E.—l

TABLE C.—School Attendance and Yearly Increase for Eight Years.

The number of pupils increases at a much greater rate than the population. The estimated increase of the population in 1885 was, as appears from figures furnished by the Registrar-General, 18,116, or about 3-2 of the population at the end of 1884, but the daily average attendance increased at the rate of 6-5 per cent. The most remarkable anomaly exhibited by this table is the sudden break in the rate of increase at the year 1881. This was discussed in the report for the year 1882. The great increase in the three preceding years can be traced to the impulse given to the establishment of schools, and to their growth, both by the operation of the new Act—especially as it effected the abolition of school fees — and by a rate of expenditure on school buildings that has not been equalled since. In the year 1881, when these causes of increase had lost much of their power, a direct check w Tas imposed by a new rule, which forbade the attendance of children under the age of five years. Since that time the rate of increase, though it has never again reached the high level of 1878 to 1880, has always been greatly in excess of the rate at which the population increases. Information as to the rate of increase of that part of the population which is of school age is unfortunately not available. It will be observed with satisfaction that the difference between the strict average and the working average does not maintain a steady proportion to the averages themselves, but is less now than it was in 1878. The working average, as has been often explained, is the average attendance modified by excluding from the calculation the occasions on which the attendance has been less than half of the number of pupils on the roll. The classification of pupils according to age presents no new feature worthy of remark, except that the proportion of children under seven years of age is steadily diminishing, and the proportion between seven and ten years increasing, these changes taking place, however, in such a way that, on the whole, the proportion of those under ten remains practically unchanged; and that, similarly, above the age of. ten there is a tendency to increase in the proportion of those above the age of thirteen years. The statistics of age and sex for the several districts are given in Table No. 1 (Appendix, page 1), of which Table D is a summary.

TABLE D. —Age and Sex of Scholars at the End of 1885.

The number of boys in this table exceeds that of girls as STB per cent, exceeds 48*2. In 1878 (the first year for which statistics of this kind are available) the proportion was 52-2 to 47*8. The attendance of the girls is slightly less regular than that of the boys, the proportion of boys to girls in attendance according to the statement of the working average in Table A being 52-5 to 475.

IV

School Attendance. 'early Increase on Year. llfi ill Iff g!= o Strict Average. Average Attendance. Working Average. Jill ■n ■° S-S h 3g.5i2 23 a H ill o Q Strict Average. Average Attendance. Working Average Fourth Whole Quarter. Year. Fourth Whole Quarter. Year. Fourth Whole Quarter. Year. Fourth Quarter. Wholo Year. 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 50,849 59,707 68,124 74,359 76,309 79,416 84,883 90,670 55,688 65,040 75.5G6 82,401 83,500 87,179 92,470 97,238 102,407 49,435 57,301 62,946 03,009 66,426 70,077 74,050 80,183 45,521 53,067 00,625 61,822 63,709 67,373 72,657 78,327 41,773 50,689 58,738 04,407 64,744 68,288 72,214 76,832 81,6G3 40,837 47,996 54,724 62,234 63,735 66,145 69,843 75,391 80,302 70-1 766 76-4 76-4 767 779 78-5 8,858 8,417 0,235 1,950 3,107 5,407 5,787 9,352 10,526 6,835 1,159 3,619 5,297 4,762 5,169 7,866 6,648 63 3,417 3,651 4,573 5,533 7,546 7,558 1,197 1,887 3,664 5,284 5,670 8,866 8,099 5,069 337 3,544 3,926 4,618 4,831 7,159 0,728 7,510 1,501 2,410 3,698 5,548 4,911

Ages. Boys. Girls. Total. Percentages for Five Years. Mve and under seven years .. ioven and under ten years 'en and under thirteen years 'hirteen and under fifteen years >ver fifteen years 11,199 20,002 15,537 5,346 883 10,171 18,473 14,426 5,197 1,113 21,370 38,535 29,963 10,543 1,996 1885. 1884. 1883. 1882. 20-87 21-46 22-20 22-64 37-63 37-05 36-78 35-56 29-20 29-26 29-00 30-09 10-29 I 10-34 10-07 9-82 1-95 j 1-89 1-95 1-89 1881. 22-73 35-41 30-39 9-00 1-87 Totals for 1885 .. 53,027 49,380 102,407 100-0 100-0 ! 100-0 | 100-0 100-0