E.—l

the classification in Table El. The substituted average authorised by clause la* of the regulations under the Education Act has been taken in all cases where the Boards decided to avail themselves of it. The number of small an average attendance not exceeding twenty shows a further increase of that of 1903. The number which was 527 in 1903 was 555 last year. The number of pupils attending these schools has increased by 181—namely, from 6,632 to 6,813.

TABLE E2. —Average Attendance for the Year 1904 at the Schools as grouped in Table E1.

During the year 1904 40 schools were closed—viz., in Auckland, 11 ; Wanganui, 3 ; Wellington, 4 ; Hawke's Bay, 1 ; Marlborough, 7 ; Nelson, 4 ; Westland, 2 ; North Canterbury, 4 ; Otago, 3 ; and Southland, 1. As was the case in 1903, several of these schools, although reckoned as closed in their original form, were reopened in another; thus some were amalgamated together whilst others which had been joined as half-time schools became full-time. Including such reopened schools, the total number opened during the year was 84, distributed as follows : Auckland, 18 ; Taranaki, 3 ; Wanganui, 16 ; Wellington, 6 ; Hawke's Bay, 10 ; Marlborough, 8 ; Nelson, 5 ; Grey, 1 ; North Canterbury, 3 ; South Canterbury, 3 ; Otago, 5 ; and Southland, 6. The net increase in the number of schools open at the end of the year is thus 44, as shown in Table El. Public-school Teachers. In December, 1904, there were employed on the primary staffs in the public schools of the colony 3,718 teachers ; of these, 3,069 were adults and 649 pupilteachers : the corresponding numbers for December, 1903, were 2,996 adults and

* The clause in question is as follows : " la. If the average attendance at any school for any quarter is less than two-thirds of the average weekly roll-number for such quarter, or is such as to place the school in a grade lower than that in which it would be placed by the mean of the average attendances for the other three quarters of the year, or if there be in any quarter less than thirty half-days on which the average attendance is at least half the number of the children on the roll, then, in the calculation of the yearly average attendance, there may, at the option of the Board, be substituted for the average attendance for such first-named quarter either the average attendance for the corresponding quarter of the preceding year or the average attendance for the quarter ending 31ft December of the preceding year, and the average attendance thus found shall be in lieu of the yearly average attendance as defined in clause 1 hereof." It is believed that the effect of this has been very beneficial in avoiding hardship in regard to fall of teachers' salaries and allowances, and of other grants, in cases where the attendanoe has suffered on aocount of an epidemic, bad weather, or other temporary cause.

VIII

Yearly Average Attendance. -a a 3 3 a <1 3 a a 3 s 3 a a) 00 a 3 & a' o a r\ Oi n OB '9 M ic * a oo a o to O a 1 a a o 03 % 'A a 3 9 >> >> to to a° a" S« -Za to to s to O <c o 9 : »« =«a <3 C3 o o o a 3 3 O to to « "o EH r\ 9 H a 1 to 8 9 „ 20 21 „ 30 31 , 40 41 „ 50 51 „ 70 71 „ 90 91 „ 120 121 „ 150 151 „ 200 201 „ 250 251 „ 280 281 „ 330 331 „ 390 391 „ 420 421 , 480 481 „ 510 511 „ 570 571 „ 600 601 „ 660 661 „ 690 691 „ 750 751 „ 780 781 , 840 841 , 870 871 „ 930 931 , 960 961 „ 1020 57 1,344 2,590 1,532 1,944 1,654 1,159 915 766 1,858 1,140 1,313 898 687 6 203 475 519 361 412 78 570 741 716 808 1,004 992 617 669 479 653 785 308 704 393 451 60 463 735 566 538 821 492 811 414 1,057 32 272 267 257 319 533 784 698 399 473 238 252 312 721 139 163 134 100 90 172 75 616 426 351 396 316 473 106 i 134 162 702 523 54 123 135 36 216 63 170 30 69 49 128 20 759 1,077 646 1,091 926 539 1,219 658 658 1,135 514 6 227 594 240 538 183 312 99 i 140 176 206 54 688 1,193 678 907 1,277 1,032 618 772 666 428 1,597 286 1,054 811 872 504 1,581 1,152 607 662 42 529 1,089 739 493 766 414 727 647 375 691 258 686 6,127 9,486 6,449 7,534 8,408 6,197 6,622 5,001 6,420 5,424 6,533 2,758 4,575 2,821 5,784 1,985 7,436 2,908 5,686 1,332 4,297 759 507 204 266 101 136 155 176 185 231 506 785 634 373 392 874 486 555 367 470 438 331 815 1,351 502 1,097 320 338 410 425 493 2,110 1,756 1,890 670 721 462 441 514 512 540 527 1,294 615 649 631 2,167 707 702 759 906 '906 998 998 Totals, 1904 Totals, 1903 25,922 25,120 802 4,141 3,962 10,480 9,948 13,517 12,929 7,419 7,153 1,635 1,658 4,750 4,719 1,394 1,366 925 952 16,703 16,273 4,469 4,321 17,439 17,306 8,338 8,266 117,132 113,973 Difference 179 532 588 266 [-23] 31 28 T-27J 430 148 133 72 3,159