E.—l

X

In the next table the average attendance in each education shown in detail by a statement of the aggregate attendance at each group of the classification in Table El. The substituted average authorised by clause 2 (b) of the regulations relating to staffs and salaries has been taken in all cases where the Boards decided to avail themselves of it. The number of small schools with an average attendance not exceeding twenty shows a further increase of 7 for 1905 ; the number, which was 555 for 1904, was 562 for 1905. The number of pupils attending these schools has increased by 249— namely, from 6,813 to 7,062.

TABLE E2.—Average Attendance for the Year 1905 at the Schools as grouped in Table E1.

During the year 1905, 70 schools were closed—viz., in Auckland, 16 ; Taranaki, 3 ; Wanganui, 9 ; Wellington, 3 ; Hawke's Bay, 6 ; Marlborough, 6 ; Nelson, 11 ; Grey, 1 ; Westland, 2 ; North Canterbury, 3 ; Otago, 7 ; Southland, 3. As was the case in previous years, several of these schools, although reckoned as closed in their original form, were reopened in another ; thus some were amalgamated whilst others which had been joined as half-time schools became full-time schools. Including such reopened schools, the total number opened during the year was 91, distributed as follows: Auckland, 31 ; Taranaki, 3 ; Wanganui, 15 ; Wellington, 5 ; Hawke's Bay, 8 ; Marlborough, 7 ; Nelson, 5 ; Westland, 2 ; North Canterbury, 4 ; Otago, 5 ; Southland, 6. The net increase in the number of schools opened at the end of the year is thus 21, as shown in Table El. Public-school Teachers. In December, 1905, there were employed on the primary staffs in the public schools of the colony 3,816 teachers, of whom 3,137 were adults and 679 pupilteachers : the corresponding numbers for December, 1904, were 3,069 adults and 649 pupil-teachers. Of the adult teachers at the end of 1905, 1,302 were men and 1,835 women; of the pupil-teachers 151 were male and 528 female. The number of adult male teachers was 30 more, and of adult female teachers 38 more than in December, 1904 ; and the number of male and female pupil-teachers increased by 7 and 23 respectively. The average number of children to one teacher for 1905 was 315.

Grade. •a si cd 3 © < A ed a cd rX ed SH a a ed to ed a o to a "© 9__ cd a CO '9 M r ed K p o cd o © 9 5 3 4*A o S r?a ed D Ha c © K a ed o o to cd O xri a ed 5 o 03 XT. d o SH 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 244 1,329 1,502 3,028 1,976 1,723 1,281 962 794 2,004 1,188 1,433 975 771 15 214 279 764 385 396 531 188 528 156 601 289 1,200 843 955 1,037 626 724 480 668 821 323 725 381 440 124 414 406 857 540 844 533 832 423 1,142 886 669 370 375 818 591 544 98 245 159 373 318 557 773 683 412 470 261 268 299 717 145 137 49 183 99 186 194 394 237 ISO 402 260 637 420 314 494 112 137 164 706 551 82 86 30 159 198 92 155 139 81 123 48 87 52 110 155 252 87 709 547 1,172 1,059 942 563 1,198 634 679 1,133 527 14 218 379 441 565 178 326 101 108 165 225 305 346 133 582 733 4,162 907 1,277 1,023 739 772 666 428 1,597 286 1,054 811 872 504 1,581 1,152 - 607 062 102 532 485 1,559 502 756 440 760 666 377 712 252 1,470 5,592 5,116 11,322 7,666 8,436 6,470 0,830 5,279 0.629 5,810 0,863 2,857 4,301 3,238 5,299 2,122 7,761 3,006 6,024 1.369 4,388 941 462 466 2,238 1,854 2,080 707 758 464 467 443 318 782 1,374 561 1,233 426 422 513 550 588 514 1,381 633 654 6C9 2,379 808 393 941 898 898 Totals, 1905 Totals, 1904 27,775 25,922 1,853 10,819 10,480 14,128 13,517 7.662 7,419 1,624 1,635 1,175 16,925 16,703 4,511 4,469 17,,548 17,439 8,49S 8,338 1,175 120,812 117,132 4,277 4,141 4,753 4,750 1,384 1,394 908 925 Difference 136 339 611 243 -11 3 -10 ; -17 222 42 109 100 3,680