accommodation for thirty boarders. In the Dunedin Boys' High School the rector's salary is £620, with a capitation allowance of £1. In the case of the girls' schools the remuneration paid to the head teachers is on a 3—H. 1.

Accommodation for boarders.

Salaries.