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applied as follows : Teachers' salaries, £3 3s. 4d.; grants to Committees, 6s. 7d.; inspection and examination, Is. lid.; expenses of Board and departmental management, Is. Bd. ; unexpended, Is. 6d.: total, £3 15s. Buildings.—The grants allocated to this district for building purposes are quite inadequate to meet requirements. There are no fewer than forty-four schools carried on in buildings rented or lent free of charge. There are 160 schools unprovided with teachers' residences. Many of the wooden buildings erected twenty years ago are showing signs of decay, and must soon be replaced with new buildings. The demand for schools in newly-settled districts is continually increasing. Several buildings and improvements have had to be postponed for the want of funds. A large outlay has been incurred in providing school accommodation for the growing population at Coromandel and at the Upper Thames goldfield. The Board has also had to increase the accommodation in some of the town and suburban schools. There are at least forty schools for which dwellings ought to be provided. It is obvious that the Board cannot overtake all these works unless some more liberal provision is made by Parliament for the purpose. The buildings erected in this district are plain, substantial structures :no ornamentation is added. The object of the Board is to supply the maximum accommodation at the minimum cost consistent with efficiency. The average cost of school buildings in this district will compare favourably with that in other districts of the colony. The number of actual requirements largely exceeds that of any other education district. Miscellaneous.—The conference of Education Boards held in August at Wellington was attended by Mr. Udy as the representative of this Board. As one result of that conference, the Bill to provide for manual and technical instruction has passed into law, and the Board has promised to co-operate with School Committees in taking advantage of its provisions. So far as the city and suburbs of Auckland are concerned, provision for such instruction is already afforded by the Auckland Technical School; but the Board hopes that the opportunities of technical instruction may be extended to other portions of the education district. The Board has been greatly helped by the co-operation of the School Committees in administering the Act during the past year. It has been the consistent aim of the Board to give the fullest consideration to their wishes, and to act upon their advice, so far as is consistent with the interests of the whole education district. It is hoped that the friendly relations which have been thus maintained for many years will continue to exist, to the advantage of all who are interested in upholding the present system of primary education. R. Udy, Chairman.

General Statement of Receipts and Expenditure for the Tear ending 31st December, 1895. Receipts. £ s. d. Expenditure. £ a. d. To Balance at beginning of year— By Office staff— Salaries.. .. .. 1,116 3 4 On Building Account .. .. 4,081 18 6 Clerical assistance .. .. .. 31 310 On General Account .. .. 1,001 16 0 Departmental contingencies .. .. 602 7 6 Government grant for buildings .. 7,800 0 0 Inspectors'salaries .. .. .. 2,050 0 0 Forfeited deposits .. .. .. 15 0 0 Inspectors' travelling-expenses .. 671 4 1 Other receipts for buildings— Examination of pupil-teachers .. 39 4 7 Proceeds of sale of Ellerslie School Teachers' salaries and allowances (inand teacher's house .. .. 356 10 0 eluding rent, bonus, &c.) .. .. 67,462 8 3 Committee's contributions to improve- Incidental expenses of schools .. 6,846 16 8 ments .. .. .. .. 30 18 6 Scholarships— Rent of reserve, &c. .. .. 22 10 0 Paid to scholars .. .. .. 1,420 16 8 Government contribution to cost of Examination expenses .. .. 36 18 3 fence, Tauranga .. .. .. 4 0 0 School buildings— Pullerton Bros., for puriri trees .. 2 0 0 New buildings .. .. .. 3,095 1 6 Refund—Overpayment on voucher .. 8 15 0 Improvements of buildings .. .. 3,232 2 8 Government statutory capitation .. 78,259 7 6 Furniture and appliances .. .. 684 0 4 Scholarship grant .. .. .. 1,510 6 0 Sites .. .. .. .. 420 17 8 Inspection subsidy— Plans, supervision, and fees .. 460 3 4 Ordinary .. .. .. .. 500 0 0 Truant officer .. .. .. 130 0 0 For Native schools.. .. .. 150 0 0 Interest on overdraft.. .. .. 9 17 8 Payments by School Commissioners .. 1,561 9 0 Balance at end of year— Remuera Committee—Contribution to On Building Account .. .. 4,429 6 6 repairs .. .. .. .. 3 10 0 On General Account .. .. 2,580 3 6 Oruru Committee—Rent of teacher's house .. .. .. .. 15 0 W. Fidler—Refund of salary .. .. 9 3 4 Refund—Overpayment on voucher .. 0 7 6 £95,318 16 4 £95,318 16 4 R. Udy, Chairman. Vincent E. Rice, Secretary. Examined and found correct, except as to the payment of £1 12s. 6d. for expense of attending a funeral, which is disallowed as having no authority of law.—-James Edward FitzGerald, Controller and Auditor-General.

TARANAKI. Sir,— New Plymouth, 4th March, 1896. In accordance with the provisions of section 102 of " The Education Act, 1877," I have the honour to forward the following report of the Board's proceedings for the year ending 31st December, 1895 :— . " , . '.'« The Board.—The retiring members, Miss Heywood and Messrs. E. G. Alisworth and R. G. Bauchope, were returned unopposed at the annual election in March, this being the first instance of an uncontested election since the formation of the Board. Mr. Bauchope was re-elected