E.-^i

Pupils in Public Schools. The capitation grants depend (for the time being) on the " working average," which is found for each school by omitting from the calculation all the attendances on those half-days on which less than half the pupils on the roll are present. The working average for the year 1898 was estimated at 113,800; but the returns show that it actually was 111,636 —less by 692 than the corresponding number for 1897. The " strict average " is based upon the attendances on all the half-days at which any pupils are present. The ''strict average" for 1898 was 110,256, showing a decrease for the year as compared with the previous year of 737. The average of the weekly roll-numbers taken throughout the year 1898 was 133,782, or 179 less than for 1897. As the strict average attendance was 110,256, we have 82 - 4 per cent, as the figure representing the regularity of attendance for 1898; in the previous year the average attendance was 82-9 per cent, of the average weekly roll.

TABLE A. —School Attendance and Yearly Increase from 1877 to 1898.

Eeference to Table A shows that there has been only one other year—viz., 1893 —in which the total average attendance has fallen below that of the previous year. It is significant that in both years the colony was visited by an epidemic of measles. In 1893 the attendance fell from 80 - 6 to 78 - 5 of the average roll— that is, apparently about 2,640 children were absent each day throughout the year; but the epidemic lasted for only part of the year, and each child would be away from school, say, five or six weeks. We might say, roughly, therefore, that about 20,000 school-children were affected. In 1898 the percentage of attendance fell from 82-9 to 82-4, or there was an apparentfalling-off in the average attendance of about 670; the epidemic was much slighter, and the absences from school were, as a matter of fact, shorter in duration, although on medical grounds apparently no difference in the length of absence from school should be made whether the outbreak assumes, in any particular case, a mild or a malignant form. We are probably not far from the truth if we estimate that in 1898 about 7,000 school-children were affected. Quite apart from considerations of health, it appears not improbable, therefore, that, by the enforcement of stricter concerted measures of quarantine, Boards and Committees might considerably lessen the interruptions to school work, and thus increase the efficiency of the work; while they might, at the same time, guard themselves against the serious loss of revenue consequent upon the prolonged prevalence of an epidemic

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Sohi iol Attendance, Yearly Im srease on Year.. H pi a as o 1 Average Ai itendance. ., Whole.. Tear. Hfl ... .(RM^fl g CUM Iffjj sir a H P^I Average Ati sendance. Fourth Quarter. Fourth Quarter. Whole Year. 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 50,849 59,707 68,124 74,359 76,309 79,416 84,883 90,670 95,377 99,206 103;534 104,919 108,-158 110,665 112,279 114,305 116,819 119,900 122,425 123,533 . 123,89255,688 65,040 75,566 82,401 83,560 87,179 92,476 97,238 102,407 106,328 110,919 112,685 115,456 117,912 119,523 122,620 124,686 127,300 129,856 131,037 132,197 131,621 . 49,435 57,301 62,946 63,009 66,426 70,077 74,650 80,183 83,361 87,386 90,849 94,308 96,670 96,264 100,917 99,872 106,151 107,222 109,253 • 110,523 107,904 .. 53,067 73-8 60,625 74'6 61,822 74-2 63,709 73-6 67.373 74-0 72,657 75-1 78,327 76-6 80,737 76-1 85,637 i 77-0 90,108 79-3 93.374 80-3 94,632 79-9 97,058 80-3 99,070 80-6 98,615 78'5 103,490 80-6 106,622 I 81-4 108,976 82-1 110,993 829 110,256 82-4 8,858 8,417 6,235 1,950 3,107 5,467 5,787 4,707 3,829 4,328 1,385 3,239 2,507 1,614 2,026 2,514 3,081 2,525 1,108 359 9,352 10,526 6,835 1,159 3,619 5,297 4,762 5,169 3,921 4,591 1,766 2,771 2,456 1,611 3,097 2,066 2,614 2,556 1,181 1,160 [-576] 7,866 5,645 . .6.3 3,417 3,651 4,573 5,533 3,178 4,025 3,463 3,459. 2,362 [-406] 4,653 [-1,045] 6,279 1,071 2,031 1,270 [-2,619] 7,546 7,558 1,197 ' 1,887 3,664 5,284 5,670 2,410 4,900 4,471 3,266 1,258 2,426 2,012 [-455] 4,875 • 3,132': ; 2,354 2,017 [-737]