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GBEY. Sic,— Education Office, Greymouth, 25tb March, 1899. I have the honour to lay before you a report of the proceedings of the Grey Education Board for the year 1898. The Boaed. —The Board consisted of Messrs. John Byrne, John Flynn, S. B. Harris, Hon. James Kerr, W. B. Kettle, J. Marshall, B. McGuire, Joseph Petrie, and F. White. During the year the Board has held twelve regular meetings. Schools.—There were thirty schools in operation at the close of the year, being an increase of one on the previous year. The teachers in the employ of the Board comprised seventeen males and forty-four females, or a total of sixty-one. The annual examination of pupil-teachers was held in December. Ten pupil-teachers were examined ; eight of these qualified for a higher grade, and two failed. Scholabships.—The annual examination for scholarships was held in December. For the four scholarships, two town and two country, there were twenty-one competitors, six from the Greymouth District High School and fifteen from the country. Finance. —At the close of the year the Building Fund showed a credit balance of £318 18s. 4d. The amount expended during the year was £876 Is. Bd. The Board's General Account at the close of the year showed a debit balance of £262 Os. 4d. This was owing to bad attendance during a part of the year, and to the great cost of maintaining many of the small schools in sparsely populated districts. I have, &c, The Hon. the Minister of Education. Joseph Peteie, Chairman.

Geneeal Statement of Beceipts and Expenditube for the Year ending 31st December, 1898. Receipts. £ s. d. Expenditure. £ s. d. To Government grant for buildings .'. 1,195 0 0 By Balance .. .. .. .. 513 16 7 Government statutory capitation .. 5,388 8 9 Office staff —salaries .. .. 175 0 0 Scholarship grant .. .. .. 109 19 3 Departmental contingencies .. .. 20 12 3 Inspection subsidy .. .. .. 125 0 0 Inspector's salary .. .. .. 200 0 0 Grant in aid of technical class .. 16 18 5 Teachers' salaries and allowances (inpayments by School Commissioners .. 110 0 0 eluding, rent, bonus, &c.) .. .. 5,032 1 8 District High School fees .. .. 41 0 0 Incidental expenses of schools .. 122 0 0 Grant from High School Board .. 100 0 0 Training of teaohers .. .. .. 39 10 0 £ s. d. Scholarships .. .. .. 100 0 0 Balance .. .. .. 180 17 0 School buildings— Unpresented cheques .. 81 3 4 New buildings .. .. .. 60 3 5 Improvements of buildings .. .. 270 17 5 262 0 4 Furniture and applianoes .. .. 116 19 3 Less due from Building Ac- Sites .. .. .. .. 39 7 0_ count .. .. 6 6 9 Plans, supervision, and fees .. 9 13 0 255 13 7 Printing .. .. .. .. 72 2 6 Advertising .. .. .. .. 32 3 0 Members' travelling expenses .. 193 3 0 Technical class .. .. .. 16 18 5 Interest .. .. .. .. 15 0 11 Balance — £ s. d. On Building Account .. 318 18 4 Less due to- General Account .. .. 6 6 9 312 11 7 £7,342 0 0 £7,342 0 0 Joseph Petbie, Chairman. F. W. Biemenschneideb, Secretary. Examined and found correct —J. K. Waebubton, Controller and Auditor-General.

WESTLAND. Sib, — Education Office, 10th January, 1899. I have the honour to submit the report of the Westland Education Board for the year ending 31st December, 1898. The Boaed. —As in the previous two years, the membership of the Board has suffered no change, the retiring members, Messrs. Chesney, Hudson, and Smith, being re-elected in March. At the first meeting in April the following reappointments were made : Mr. McWhirter, Chairman ; Mr. Chesney, Treasurer; Mr. Grimmond, School Commissioner ; and Mr. Michel, representative on the Hokitika High School Board. During the year the Board has held one special and twelve ordinary meetings. Schools. —During the year thirty-six schools have been in operation, including a new school at Kanieri Forks. At the end of the year thirty-four were open, household schools at Waiatoto and Taipo having been closed. The classes devoted to secondary education in connection with the Hokitika and Kumara District High School, consisted, at the time of the Board's examination, of twenty-one and ten pupils respectively, each class being very successful. The latter has been discontinued from the beginning of 1899, owing to the insufficiency of the numbers attending. The class for manual instruction ' connected with the Kumara School has been conducted efficiently during the year, as a separate report by the Inspector will show. In the last annual