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General Statement of Eeceipts and Bxpendituhe for the Year ending 31st December, 1896. Receipts. £ s. d. I Expenditure. £ s. d' To Balance— By Office Staff—Salaries .. .. 164 11 8 On Building Account .. .. 1,759 15 11 Clerical assistance .. .. .. 10 7 6 On Scholarship Account .. .. 2 7 8! Departmental contingencies .. .. 184 8 4 On General Account .. .. 970 3 8 I Inspector's salary .. .. .. 350 0 0 On Land Account .. .. 516 8 Inspector's travelling expenses .. 75 0 0 Cash in hand .. .. .. 014 7 Examination of pupil-teachers .. 610 3 Receipts for buildings— Teachers' salaries and allowances (inContribution for removal of school .. 25 0 0 eluding rent, bonus, &c).. .. 9,181 111 Deposit forfeited .. .. .. 10 0 0 Incidental expenses of schools .. 1,204 13 1 Government statutory capitation .. 10,409 *3 7 Training of teachers .. .. .. 116 10 0 Scholarship grant .. .. .. 172 16 0 Scholarships— Inspection subsidy .. .. .. 200 0 0 Paid to scholars .. .. .. 166 0 0 Payments by School Commissioners, for Examination expenses .. .. 5 12 0 primary education .. .. 682 15 5 School buildingsRents from school-Bites, &c. .. .. 20 3 0 New buildings .. .. .. 700 9 0 Improvements of buildings.. .. 707 16 5 Furniture and appliances .. .. 234 16 3 Sites .. .. .. .. 29 18 0 Plans, supervision, and fees .. 70 0 0 Refund of deposit .. .. .. 9 0 0 Balance — £ s. d. On Building Account .. 383 12 10 On Scholarship Account 3 11 8 On General Account .. 742 6 1 On Land Account .. 5 16 8 Cash in hand .. .. 118 1,136 8 11 Less outstanding cheques .94 1 10 — 1,042 7 1 £14,258 16 6 £14,258 16 6 Eobert G. Bauchopb, Chairman. G. Veale, Secretary. Examined and found correct. — J. K. Warburton, Controller and Auditor-General.

WANGANDI. Sir, — Education Office, Wanganui, Ist March, 1897. I have the honour to submit the annual report of the proceedings of this Board for the year ending 31st December, 1896. Boaed. —The three members who retired by rotation in March were Messrs. Bridge, Beckett, and Pirani. Mr. Pirani was re-elected. Mr. F. Y. Lethbridge, of Feilding, was elected in place of Mr. Beckett, and Mr. Bobbins, of Hawera, in place of Mr. Bridge. The following gentlemen constituted the Board at the end of the year : Mr. Gilbert Carson, M.H.E., of Wanganui (Chairman), Mr. Henry Sanson, of Eongotea, Mr. James W. Baker, of Warrengate, Mr. H. J. Fry, of Makino, Mr. G. A Hurley, of Manaia, Eev. John Eoss, of Turakina, Mr. F. Pirani, M.H.8.,0f Palmerston North, Mr. F. Y. Lethbridge, M.H.E., of Feilding, and Mr. B. C. Bobbins, of Hawera. Schools.—At the close of 1895 there were 116 schools in operation in this district. During the year new schools have been opened at Mangawhero, Eaetihi, Eewa, Ohakune, Euahine, and Taihape, and Onga Eoad School has been reopened. The school named Beef Creek in the last report has been altered to Mangarimu, and that called Campbelltown is now known as Eongotea. There are now, consequently, 123 schools in operation in this district, the numbers and attendances being as follows : Thirteen schools with an average attendance under 15, fifteen schools with an average attendance of 15 and under 20, ten schools with an average attendance of 20 and under 25, fortythree schools with an average attendance of 25 and under 50, sixteen schools with an average attendance of 50 and under 75, two schools with an average attendance of 75 and under 100, ten schools with an average attendance of 100 and under 150, eleven schools with an average attendance of 150 and under 300, three schools with an average attendance of 300 and under 500. Teachers. —The number of teachers under the Board is 262. Of these ninety-five are male teachers in charge of schools, eleven are male assistants, and twenty-four male pupil-teachers; twenty-eight are female teachers in charge of schools, twenty-seven are female assistants, and seventy-seven are female pupil-teachers. The Board has already thirty-three cadets in its service, but they do not receive any pay, and are not counted on the staff of the schools. Attendances. —The returns show the attendances for the year to have been as follows: — Roll. Working Average. Strict Average. First Quarter ... ... ... 10,138 . 8,165 8,080 Second Quarter ... ... ... 10,145 8,177 8,060 Third Quarter ... ... ... 10,126 8,189 8,120 Fourth Quarter ... ... ... 10,089 8,062 7,953 The average attendance to the roll for the first quarter was 797 per cent. ; for the second quarter, 79-44 per cent.; for the third quarter, 80-2 per cent.; and for the fourth quarter, 7882 per cent.; and for the whole year it was 7954 per cent. The average attendance for the third quarter of the year was the highest, although the roll number was less than for the first and second quarters. Building Operations.—The principal contract works undertaken during the year were the building of new schools at Mangawhero, Eaetihi, Bewa, Mangarimu, and Carnarvon, and of additions to the Eongotea, Hunterville, Crofton, Eangiwahia, and Wanganui Girls' Schools. Taikorea School was burnt down, but was re-erected. Tenders have also been accepted for additions to the Feilding School, and for new residences at Hawera, Cheltenham, and Marton. The Board's carpenters, of whom three are now engaged, have also been fully employed on additions and improvements to Stony Creek, Aramoho, Okaiawa, Kelvin Grove, Kairangi, College Street (Palmerston North), Wanganui Infants', Cheltenham, Momohaki, Foxton, Denlair, Karere, Ashurst, Meremere,

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