E.-l.

General Statement of Receipts and Expenditure for the Year ending 31st December, 1902. Receipts. £ s. d. Expenditure. & s. d. Credit balance at beginning of year .. 1,571 10 5 Office Staff—Salaries and clerical assistance 360 15 0 Government grant for buildings .. 2,550 0 0 Departmental contingencies .. .. 446 16 7 Subscriptions and donations for buildings 6 0 0 Inspectors' salaries and travelling-expenses 450 0 0 Other grants from Government— Truant Officer's salary and expenses .. 102 1 8 Capitation for relieving teachers .. 70 5 2 Believing teachers .. .. .. 70 3 4 Allowance, £250, and capitation at Scholarships— lls. 3d. .. .. .. .. 2,265 8 9 Paid to scholars .. .. .. 250 3 4 Addition to statutory capitation, 1901 .. 431 17 3 Examination expenses .. .. 28 10 6 Salaries and allowances of teachers and Teachers' salaries .. .. .. 14,484 13 9 pupil-teachers— j Teachers' house allowances .. .. 305 0 0 Net amount paid by Government .. 12,797 0 6j Pupil-teachers'lodging-allowanoes .. 119 12 5 Paid by School Commissioners .. 1,757 7 2 ■ Incidental expenses of schools .. .. 1,290 8 9 Scholarship grant .. .. .. 189 15 0 I School buildings— District High Sohools—Grants . . 157 10 0 New buildings .. .. .. 297 6 0 Manual and technical instruction — Improvements of buildings .. .. 1,597 16 7 Capitation for— Furniture and appliances .. .. 408 5 8 School classes .. .. .. 7 15 0 Plans, supervision, and fees .. .. 99 10 3 Special classes—Manual and teohni- Manual and teohnical instruction— cal instruction .. .. 45 1 0 Salaries .. .. .. .. 45 0 0 Grants for— Travelling-expenses of instructors .. 615 0 Apparatus .. .. .. 43 9 8 Payments to Committees .. .. 14 4 6 Material .. .. .. 317 6 Apparatus .. .. .. .. 816 9 Instruction of teachers .. .. 100 0 0 Material .. .. .. .. 6 17 District High School fees .. .. 19 3 4 Incidentals .. .. .. .. 10 1 7 Manual and technical instruction—Ke- Other expenses— funds to Board .. .. .. 26 15 8 Ranger .. .. .. .. 3 10 0 Other receipts— Refund to A. Woodhead .. .. 18 0 Rent of offioe, £39; truantage, £4 Bs. .. 43 8 0 Secretary, Stratford District High Refunds to Board, £5 17s. 9d.; rents, School .. .. .. .. 516 8 £53 6s. 3d. .. .. .. 59 4 0 J Rent of buildings used for school purposes 18 17 6 Credit balance at end of year .. .. 1,713 13 0 £22,145 8 5 £22,145 8 5 B. G. Allswoeth, Chairman. P. S. Whitcombe, Secretary. Examined and found correct.— J. K. Waebubton, Controller and Auditor-General.

WANGANUI. Sib, — Education Office, Wanganui, 31st March, 1903. . In accordance with the provisions of section 102 of " The Education Act, 1877," I have the honour to present the following report of the proceedings of the Wanganui Education Board for the year 1902 : — Boabd.—At the beginning of the year this Board consisted of the following members : Messrs. George 8. Bridge (Chairman), W. Corry, B. C. Eobbins, F. M. Spurdle, R. A. Adams, J. W. Baker, P. Pirani, F. Y. Lethbridge, and the Rev. John Ross. The three retiring members were Messrs. B. C. Robbins, F. Pirani, and F. Y. Lethbridge, of whom the first-named did not offer himself for re-election. Seven candidates were nominated, and the three elected were Messrs. Lethbridge, of Feilding; Pirani, of Palmerston North ; and E. Dixon, of Hawera. In July Mr. Corry resigned his seat, and Mr. W. T. Wood, of Palmerston North, was elected to fill the vacancy. One special meeting was held during the year, and twelve ordinary meetings, at which there was an average attendance of seven members. Mr. F. Y. Lethbridge continues to represent the Board as one of the Education Reserves Commissioners. Schools. —At the end of the year 1901 there were 150 schools in operation. Eight new schools were opened during the year—viz., Awahou South, Pohonui, Torere, Te Awa, Pukeokahu, Watershed Road, Mangamahu Valley, and Utuwai. In consequence of the adjustment of the boundaries of the Wanganui and Taranaki Districts, the schools at Awatuna, Pihama, and Te Kiri were, at the end of the first quarter, transferred to the Taranaki Board. The school at Huripari was not reopened after the holidays. There were, therefore, at the end of 1902, 154 schools in operation, of which five would be classed as household schools. The school at Pukeokahu is situated in the Hawke's Bay District, but, by an arrangement with the Board of that district, is under the control of this Board. Teacheks. —On the 31st December there were 320 teachers—l 44 males and 176 females—in the Board's service. The annual examination of pupil-teachers was held in June. The results were as follows : First year, none examined ; second year, 17 examined, 15 passed ; third year, 18 examined, 14 passed ; fourth year, 11 examined, 10 passed. Thirty-seven candidates for pupil-teacherships were examined, of whom ten were not recommended for appointment. School-attendance. —The number of pupils in attendance at the beginning of the year was 10,197. The average attendance for the year 1901 was 9,097, and for 1902, 9,585 ; and the number in attendance at the end of the year was 11,385. There was thus an increase for the year in the number in attendance of 1,188, and an increase in the average attendance of 488. The average attendance expressed as a percentage of the mean of the average weekly roll for the year was 84'4 —that is to say, that of the 11,356 children on the school rolls, 1,771 (or more than 15 per cent.) were absent every school-day during the year. The average attendance since 1895 has been as follows: 1896, 80-4; 1897,81-4; 1898,81-9; 1899, 808; 1900, 82-1 ; 1901, 82-1; 1902, 84-4. Tbuancy.—The following figures show the work done by the Truant Officer during the year : Cases heard, 849; fines unpaid, 589; convictions without fines, 101; dismissed, 44; and withdrawn, 115.

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