B.—lc

3

Wairarapa Counties ... ... ... 157 Borough of Masterton ... ... ... 70 Wellington ... ... ... 380 607 Less decrease Greytown ... ... ... 22 "~585 net. The increase is not large. Table F and Appendix B show the financial provision made to meet it. It is desirable to remember that the foregoing tables relate solely to children five years old and under. The tables which follow open out a wider and a much more interesting and instructive view of the whole question. The number of children of five years and under being definitely ascertained, it was next desired to ascertain the total number of children of school-age (five to fifteen years old) in the colony, and to find how many of the total number of children of that age attended school. To avoid complication—that is, as between the provincial districts and the education districts —the figures contained in the following table are taken out for the provincial districts, so that, for purposes of comparison, the figures may be carried right through the table from 1877 to 1887. This is necessary, because additional education districts were created in 1882, and to have mixed the two sets of education districts—the new and the old —in one table would have tended to introduce confusion. A subsequent table (Appendix A) gives the corresponding figures for the education districts, dating from the year 1882, the year in which the new districts were created by Act, and Appendix F describes the boundaries of the " provincial " districts and the " education " districts. The following is

Table D. Showing the Number of Children of Five to Fifteen Years of Age attending Superior Schools and Public Schools in each Provincial District, and the Number of all Ages at Private Schools, for the Years 1877 to 1887, inclusive; also the Estimated Population at Five to Fifteen Years for the same Years.

1877. 1878. 1879. 1880. 1881. 1882. 1883. 18S4. 1885. 1886. 1887. Auckland. luperior schools, 5 to 15 years 'ublic schools, 5 to 15 years 'rivate schools, all ages .. 255 11,532 3,191 366 12,037 2,391 212 H.OOli 2,464 385 15,118 2,412 309 260 15,999 16,338 2,022 2,3*92 393 448 17,415 18,756 2,458 2,817 371 20,341 2,645 225 172 20,888 21,382 2,618 3,354 23,731 24,908 9,507 9,118 Total at above schools.. Not accounted for 14,978 6,555 14,794 7,947 22,741 16,677 7,272 17,915 7,242 18,330 8,035 18,990 8,749 20,260 8,847 22,021 8,4661 23,357 8,504 No. living at 5 to 15 years 21,533 23,945 25,157 26,365 27,739 29,113 30,487 31,861! 33,238 34,206 Taranaki. luperior schools, 5 to 15 years 'ublic schools, 5 to 15 years 'rivate schools, all ages 1*014 270 1*387 220 1*707 313 2,108 391 47 41 2,365 2,737 2,903 301 217 153 2,666 3,001 3,097 1,040 998 1,189 3,712 3,999 4,286 17 3,051 451 35 3,289 240 29 3,492i 295 26 3,504 273 Total at above schools.. Not accounted for 1,284 847 1,607 919 2,526 2,020 901 2,499 817 3,519 1,054 3,564 1,296 3,816 1,332 3,803 1,467 No. living at 5 to 15 years 2,131 2,921 3,316 4,280 4,860 5,148 5,270 4,573 Wellington. Superior schools, 5 to 15 years 'ublio schools, 5 to 15 years 'rivate schools, all ages 63 4,277 1,049 83 6,604 1,177 95; 8,1581 1,383 75 9,135 1,500 87 9,763 1,673 146 10,287 1,485 253 11,188 1,604 294 11,816 1,929 277 12,624 1,859 245 13,555 2,018 260 14,860 2,097 Total at above schools.. Not accounted for 5,389 6,752 7,864 5,2091 9,636 4,369 10,710 4,227 11,523 4,347 11,918 4,887 16,805 13,045 4,095 14,039 4,6361 14,760 4,850 15,818 4,727 17,217 3,815 No. living at 5 to 15 years 12,141 13,073 14,005 14,9371 15,870 17,740 18,075 19,610 20,545 21,032 Hawkb's Bay. luperior schools, 5 to 15 years 'ublio schools, 5 to 15 years 'rivate schools, all ages 1*220 565 1,642 637 38 2,102 430 37 2,466 365 45 2,633 478 39 2,708 430 51 2,950 532 65 3,249 254 62 3,697 538 118 4,028 589 88 4,436 530 Total at above schools.. Not accounted for 1,785 1,891 2,279 1,566 2,576 1,438 2,868 1,315 3,156 1,196 3,177 1,526 3,533 1,521 3,568 1,837 4,297 1,459 4,735 1,371 5,054 1,197 No. living at 5 to 15 years 3,676 3,845 4,014 4,183 4,352 4,7031 5,054 5,405 5,756 6,106 6,251 Mablbobough. Superior schools, 5 to 15 years 'ublic schools, 5 to 15 years 'rivate schools, all ages *985 209 1*074 190 1*126 244 1,295 168 1*467 224 1,550 156 1*620 198 1*650 232 1,*738 287 1*823 274 1*907 308 Total at above schools.. Not accounted for 1,194 778 1,264 823 1,371 83: 1,468 854 1,681 751i 1,700 830 1,824 816 1,882 802 2,040 808 2,097 855 2,215 807 No. living at 5 to 15 years 1,972 2,087 2,20! 2,317 2,432 2,536 2,640 2,744 2,848 2,952 3,022