E.—l

for the year in the Otago District is seventeen times greater than in the Grey District. Three Boards (Otago, Auckland, and North Canterbury, to name them in the order of their numerical importance) have under their care three-fifths of the whole number of public-school pupils. Three others (Wellington, Southland, and Wanganui) have one-fifth. The rest of the pupils (one-fifth of the whole) are under seven Boards, which fall into two groups, three of them (.Nelson, Hawke's Bay, and South Canterbury) having charge of about two-fifteenths of the children, and the other four (Marlborough, Taranaki, Westland, and Grey) having charge of about one-fifteenth. Expressing the average number of children in attendance under the care of each Board as a percentage of the total average attendance, we have the following statement of the position: First group (Otago, 22-7 ; Auckland, 19-8 ; North Canterbury, 17-9), 60-4 per cent.; second group (Wellington, 7-7; Southland, 0-5; Wanganui, 5-6), 198 per cent.; third group (Nelson, 4-6; Hawke's Bay, 4*5; South Canterbury, 4-0), 13"1 per cent. ; fourth group (Taranaki, 2-0 ; Westland, 1-8; Marlborough, 1-6; Grey, 1-3), 67 per cent. One result of this disparity is that the proportionate cost of the office management and inspection of schools is much greater in some districts than in others, varying from about one twenty-third of the parliamentary grant of £4 for each child (in North Canterbury) to about one-eighth of the grant (in Taranaki). Another result is that, as a rule, the average salary of teachers is less in the very small districts than in the very large ones, the leading exception to the rule appearing in the case of Auckland, the largest district but one, where the large proportion of small schools, and a rather costly administration, keep down the rate of salary. The degree of regularity of the attendance of the children on the roll, which is expressed by the statement that of every 100 children on the roll there were on the average 78-5 present every day, is higher for 1885 than for any previous year. The only districts in which the percentage is lower for 1885 than for 1884 are the three in which it is lowest—Taranaki, 72-5; Wanganui, 74 #7 ; and North Canterbury, 75-5. In Otago, where it reaches the very high level of 83*4, and in all the other districts, where it ranges from 765 to 796, the percentage is higher than it was in 1884. The roll number at the end of the year (102,407) includes 932 children of Native race, as against 703 in 1884, and 435 in 1880. This statement has nothing to do with the number attending Native schools (2,161, including a few—perhaps 150 —European children). The following table shows the distribution of Maori and half-caste children at the public schools:—

TABLE B.—Maoris and Children of Mixed Race attending Public Schools at the End of 1885.

The statement in Table C shows that in the eight years that have elapsed since the passing of " The Education Act, 1877," the number of pupils in public schools has nearly doubled itself, the roll numbers at the end of 1877 and at the end of 1885 respectively being 55,688 and 102,407, and the daily attendance at the two periods 40,837 and 80,302,

III

'uro Maoris. Of Mixed Bai so. Total. No. of Schools in which there were Education Dibthicts. Total. Boy». Girls. Total. Native Childrei Boys. Girls. Total. Boys. Girls. Auckland Taranaki Wanganui Wellington .. Hawke'a Bay .. Marlborougli Nelson North Canterbury South Canterbury Westland Grey Otago Southland 70 2 27 1G 43 1 7 6 5 0 43 15 13 41 113 2 42 29 84 1 11 13 9 18 145 9 19 9 55 5 8 4 6 4 144 3 16 G 50 1 3 7 4 1 289 12 35 15 105 6 11 11 10 5 215 11 46 25 98 G 15 10 11 13 187 3 81 19 91 1 7 14 8 10 402 14 77 44 189 7 22 24 19 23 75 5 9 8 13 2 7 6 7 5 4 7 4 9 "l 5 "g 35 20 26 24 '61 44 36 20 31 24 '67 44 11 9 Totals for 1S85 .. Totals for 1884 .. 187 102 141 Cl 328 163 319 284 285 256 G04 540 50G 380 426 317 932 703 157 163