E.—ls.

44

service must have been in New York, in the case of the Normal College staff ten years' service in that college is accepted. The annuity payable is one-sixtieth of the salary for each year of service up to thirty years, the minimum annuity for teachers being £120 a year ; the maximum annuity for principals of schools is £300, and for supervising officials £400. The discretion of the Board of Retirement in retiring teachers of thirty years' service and over is limited by the provision that at no time may the fund be reduced below $800,000. The chance that any individual may be able to retire before the age of sixty-five will therefore depend upon the condition of the fund at the time. There are no allowances to widows and children, and no refund of contributions is made in any case. It is evident that, as the total income of the fund is between 6 and 7 per cent, of the entire salary budget, it is quite possible for the Board of Retirement, by the due exercise of its discretion, to keep the fund actuarially sound. At the same time, it is equally possible, by unwise management, to place it in a very undesirable position. Education in Chicago. The two most interesting groups of educational institutions in Chicago are,' — (1.) The large group of schools —Normal School, Public High Schools, Public Elementary Schools, &c.—which are under the control of the Board of Education of the City of Chicago. (2.) The smaller group of institutions —the University, with its Colleges and Faculties, including the|School of Education ; the University High School, Elementary School, and Manual Training High School—connected with the University of Chicago. The area governed in school matters by the Board of Education contained in 1905-6 a population which may be estimated as nearly, but not quite, 1,800,000. The income of the Board for 1905-6 was derived from the following sources : — £ City School Tax Fund .. .. .. 1,788,459 State of Illinois .. .. .. .. 73,188 Rentals and interest on investments .. .. 136,297 School fees (non-resident pupils) .. .. 936 Miscellaneous .. .. .. .. 32,548 Total .. .. .. .. 2,031,428 (The cash balances at the beginning and end of the year are excluded, as also are the refunds on account of the Parental Schools. But it should be noted that the cash balance at the end of the year was only £265,597, as against £539,869 at the beginning of the year.) The total net expenditure, excluding that on apprentice schools and the Parental School, &c, was, — Maintenance (including all salaries, incidental ex- £ penses, repairs, &c.) .. .. .. 1,521,467 New sites, buildings, additions, and other permanent improvements .. .. .. 742,390 Total .. .. .. .. 2,263,857 The cost of medical inspection, $6,103, is included here, though nothing is paid on that account in New Zealand out of the Education vote. The cost of maintaining the Parental School is not included, as that school does only a very small part of the work carried on by our industrial schools, the great bulk of it, in the case of Chicago, being performed by the State or by private societies. The total expenditure given above does not include any of the cost of technical education proper, or of University education, or of the Teachers' Training College and schools attached to the University, although it does include the Chicago Normal School. Except for salaries of teachers, it is impossible to distinguish between the cost of primary aiid secondary education. The in New Zealand on primary education (including Native schools and also the training of teachers) and secondary education was as follows : —