E.—'2.

But from the fourth and fifth linos of Table l> it will 6e seen that, while the number of children in the Dominion between the ages of 12 and 15 has increased by 114 per cent., the Dumber of such children attending public schools has increased slightly more—namely, by 110 per cent. : benoe the increase in the proportion of young children on the roll is not due to a decrease of the percentage of the population between 1"2 and 10 who are attending public schools. (4.) The children may l>e spending a longer time in the infant or preparatory classes than they formerly spent. That this is so is suggested by the rise in the average age of the children in SI classes from 8 years 11 months in December, 1905, to 9 years 2 months in December, 1000.

TABLE A.—Number of Children For each Year of Age between Five and Eight Years Old, (1) in the Population, (2) attending Public Schools (excluding Maoris).

Causes (1) and (•'!) having been shown not to operate, and the increased enrolment (2) between U and S only partly accounting for the facts, (4) remains as the chief factor of the increase in the P. classes. This is still more clearly indicated In the figures in Table R, whence it appeals that, whereas in December, 1905, there were nearly 3,000 children less in the preparatory classes than there were children under eight years of age (36,823, as against •'!!),7S1) in December, 1909, the number of children in the preparatory classes exceeded by over 7,000 the number of children under eight years of age (53,420 as against 46,130).

TABLE B.—Number of Children between Five and Eight Years of Age and between Twelve and Fifteen Years of Age in the Population and on the Rolls of Public Schools, and Number in Preparatory Classes (excluding Maoris).

In other words, while the- number of children in New Zealand between live and eight years of age increased by 0,214, and the number of children of those ages on the rolls of the public schools increased by 6,349, the number of children in the P classes increased by 1(>.5!)7. Or, if we express the same statistics in percentages, from 1 !)()■"> to l!) 0!) the number of children in Xew Zealand of age 5-8 increased by IT4 per cent., the number of children of those ages in public schools increased by 1 o per cent., and the number in the P classes increased by 45 per cent. These facts are exhibited in detail in Table H. [Neither in Table A nor in Table R lias any acveunt been taken of children attending private schools. If the rolls of the public schools had been increased through a smaller attendance at private schools our conclusions might have to be i nodi tied : but in reality during the years 1905-9 the percentage of the total population enrolled at private scl Is shows a slight increase namely, from |-SS per cent, to l'!)l per cent.]

22

December, 19( _ Age, Years. Boys. Girls. December, 1905. December, 1909. Total. Boys. dills. Total. I I ,j 5 8 0,487 9,266 0-7 9,300 8,841 (1.) Population .. .. .. 7-8 8,973 8,717 I 5-8 27,700 20,814 18,743 18,141 17,690 10,564 10,366 9,991 1.0,314 9,86 1 9,712 20,878 20,207 19,703 5-8 27,700 20,814 54,574 30,011 29,877 00,788 5-0 5,7 111 5,178 6-7 7,193 0,539 (2.) Attending public schools .. .. 7-8 7,804 7,348 5-8 20,710 19,005 5-0 6-7 7-8 5,7 111 5,178 7,193 0,539 7,804 7,348 10,897 13,732 15,152 6,906 8,304 8,944 5,996 T.liliT 8,254 12,001 16,031 17,198 39,781 24,213 21,1)17 ,917 40,130 , 5-0 60-3 55-8 (3.) Number attending publio schools (2), expressed ' 6-7 77-3 j 74-0 us percentage of population 7-8 870 , 84-3 ( 5-8 I 740 71 1 581 75-7 85-7 85-4 80-8 89-5 581 77-8 850 581 77-8 850 61-8 79-3 87-3 734 76-9 72-9 78-3

December, 1905. December, 1 December, 1909. Increase per cent., 1905-9. Boys. Girls. Total. Boys. Girls. (1.) Number of population between five 27,780 20,814 54,574 30,911 29,877 and eight years of age (2.) Number of children attending public 2O,71(> 19,066 39,781 24,213 21,017 schools between five and tight \ ears of ago (3.) Number of children in the prepare- 19,680 17,243 30,823 28,363 25,087 torv classes of the public schools (4.) Number of population between 28,031 26,526 r>1.557 28,985 28,444 twelve and fifteen years of age (5.) Number attending public schools lii,271 14,382 30,(>53 18,132 l<1.0113 between twelve and fifteen years of age Total. Boys. Girls. Total. 60,788 114 114 114 40,130 Kilt 150 Kid ' r>3.420 44 8 45-4 451 57,429 , 113 11 4 114 34,195 114 117 11-6 •