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of £2,603 10s. is required to place the buildings of the district upon a really satisfactory footing. According to the present rate of ordinary grant the Board would not receive yearly more than a fourth of the sum mentioned. Unless the Board obtain a special grant the result must therefore be that the buildings will go from bad to worse; and instead of the expenditure of a small sum for repairs, there must, in some cases, be a renewal of the whole building. The recommencement of work in connection with the Midland Bailway, and the revival in mining affairs likely to be caused by development of quartz mines and the extension of beach dredging, will tend to increase our population, and cause a demand for more school accommodation. Unless more liberality can be shown in connection with the building grant, there is small chance of the Board being able to meet the requirements of the district. The Board desires to acknowledge the public spirit displayed by the inhabitants of Ngahere and the neighbourhood, who erected a school building at their own cost and handed it over to the Board. As a proof that the Board endeavoured, with the limited means at its command, to meet the necessities of all the schools as fairly as possible it may be mentioned that four schools only received no expenditure upon buildings. The amounts expended varied from 12s. at Bed Jacks to £131 Is. 7d. at Bichardson, the average expenditure upon sixteen schools being £34 Is. Id. The Board's regulations for scholarships are appended hereto, and are materially different to those previously existing. The scholarships are now tenable at the Greymouth District High School, and the Board is therefore able to offer a larger number—viz., two yearly for the town schools, including Greymouth and Cobden, and two for country schools ; the first receiving only free tuition for three years, and the latter free tuition for three years and £25 a year for two years. The Board regrets that the advantages offered have not met with greater appreciation, as shown by the unsatisfactory results of the examination. The Board was only able to grant one scholarship each for town and country. The causes of the failure to show good work were set forth in the special and general reports of the Board's Inspector. The Board desires to pay testimony to the energetic manner in which Committees have met the inconvenience caused by the abolition of their yearly grant, and hopes to find it in its power shortly to be able to renew the grant. Table No. 111. gives the receipts and expenditure of the Board for the year, and Table No. IV. the expenditure as divided amongst the schools. Committees were provided with stationery free of charge, and schools were provided with ink, chalk, blotting paper, foolscap and note paper, envelopes, slate pencils, penholders and pens, pencilholders, &c, without payment. A schedule is attached showing the cost of these articles for each school. Table No. V. gives the ages of the children in the public schools of the district, and the number classified according to standards ; also the number receiving instruction in each subject prescribed by the Act. Table No. VII. furnishes particulars of the building requirements of the district, and the Board would respectfully press upon your consideration the reasons already given for dealing promptly with them. I have, &c, The Hon. the Minister of Education. James B. Barkley, Chairman.

Geneeal Statement of Eeceipts and Expendituee for the Year ending 31st December, 1888. Receipts. £ a. d. Expenditure. £ s. d. To Government grant for buildings .. 654 12 0 By Balance at beginning of year — Government statutory capitation .. 4,984 15 5' General Account .. .. .. 499 0 0 Scholarship grant .. .. .. 98 11 10 Building Account .. .. .. 87 0 5 Inspection subsidy .. .. .. 125 0 0 Office Staff—Salary .. .. .. 300 0 0 Payments by Kelson School Commis- Clerical assistance .. .. .. 30 16 8 sioners .. .. ~ 05 10 10 Departmental contingencies .. .. 131 7 4 District High School fees .. .. 83 0 0 Inspector's travelling expenses .. 35 12 6 School books .. .. .. 80 0 0 Examination of pupil-teachers .. 3 3 0 Rent of reserve, Taylorville .. .. 200 0 0 Teachers' salaries and allowances (inGrant from Greymouth High School eluding rent, bonus, &c.) .. .. 4,234 11 5 Board .. .. .. .. 70 0 0 Incidental expenses of schools .. 172 10 7 Pent of offices .. .. .. 25 0 0 Scholarships—Paid to scholars .. 100 0 0 Sundries .. .. .. .. 18 5 School buildings— Balance at end of year—General Ac- New buildings .. .. .. 180 4 0 count .. .. .. .. 194 4 3 Improvements of buildings .. 184 15 1 Furniture and appliances .. .. 172 15 2 Plans, supervision, and fees .. 5 3 6 Interest on Building Fund .. .. 2 0 1 Rent .. .. .. .. 74 10 0 Printing .. .. .. .. 64 17 0 Travelling expenses—Members .. 81 5 0 School requisites .. .. .. 162 14 3 Interest on overdraft—General Account 37 3 0 Balance at end of year—On Building Account.. .. .. .. 22 13 9 £6,582 2 9 £6,582 2 9 J. Baekley, Chairman. E. T. Bobinson, Secretary. Examined and found correct.—James Edwaed FitzGeeald, Controller and Auditor-General.