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APPENDIX A. REPORTS OF EDUCATION BOARDS. AUCKLAND. Sir,— Auckland, March, 1910. In accordance with the provisions of section 174 of the Education Act, I!io8. the Education Board of the District of Auckland has the honour to submit the following repori of its proceedings for the year 1909 :— Board. —At the beginning of the year the members of the Hoard were : North Ward—Mr. A. It. Harris, Mr. J. D. MeKenzie. Mr. E. C. Purdie ; East Ward—Mr. L. .). Bagnall, Mr. 11. J. Greenslade, M.P., Mr. C. J. Pan : West Ward Mr. ('. T. Barriball, Mr. G. Edgecumbe, Mr. G. J. Garland. Messrs. Harris and Barriball, who retired in August, were re-elected for the North and West Wards respectively : Mr. A. J. Farmer was elected for the East Ward, to succeed Mr. Bagnall. Mr. ('. .1. Parr was re-elected Chairman of the Board in August. Mr. D. B. Wallace has been elected a member of the North Ward. in place of Mr. E. C. Purdie, who resigned his seat. The Board records its appreciation of the valuable services rendered by Mr. Bagnall as Chairman of the Board for four years, and a member durinu b period of over thirteen years ; and also of Mr. Purdie's services as a member of the Board. Twenty-one meetings of the Board were held during the year, with an average attendance of seven members. During the year twenty-one meetings of a committee of the whole Hoard were held to deal with appointments of teachers and with matters of finance. Schools. —Five hundred and twenty-one schools were in operation at the end of 1909, including ninety half-time schools. Six schools were closed during the year— namely, Babylon, Te Ran Mauku, and Glengregg, Hinuera, Pakoka, and Pepepe Household Schools. Teachers. —The number of teachers employed at the end of the year was 1,090 i.e., adult teachers males. -114; females, 471: pupil-teachers —males, 53; females, 152: probationers—males, 7; females. 24. During the year very considerable difficulty has been experienced in securing the services of suitable sole teachers and assistants for remote rural schools. The Board regrets that, though the position of a teacher has been greatly improved through the legislation of the past few years, the number of suitable candidates for the office of pupil-teacher is declining. The regulations empowered the Board to employ fifty-two probationers at the beginning of the year, but it was possible to secure the services of thirty-one probationers only. It is believed that much might be done by teachers in inducing suitable young people to enter the teaching profession if they were to make known to promising candidates the advantages now offered to teachers in the shape of increased remuneration and superannuation. Attendance. Ai the end of the year the number of scholars on the roll was 37.869, and the average attendance for the December quarter was 33,393. There were 2,336 .Maori and half-caste scholars in attendance at 211 schools. The regular attendance of scholars is secured as far aa possible by the Truant Officer, who deals with ret inns of irregular attendance, which an- required to be eeni monthly from all schools. There were L 55 informations laid against parents : conviction-; were recorded and lines inflicted in 123 cases. The total amount of fines and expenses received during the year was E£o ss. 2d. Finance.- The receipts for the year totalled £209,293 6s. 7d., and the expenditure was £217,639 13s. Id., that amount beine. made upas follows: Administration and teachers' salaries. £159,384 2s. secondary education, £5.106 19s. 9d. ; manual and technical instruction. £10,483 19s. 7d. ; maintenance of buildings and teachers' house-allowances, £11).157 12s. ; new school buildings, £18,579 2s. Bd.: manual and technical buildings, £4,629 17s. Ed..; and unclassified expenditure, £2'.)7 19s. lld The amount of the grant for the maintenance of school buildings for the year was £7,346 only, being a reduction of £6,286 on the grant for the previous year. The Board made the best provision possible for the maintenance of buildings with the funds available. It will be quite impossible to meet the legitimate charges on the Maintenance Fund unless provision is made for a largely increased grant this year. The Board is of opinion that, at any rate in a rapidly growing district, the cost of new sites should be provided by special grants. Buildings.—Fourteen new schools were built. Eight schools were enlarged, and four residences were erected, and one was enlarged during the year. The necessary repairs, improvements, and renovations of buildings ha\e been undertaken, as far as kinds would allow, by the foremen, working under the direction of the architect. The Board again expresses its opinion that all teachers' residences should be provided with bathrooms, wash-houses with fixed tubs and copper, and other necessary

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