E.—l

79

The Board entirely agrees with the opinion expressed by its Inspector, that the examination of pupil-teachers should be undertaken by the department. I have, &c, The Hon. the Minister of Education. A. P Seymour, Chairman.

General Statement of Eeceipts and Expenditure for the Year ending 31st December, 1894. Receipts. £ s. d. ! Expenditure. £ s. d. To Balance j By Office staff —Salaries 375 0 0 On Building Account 884 19 11 ! Clerical assistance 30 0 0 On General Account 928 16 10 Departmental contingencies 79 1 7 Government grant for buildings 1,050 0 0 Teachers'salaries and allowances 4 236 16 9 Marshlands Committee—For building 6 0 0 Capitation to aided schools 1 168 5 4 Government statutory capitation 5 998 15 0 I Incidental expenses of schools 407 9 7 Government scholarship grant 120 0 0 | Scholarships 120 0 0 Inspection subsidy 200 0 0 School buildingsPayments by School Commissioners 150 0 0 New buildings 1 110 10 0 Sale of books 289 19 1 Improvements of buildings 127 1 9 Rents 11 17 6 Furniture and appliances 13G 6 3 Interest on fixed deposit 72 10 0 Sites .. 161 19 9 Deposits on contracts 44 12 0 Plans, supervision, and fees 61 16 2 Refund of rent to School Commissioners 10 0 0 Deposits returned 42 12 0 Books 277 3 3 Balance— On Building Account 343 0 0 On General Account 1,070 111 £9 757 10 4 £9,757 10 4 John Smith, Secretary Examined and found correct.—Jambs Edward FitzGerald, Controller and Auditor-General.

NELSON. Sib,—- Nelson, 26th March, 1895. I have the honour to lay before you a report of the proceedings of the Nelson Education Board during the year ending 31st December, 1894. Meetings of the Board.—During the year the Board held nineteen meetings, the average attendance of members at each meeting being 76. At the beginning of the year the members of the Board were as follows, viz. Messrs. H. A. Tarrant (Chairman) G Talbot, E. Hursthouse, C. Dencker, W Lock, A. T Maginnity W H. Phillips, jun., G B. Sinclair and Major W N Franklyn. At the annual election, held on the 14th March, Messrs. W Lock and W H. Phillips, jun., were re-elected, and Mr Philip Best also obtained a ssat on the Board. Schools.—At the end of 1894 107 schools were at work, thirty-two of these being aided or subsidised schools, each receiving a subsidy of £4 per scholar in regular attendance, and most of them in addition a grant of 11s. 6d. per head by way of Committee allowance. Attendance of Scholars.—The total number of scholars on the roll at the end of 1894 was 5,975, the strict average attendance being 4,715, and the working average 4,799. The corresponding numbers for 1893 were On roll, 5,878 , strict average, 4,256 and working average, 4,456. Teaching Staff.—At the end of the year 59 male and 123 female teachers were on the staff, making a total of 182 teachers of all grades. Of these, 41 were classed as probationers, being practically pupil-teachers, but for whose instruction no grant is received from the Education Department. School Buildings.—During the year new schools have been erected at Ngatimoti, Promised Land, and Murchison, and substantial assistance has been given towards the erection by settlers of new schools at Kongahu and Glenroy The most important work in this connection completed during the year was the erection of a central school for boys in the City of Nelson. The funds, however, which the department placed at the disposal of the Board for this building proved so utterly inadequate that the Board was unable to secure a title to the land on which the school stands, and it became necessary to obtain possession of it on a purchase agreement, the sum of £1,300 being still required before the purchase can be completed. The Late Inspector.—During the past year the late Mr W C. Hodgson, who, first as headmaster of our largest city school and subsequently as Inspector, has been connected with the Nelson Education Board for more than thirty-six years, was constrained, owing to failing health, to relinquish his appointment. The news of his resignation was received with most sincere regret, not only by the members of the Board, but by every person interested in the course of education throughout the Provincial District of Nelson. Short, however, was the time granted him to enjoy the leisure he had so well earned, as his death occurred before the termination of the first of the three months' leave which had been heartily accorded him on his retirement. The Board desires to place on record its high appreciation of Mr Hodgson's services, and its heartfelt sympathy with his family in their sudden bereavement. I have, &c, George Talbot, Chairman,