61

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BUILDING ACCOUNT. Assets. £ s. d. Liabilities. £ s. d. Balance of grant to 30th June, 1880 .. 4,700 0 0 Overdraft .. .. .. 220 6 0 Balance due on contracts in hand .. 2,929 7 0 Amount authorised for repairs, &c, to existing schools .. .. .. 119 10 0 Balance .. .. .. .. 1,430 17 0 £4,700 0 0 £4,700 0 0 Summary of School Fund Accounts for the Year ending 31st December, 1879. Receipts. £ s. d. Expenditure. £ s. d. To Balances in Bank and in hand on Ist Jan., By Bonuses to teachers out of Board's grants 1879 .. .. 100 3 7 to Committees .. .. .. 122 10 0 Eeceipts from Education Board — Bonuses to teachers out of donations, subOrdinary grants .. .. 1,613 17 6 scriptions, &c. .. .. .. 32 17 6 Special grants .. .. .. 835 13 7 Cleaning (allowances and requisites) .. 526 6 5 Donations, subscriptions, &c, from others Fuel .. .. .. .. 105 10 8 than Education Board .. .. 315 10 3 Books, maps, stationery, and furniture for Sale of books .. .. .. 26 16 1 general school use .. .. 378 14 11 Sale of old buildings .. .. 11 4 0 Eepairs not paid for directly by Board .. 318 14 7 Use of rooms .. .. .. 210 0 Clerks' salaries £17 10s.; office expenses Befunds .. .. .. 32 16 8 £27 15s. Bd. .. .. .. 45 5 8 Deposits .. .. .. 5 0 0 Prizes .. .. .. .. 176 10 8 Overdrafts .. .. .. 17 6 2 School fetes or treats .. .. 73 10 1 Beading books or text books supplied free to scholars .. .. .. 3 5 6 Paper, pens, ink, &c, supplied free to scholars .. .. .. 60 7 10 Eoads to schools .. .. .. 4 5 0 Fencing .. .. .. 127 19 8 Alterations, additions, and improvements 743 14 8 Sundries .. .. .. 16 11 Befunds .. .. .. 17 10 0 Overdrafts .. .. .. 10 12 11 Balances .. .. .. 197 0 8 £2^3oltTo £2' 960 17 1°

HAWKE'S BAY. Sir, — Napier, December 31st, 1879. In accordance with the requirements of the Education Act, the Board of this District has the honor to present a summary of its work during the year ending December 31st, 1879. No resignations of members have taken place. At the ballotting for the retirement for three members in December 1878, it was determined that Miss Harriet Herbert, F. Sutton, Esq., and J. N. Williams, Esq., should retire. Miss Herbert declined to stand for re-election. The voting in March ended in the return of F. Sutton, Esq., T. Tanner, Esq., and J. N. Williams, Esq. The attendance at each meeting averaged 5*7. School Districts. —No new school districts have been constituted, although schools have been opened at Takapau, Te Arai, and Patutahi, but these schools are in districts already formed. There are now under the Board 28 school districts with 33 departments, and a teaching staff of 28 males and 36 females. Five sewing mistresses are also engaged. The average attendance in all the district schools for the year was 1,807, which shows an increase of 283, or 18-5 per cent, on that of 1878. Judging from the large increase attending the district schools for the December quarter, there can be little doubt that the average attendance would have been much larger, but for the extreme number of wet days, which for several months made the roads in the bush and. outlying districts quite impassable. The following Table gives a comparative view t>f the numbers attending the district schools for the December quarters of 1878 and 1879.

During the year, the operations of the Board have been mainly directed to supplying deficiencies of school accommodation, and to the improvement of the teachers employed in the schools. School Buildings.-—When the Board came into existence at the beginning of 1878, it might be said that accommodation had to be provided for all the school children in this education district, as at that time there were only seven small school-houses that properly belonged to the Board. Eleven large and commodious school-houses, viz., Napier, Port Ahuriri, Taradale, Clive, Matawhero, Gisborne, Woodville, Waipawa, Takapau, Meanee, and Danevirk ; and seven teachers' residences, viz : Port Ahuriri, Taradale, Clive, Wairoa, Matawhero, Norsewood, and Woodville, have been completed during the year.

Average Weekly No. on Roll. Strict Average. Avei ■age Attendi mce. Average Attendance. M. F. Total. Total. M. F. Total. lecember 31st, 1878 ... lecember 81st, 1879 ... 1,066 1,425 919 1,251 1,985 2,076 1,604 1,937 896 1,153 753 917 1,649 2,020