E.—l

The number of Maori children attending the public schools in 1896 (as shown in the following table) was 2,023. In 1895 the number was 1,894, and in 1894 it was 1,536 ; so that there has been an increase of 487 in two years. The number of Maori children attending Native schools at the end of 1896 was 2,459, and 70 others were at boarding-schools as Government scholars.

Table C contains a concise statement of the particulars set forth at greater length in Table No. 1 (Appendix, p. 1) of the age and sex of the pupils in the public schools. The boys as usual outnumber the girls, and the proportion (51-7 boys to 48-3 girls) does not differ appreciably from the proportion ascertained for many preceding years. The number of children below the age of ten years is still in excess of the number above that age, the proportion being 51*7 to 48 - 3. In 1895 the proportion was 51 - 9 to 48 - l; thirteen years ago it was 59 to 41. The mean age of the pupils is about 9 years 10 months, and the numbers for successive age-years begin to decline at the tenth year. The rate of decline, however, is slight below the thirteenth year, and is not large until the fourteenth year is reached. The number of pupils above the age of twelve is proportionally increasing ; for 1896 it amounts to 25*4 per cent, of the school-roll, whereas for 1895 it was 25-1 per cent., and for 1892 it was only 24-4 per cent. Among the pupils above the age of fifteen the girls predominate in the proportion of 53-2 to 468. This disproportion is probably due to the fact that as compared with the boys the girls are more likely to become pupil-teachers.

TABLE C.—Age and Sex of Pupils, December, 1896.

Table D is a summary statement of distribution in standard classes, of which fuller particulars are given in Table No. 2 (Appendix, p. 2).

III

Education Districts. ire Maoris. Half-castes living as Maoris. Half-castes 1: among European iving is. Total. No. of Schools in which there were Native Children. Auckland Taranaki Wanganui Wellington Hawke's Bay.. Marlborough .. Nelson Grey Westland North Canterbury South Canterbury Otago Southland 235 14 84 ' 64 147 3 7 Boys. 157 ! 392 5 19 50 134 46 I 110 72 219 3 3 j 10 Girls. Total. Boys. 26 5 7 10 15 3 Girls. Total. 33 59 5 3 10 6 16 9 j 24 3 Boys. 307 6 23 29 47 16 3 Girls. 254 7 18 21 45 5 1 Total. 561 13 41 50 92 21 4 Boys. 568 25 114 103 209 22 10 Girls. 444 12 71 73 126 5 i Total. 1,012 37 185 176 335 27 14 140 10 33 26 26 5 7 12 8 4 10 2 5 ' 17 7 I 15 4 j 8 9 J 19 2 11 12 1 20 39 14 27 42 26 1 47 81 12 20 5 41 41 5 21 4 46 42 17 41 9 87 83 2 10 2 9 13 io '21 Totals for 1896 Totals for 1895 590 495 358 948 312 807 77 5G 61 138 47 103 14 35 503 i 521 I 434 463 937 984 1,170 1,072 853 822 2,023 1,894 283 279 Difference 95 46 j 141 21 -29 -47 -18 98 :!1 129

Ages. Boys. Girls. Total. Percental [es for Five Years. Five and under six years Six and under seven years Seven and under eight years Eight and under nine years Nine and under ten years Ten and under eleven years Eleven and under twelve years Twelve and under thirteen years .. Thirteen and under fourteen years .. Fourteen and under fifteen years .. Over fifteen years 4,992 6,699 7,573 7,770 7,852 7,944 7,687 7,152 5,640 3,066 1,409 67,784 4,716 6,276 7,099 7,442 7,328 7,175 7,160 6,773 4,897 2,784 1,603 9,708 12,975 14,672 15,212 15,180 15,119 14,847 13,925 10,537 5,850 3,012 1896. 7-4 9-9 11-2 11-6 11-6 11-5 11-3 10-6 8-1 4-5 2-3 1895. 7-4 9-8 11-6 11-5 11-6 11-6 11-4 10-5 7-9 4-4 23 1894. 7-4 10-2 11-5 11-5 11-6 11-9 11-1 10-1 7-8 4-6 2-3 1893. 7-6 10-2 11-5 11-7 11-8 11-7 11-0 10-0 7-9 4-4 2-2 1892. 7-8 10-2 11-4 11-8 11-9 11-5 11-0 10-3 7-6 4-3 2-2 Totals .. 63,253 131,037 100-0 100-0 100-0 1000 100-0