£.—'2

76

APPENDIX B. EXTRACT FROM THE THIRTY-THIRD ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION. Education Resekves. Tables Gl, Gla, Glb give a summary of the accounts of the School Commissioners, which are also given in full in the same appendix. These accounts may be presented in outline as follows:— TABLE G. (a.) Receipts and Expenditure of School Commissioners, 1909. Receipts. £ Expenditure. j≥ Balances, Ist January, 1909 .. .. 15,013 i Office expenses and salaries .. .. 2,368 Receipts— Other expenses of management .. .. 2,151 Primary reserves .. .. .. 56,537 Paid for primary education.. .. .. 55,367 Seoondary reserves .. .. .. 6,530 Paid for secondary education .. .. 4,628 Investments repaid .. .. .. 4,000 Investments and refunds .. .. .. 6,438 Interest .. .. .. .. 2,384 Balances, 31st December, 1909 .. .. 14,002 Sundries .. .. .. .. 493 Total .. .. .. £84,957 Total .. .. .. £84,957 (b.) Gash Assets and Liabilities of School Commissioners, 31st December, 1909. Liabilities. £ Assets. £ Amounts due to Capital Account .. .. 1,533 Arrears of rent and interest due .. .. 7,352 Other liabilities .. " .. .. 473 Balances at bank .. .. .. £14,460 Net balance, 31st December, 1909 .. .. 61,049 *On mortgage .. .. .. 41,243 55,703 Total .. .. .. £63,055 Total .. .. .. £63,055 Balance brought down Ist January, 1910, £61,049. The payments made to Education Boards for primary education out of proceeds from education reserves in 1909 amounted to .£55,367 ss. 2d., as compared with £52,616 9s. 6d. for the previous year. The revenues of the Boards are not, however, increased thereby, as equal amounts are deducted from the grants otherwise payable by the Government. Table J7 in E.-6 shows the payments for secondary education from reserves under the control of the School Commissioners, which amounted in 1909 to £4,(5*27 15s. 9d., as compared with ,£4,154 4s. 3d. in 1908. This money is distributed by the Commissioners to the governing bodies of secondary schools in the provincial districts in proportion to the number of pupils in average attendance at these secondary schools, exclusive of those in any lower department. The cost of administration in 1909 was £4,522, or 6"88 per cent, of the total income. The corresponding figures for 1908 were £4,817, or 7-15 per cent, of the total income. Table G2 shows the total income from education reserves for the several districts for the ten years 1900-9, and the cost of administration for the same period. Summarized, this appears as below : — £ Total income for the ten years 1900-9 ... ... ... ... 587,003 (lost of administration during the same period, 1900-9 ... ... 37,537 Cost of administration per cent, of income ... ... ... 6-39 The cost of administration shows a slight decrease as compared with previous years, but is still very high in one or two districts. * Of which £3,000 has been reinvested, and is included in the amount of inveetmente and refunds on the opposite side of the account.