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£4,329 Os. lid. The expenditure on school buildings, sites, plans, supervision, &c, was £1,595 7s, Id., which, added to a debit balance of £2,399 4s. 3d. with which the year was begun, leaves an apparent credit balance of £334 9s. 7d. Against this, however, there are contract liabilities for new buildings and school additions now in progress amounting to £2,167, so that the Board's Building Account at the close of the year showed an actual indebtedness of £1,822 10s. sd. I have, &c, The Hon. the Minister of Education. J. D. Osmond, Chairman. Geneeal Statement of Eeceipts and Expenditure for the Year ending 31st December, 1888. m T , , Receipts. £ s. d. Expenditure. £ s. d. To Balance at beginning of year—General By Balance at beginning of year .. 2,399 4 3 Account .. .. .. 1,461 5 3 ~ Office staff—Salaries .. .. 250 0 0 Government grant for buildings .. 4,24112 0 Departmental contingencies.. .. 236 710 Other receipts for buildings — From Inspector's salary .. .. .. 500 0 0 School Fund .. .. .. 87 811 Inspector's travelling expenses .. 150 0 0 Government statutory capitation .. 15,218 11 3 Examination of pupil-teachers .. 72 8 0 Scholarship grant .. .. .. 293 8 5 Teachers' salaries and allowances (inInspection subsidy 300 0 0 eluding rent, bonus, Ac.) .. 15,037 711 Payments by School Commissioners .. 2,125 16 1 Incidental expenses of schools .. 1,691 7 0 District High School fees .. .. 197 11 4 Training of teachers.. .. .. 58 10 4 Donation Tarawera School—Teacher's Scholarships salary .. .. .. 90 0 Paid to scholars .. .. .. 275 0 0 Befund of scholarship payment .. 5 0 0 Examination;expenses .. .. 16 8 0 School buildings— New buildings .. .. .. 1,074 3 6 Improvements of buildings .. 124 18 11 Furniture and appliances .. 276 4 8 Sites .. .. .. .. 26 6 0 Plans, supervision, and fees .. 83 1 6 Interest .. .. .. .. 10 12 6 High School .. .. .. 206 4 5 Building Fund, per contra .. .. 87 811 Balance at end of year— On Building Account .. .. 334 9 7 On General Account .. .. 1,029 9 11 £23,939 13 3 £23,939 13 3 H. Hill, Secretary. Examined and found correct. —James Edward FitzGeeald, Controller and Auditor-General.

MABLBOBOUGH. Sic, — Education Board Office, Blenheim, 15th June, 1889. I have the honour to forward you the report of the Board of Education for the District of Marlborough for the year ending the 31st December, 1888. The Boaed. —The three retiring members were the Hon. Colonel Baillie, Messrs. A. B. Seymour, and George Henderson. The two former were re-elected; the latter not offering himself for re-election, Mr. C. H. Mills was chosen to fill the vacancy. The Board now consists of Mr. Seymour (Chairman), the Hon. Colonel Baillie, Messrs. Conolly, Hutcheson, Lambert, Mills, Barker, Baul, and Ward. The Board held sixteen meetings during the year. Schools.—The large Blenheim School was destroyed by fire on the 25th September, 1888. This was a very serious loss, the building being the largest of our schools, commodious, in good repair, and comparatively a building of recent date. A new building in brick is now being erected by the department. The fire has caused great inconvenience in the working of the school, which will be felt throughout the whole of the present year, and probably as far on as May, 1890, the teaching having to be carried on in three separate buildings which the Board is renting as temporary schoolhouses. Aided schools were opened at Wells's Farm and at Hopai Bay, both in the Belorus Sound. The aided school at Kenepuru was closed in the last quarter of the year. There were thirty-five schools working at the end of the year. Attendance. —On the 31st December, 1887, the average weekly roll was 1,715, and the average attendance of the last quarter 1,311. At the end of 1888 the weekly number on the roll was 1,735, and the average attendance 1,347. Teachees.—The staff consisted of fifty-five of all classes, of whom twenty-seven were males and twenty-eight females. Scholaeship.—The winning scholar was Lewis Griffith. The two scholarships, each tenable for two years at the Nelson College, are held by Ernest Butherford from the beginning of 1887, and the above mentioned from the beginning of 1888. Buildings.—On Buildings Account we began the year with a credit balance of £102 15s. 7d. We received from the Government grant £719 os. 6d., and having spent £574 ss. Bd. we close the year with a credit of £247 10s. sd. on this account. Geneeal Account. —On the Ist January, 1888, we had a credit balance of £192 19s. 4d. We received from the Government for the service of the year £6,035 Is. 3d., and we expended £6,046 2s. 4d., leaving us a balance to credit on the year's transactions of £182 18s. 3d. Certain moneys for the service of the year that were not received until after its close are taken into account in this computation. I have, &c, The Hon. the Minister of Education, Wellington. A. B. Seymoue, Chairman.