E.—l

In the reports of the several Boards (see Appendix) some schools not here named are mentioned as being over-crowded. The inconvenience in such cases may be due to some peculiarity in the plans of the schools, or to some want of relation between the numbers in particular classes and the sizes of the rooms occupied by them: it is not indicated by the returns of area and attendance. The following table (P) is compiled from the returns :—

TABLE P.—Deficiency of School Buildings.

In November a circular was issued requesting the Boards to send in estimates of the value of their school buildings and apparatus, taken as at the end of October. The returns have been received, and they show that the estimated value was £719,269 lls. 9d., being—for schoolhouses, £512,237 55.; for school apparatus, £48,534 2s. 9d.; for residences, £158,198 45.; and for an office and store, £300. The following table (Q) shows for each district the number of schools and residences included in the estimates, the amounts received by Boards for building purposes during eleven years (1877 to 1887, inclusive), and the amounts expended on the same purposes during the same time. As this table is in some respects a continuation of Table No. 4a, contained in the Appendix to the report issued in 1882, three errors which have been discovered in the table of 1882 are here indicated. In column 5, £48,530 is a misprint for £48,350, and in column 1 a deduction of £62 is to be made in the case of North Canterbury, and an addition of £2,590 in the case of Southland. The alterations in column 1 must be repeated in column 4, and the totals of columns 1 and 4 changed accordingly.

XII

Education Districts. Schools in Operation. Schools not belonging to Boards. Schools without Besidences. Schools with less than 10 sq. ft. for each Child (but more than 8 sq. ft.). Sehools with less than 8 sq. ft. for each Child. Available in 1888. (Tables N and O.) Auckland Taranaki Wanganui Wellington .. Hawke's Bay Marlborough Nelson 221 35 76 71 45 31 88 20 24 154 49 183 96 31 1 4 12 5 9 7 97 16 20 36 14 11 49 7 11 11 9 G 27 7 5 3 5 12 5 1 2 1 1 3 1 1 2 £ s. d. 3,799 14 11 766 16 7 [-493 11 9] 0,232 19 1 95 3 9 459 0 11 1,166 6 2 299 7 7 772 18 4 3,997 19 5 1,542 1 3 2,733 4 0 2,834 9 7 Grey Westland North Canterbury South Canterbury Otago Southland 4 5 1 4 G "l5 .5 3 3 Totals.. 1,093 89 314 62 18