E.—l

Some of the Boards' Secretaries experience great difficulty every year in obtaining information as to the receipts and expenditure of the School Committees. The statistics for 1886 under this head were printed last year in a very incomplete form, and this year they are again far from perfect. The return from the Grey district is a very partial one. The return for Nelson has not yet been received : if it arrives in time it will appear with the rest in Table No. 6 (Appendix p. 6). Seeing that an Order in Council made under the Education Act requires that the Committees' accounts shall be audited every year in the month of January, it ought to be possible to obtain summaries of them before the month of May. The returns already received show that about .£5,700 of the income of Committees was derived from sources independent of Boards, and that they supplemented the salaries of teachers in small schools by contributions amounting to £1,470. The Boards were entitled to receive a capitation allowance of Is. 6d. for establishing and maintaining scholarships. This capitation, if claimed on the whole working average would have amounted to about £6,500. The Boards, however, receive on this account only so much as they actually spend, and the amount spent was £5,518. The number and annual value of Boards' scholarships current at the end of 1887 are stated in the following table : —

TABLE R.—Scholarships.

The reports of the Education Boards are not a mere record of ordinary transactions. The Auckland Board makes a statement of the method by which the expenditure is to be kept within the newly-assigned limits; suggests that the scholarships should be awarded on a uniform plan for the whole colony ; desires that grants for buildings be in future apportioned according to the ascertained wants of the several districts instead of on the basis of population; announces that it is difficult to find sufficient suitable places for young persons who are still nominally pupil-teachers though they have passed the certificate examination; records the success of a night-school established in the City of Auckland ; refers to the good effects following upon the appointment of a truant officer; and reports the closing of the high-school department of the public school at Cambridge. The Westland Board makes a proposal with respect to scholarships that goes beyond the recommendation from Auckland: the suggestion is that the scholarships be made colonial, and awarded without distinction as to locality. The Otago Board states that the supply of trained and certificated teachers is somewhat in excess of the demand, agreeing in this respect with the Auckland Board. The Taranaki Board thinks that the syllabus of school-work should be reduced to adapt it to the special requirements of districts where the schools are necessarily

XIV

Education Districts. Number held in Dec, 1887. Boys. Girls. Period of Tenure. Expended on Scholarships in 1887. Annual Value, &c. Auckland.. 28 18 10 Years. 3J or 3 £ s. a. 1,008 6 7 4 at .645; 5 at £40; 1 at £35 ; 8 at £30; 10 at £20 (with free education): 9 for 3J years ; 19 for 3 years. 1 at £15 ; 4 at £10. 4 at £40 ; 1 at £35 ; 3 at £20 ; 2 at £15. 4 at £30 ; 4 at £20 ; 9 at £15. £20 ; 9 for 2 years ; 5 for 1 year. £40. 2 at £52 10s. ; 1 at £1610s,; 3 at £1410s.; 4 at £12 10s.: with free education. £50. £50. 7 at £40 ; 27 at £20; and 11 have expenses of travelling. 4 at £34 ; 2 at £10 ; 3 at £8 ; 2 at £4. £20 each to scholars living at home ; £40 each to others. 30 for 3 years; 10 for 2 years. 5 at £35 ; 9 at £20. faranaki.. Wanganui Wellington Hawke's Bay Marlborough Sfolson 5 10 17 14 2 10 4 8 8 8 2 5 1 2 9 6 2 2 2 2 or 1 2 2 10G 18 2 314 5 0 425 15 4 352 13 3 12 12 0 238 13 5 5 3rey Wostland STorth Canterbury.. 2 2 34 2 2 21 "is 2 2 2 79 3 0 137 12 0 1,056 12 7 South Canterbury .. Dtago 11 46 5 26 6 20 2 3 or 2 187 14 7 1,314 0 2 Southland 14 10 4 3 or 1 283 19 8 Totals, 1887.. Totals, 1886.. 195 204 119 123 7G 8] 5,518 5 9 5,573 0 9