E.—l

V

In Auckland, Hawke's Bay, Westland, and Otago every child on the roll is returned as receiving instruction m reading, writing, and arithmetic, and all those in Taranaki and Marlborough are returned as learning reading and writing. Of the total number enrolled, there are 800 who were not instructed in writing, and 1,885 not learning arithmetic , m 1881 the corresponding numbers were 3,065 and 5,038. The number of girls on the books was 44,772 of these, 32,275 were taught needlework. Numbeb of Public Schools. A return of the schools in the several Board districts, with a statement of the expenditure on each for the year, and of the names, status, and rates of emolument of the teachers employed in them during the last quarter of 1883, is given in the Appendix, Table 9, pages 9-44. The number of schools reported as being in operation at the close of the year was 943, being an increase of 32 during the twelve months. There was an increase of 42 m the previous year The following table furnishes information on various particulars relating to the schools of the different Board districts : —

TABLE D.—Number of Schools open at the End of 1883. (In this enumeration every two half-time schools are reckoned as one school.)

The increase m the number of schools has scarcely kept pace with the average attendance. At the close of 1883 the average number of scholars for each school was 766, a year previously it was 75. All the half-time schools, with the exception of three, are maintained m the Auckland District. It is enacted by the 88th section of the Education Act that "in outlying districts, or parts of the country where, from the scattered state of the population, it is not practicable to establish a public school, the Board may appoint itinerant teachers, under regulations to be provided for that purpose. ' The Board may also, on the recommendation of the Inspector, m such outlying districts which it would be premature or inconvenient to constitute school districts, assist schools started by private enterprise, m books, school apparatus, or money, as the Board shall think expedient." The returns show that the maintenance of half-time and aided or subsidized schools is regarded with growing disfavour, although it might be thought that by their means the wants of very sparsely settled localities might be met to some extent. The employment of itinerating teachers was tried by the Auckland Board a year or two ago, but the experiment does not seem to have proved successful. Although so small a number of the schools are subsidized or half-time, yet the number of schools with an average attendance of less than 20 has increased from 120 to 141, an increase of 21 out of a total increase of schools for the year of only 32. Only six small schools have been closed. This shows that schools formerly aided or subsidized have not been all closed, but have become ordinary public schools, and that the Boards have not ceased m their efforts to provide schools for the families in the newly-settled and remoter localities.

Education Distkicts. o a H 1° §| Is 1p ■Sag k! rt o fill Nil do Lber >f Sohi £4 CD . T3 co lj a* >ols ii ?8 S3 S3 . IS i whii laftei jh the Atti was — O . fCi to l=! ft 53 . 3ndan ice fo: *3 3 S 8 «5 the a a Kg 5h CQ fj p'g S| ■eg < |x °1° vim & Auckland Taranaki Wanganui Wellington Hawke's Bay Marlborough Nelson North Canterbury South Canterbury Westland Otago Southland 192 36 67 53 36 29 82 143 39 35 159 72 ! 13,348 i 1,458 4,155 5,344 2,940 1,141 3,424 13,462 3,045 2,289 17,070 4,538 69-5 40-7 62-0 100-8 81-7 36-4 41-8 94-1 78-1 65-4 107-3 63-0 7 3 7 4 5 5 13 5 2 3 1 24 6 q K O 3 8 9 7 4 6 8 3 22 9 5 2 1 8 19 2 76 15 27 14 8 6 26 50 18 12 61 37 22 8 K 6 5 5 18 19 5 2 17 14 10 3 2 4 2 3 2 11 1 2 14 2 15 1 7 4 8 1 4 14 3 2 11 5 8 6 5 1 1 6 1 25 8 4 5 12 9 I 1 1 2 10 2 2 14 2 3 1 2 9 1 r> i 1 1 2 17 7 7 1 2 3 3 Totals for 1883 Totals for 1882 943 911 72,214 68,288 76-6 75-0 55 46 86 74 96 97 350 362 126 110 56 63 75 67 52 52 28 21 19 19 28 23 48 65 6 14