E.—l2.

fees for tuition, provided that one free place was already given for each £50 of the net income from endowments. Fifteen out of the twenty-five secondary schools have so far accepted the conditions, and up to May of the present year (1903) 588 pupils were thus receiving free secondary education in these schools; out of this number grants were being paid for 400, the remainder being those admitted at the rate of one for each £50 of such net income.

Number of Pupils receiving Secondary Education at District High Schools at 31st December, 1902.

At the end of 1902 there were 1,426 pupils in the district high schools who, having passed Standard VI., were receiving free instruction in secondary subjects. The number of such schools, which during 1901 had increased from thirteen to twenty-one, rose to thirty-eight at the end of 1902. The following table shows the number of Education Board scholarships held in December, 1902, with their tenure and annual value. The total expenditure of the Boards under this head amounted to £8,395 lis. 5d.; the total paid to the Boards for scholarship purposes by the Department was £8,197 9s. 7d.

With the increase of free places in secondary schools, the necessity of making direct provision by scholarships for enabling pupils to pay the fees for instruction will gradually disappear, and the money thus set free might very reasonably be used by the Boards to increase the number of boarding scholarships, in order that more scholars from country districts may have the advantages of secondary education. • *

5

I =W \°»s o o Education District. S3 o RS3 9 ° i Sod Numl Passed Standard VI. ber of Pupils. Others. Amount paid by Government to EdueaI Total ti on Boards during the Year. Number of m , , Pupils, Total. 190I . Capitation , Grants in M. F. Total. M. F. Total. Auckland Taranaki Wanganui Wellington Hawke's Bay Marlborough Nelson Grey Westland North Canterbury .. South Canterbury .. Otago Southland 7 ! 1 I i S 88 22 169 31 25 82 10 158 49 24 170 32 327 80 49 1 38 1 13 1 51 170 59 34 1 32 378 i 168 80 .. 49 26 £ a. d. 306 10 0 127 10 0 1,133 0 0 115 13 4 158 10 0 £ s. d. 82 10 0 30 0 0 147 10 0 17 10 0 30 0 0 £ s. d. 389 0 0 157 10 0 1,280 10 0 133 3 4 188 10 0 3 1 1 1 3 9 3 65 22 13 12 71 172 55 59 20 21 18 53 143 44 124 42 34 30 124 315 99 124 ' 33 42 22 34 22 30 • 19 124 i 70 315 196 99 15 320 0 0 186 5 0 131 0 0 113 10 0 502 5 4 1,177 0 0 111 0 0 52 10 0 30 0 0 30 0 0 30 0 0 82 10 0 240 0 0 45 0 0 372 10 0 216 5 0 161 0 0 143 10 0 584 15 4 1,417 0 0 156 0 0 Totals for the colony Totals for 1901 38 I 21 I 745 324 681 281 1,426 605 39 44 14 13 53 57 1,479 662 662 4,382 3 8 1,261 0 0 817 10 0 300 0 0 5,199 13 8 1,561 0 0

Education Districts. Number p„ in = Boards held in „ , , Expenditure Dec BoyS - Gl1 ' 18 ' ™ 0f on Scholarships 1902. Tenure. in 1902 J Annual Value, &c Auckland # . Taranaki 1'ears. £ s. d. 83 59 24 3 1,747 4 0 14 9 5 2 278 13 10 4 at £30; 21 at £25 ; 24 at £20; 34 at £15. 4 at £35; 2 at £14; 6 at £10; 1 at £4 13s. 4d.; 1 at £3 6s. 8d. 13 at £40; 1 at £32 10s.; 1 at £32 ; 1 at £15 ; 2 at £5. 12 at £35 ; 27 at £15. 8 at £30 4s. ; 2 at £16 4s. ; 15 at £10 4s. 3 at £35 ; 9 at £10. 7 at £50 10s. ; 1 at £25 ; 1 at £10. £25. I at £23 ; 2 at £17 10s.; 4 at £8. 19 at £40; 17 at £20. II at £22 10s. ; 1 at £8 ; 2 at £6 ; 17 at £2 10s. Wanganui; 18 11 7 Varies 635 18 3 Wellington Hawke's Bay Marlborough Nelson Grey Westland North Canterbury South Canterbury 39 20 19 | 2 929 3 6 25 11 14 2 499 7 1 12 3 9 2 163 0 0 9 5 4 2 371 17 6 4 3 1 2 100 0 0 7 3 4 2 101 11 0 36 18 18 2 1,183 11 7 31 13 18 2 335 9 8 Otago 54 36 18 { j } 1,383 7 2 23 15 8 | | 666 7 10 13 at £40 ; 4 at £35 ; 1 at £24 ; 2 at £22 ; 17 at £20; 17 at £15. 13 at £35 ; 1 at £20 ; 1 at £18 ; 8 at £15. Southland "Totals, 1902.. "Totals, 1901.. 355 358 206 201 149 157 8,395 11 5 8,331 10 5