101

E.—l

Liabilities. Nil. A. J Moeton, Secretary. Examined and found correct. —James Edwaed FitzGeeald, Controller and Auditor-General.

0 ~ ' CANTEEBUEY Sic, — Government Buildings, Christchurch, sth January, 1895. Iβ accordance with Order in Council of date 17th September, 1878, I have the honour to forward the report of the School Commissioners for the Canterbury Provincial District for the year ending the 31st December, 1894, together with a copy of its accounts, duly audited. The total area of the primary-education estate under lease on the 31st December, 1894, was 68,066 acres, producing an annual rental of £16,454 15s. 6d. Of this area, 24,200 acres is contained in Pastoral Bun No. 5, which was obtained from the Crown early in 1892 in exchange for agricultural land in the Waimate District. The fixed deposit of £159 3s. 5d., which matured on the 22nd December, 1894, has, together with £4 received in September last from the Templeton Eoad Board, been placed on deposit for one year, from the 22nd December, 1894. During the year ten reserves, containing in all 1.063J acres, were relet for periods of fourteen years or thereabouts. Of these, nine were let by tender, and the other, of 54 acres, was relet to the old tenant by arbitration. The Board, in August last, asked to be brought under " The Public Bodies' Powers Act, 1887," and in the New Zealand Gazette of the 20th September, 1894, an Order in Council appeared declaring it subject to that Act, and in the following month the Board considered a large number of applications for reduction of rent, and, with respect to nineteen reserves or subdivisions of same, granted a reduction for three years from the Ist November, 1894, and with regard to one reserve to the end of existing lease—viz., four years the total amount of annual reduction granted coming to £381 9s. The greater number of reductions that were made were to lessees of reserves which were subdivided and relet in 1889. Notwithstanding these reductions the rental this year is considerably above last year's, owing to the fact that on some swamp reserves that were subdivided and let for twenty-one years in 1887 a largely increased rent became due at the expiration of the first seven years, and the rent of some tenants doubled on the Ist May last, and to four of these a reduction in the increased rental became necessary, to enable them to carry on. I have, &c, H. E. Webb, Chairman of the School Commissioners. The Hon. the Minister of Education, Wellington.

ixpem fare. Primary. Secondary. Total. By Lands and and Survey Department—Commission Legal expenses Advertising Office furniture Deposit returned Members' travelling expenses Travelling expenses of officers Late Secretary, arrears of salary 1893 .. Acting-secretary, to May, 1894 Secretary's salary to 31st December, 1895 Clerical assistance Exchange on cheques Balance on 31st December, 1894 £ s. a. 2 19 6 0 17 6 1 15 10 0 10 8 5 11 8 2 10 0 2 10 0 2 10 0 0 15 9 0 8 0 44 0 3 £ s. a. 10 6 8 8 18 8 2 12 6 5 7 8 2 0 0 1 11 10 16 15 0 7 10 0 7 10 0 7 10 0 2 7 3 £ s. a. 10 6 8 11 18 2 3 10 0 7 3 6 2 0 0 2 2 6 22 6 8 10 0 0 10 0 0 10 0 0 3 3 0 0 8 0 114 15 11 70 15 8 Total expenditure 64 9 2 143 5 3 207 14 5 Assets. £ s. d. £ s. a. £ s. d. 114 15 11 8 14 0 ialance in bank, 31st December, 1894 ients in arrear . Total assets 123 9 11