E.—2.

OTAGO. Sir, — Education Reserves Office, Dunedin, 21st May, 1910. In obedience to Order in Council dated the 18th December, 1878, I have the honour to forward herewith report of the School Commissioners for the Otago Provincial District for the year ending 31st December, 1909. The members of the School Commissioners Board for the year were as follows : Messrs. William Dallas (Chairman), Donald Borrie, Thomas Mac Gibbon, E. H. Wilmot (Commissioner of Crown Lands), and J. A. Hanan, M.P. Twelve meetings were held during the year, at which a large amount of business was transacted. Six auction sales of leases were held, at which eighteen sections were disposed of for agricultural purposes, two for pastoral purposes, and twenty-three township sections. The area of agricultural land was 1,568 acres, taken up by eleven tenants, at an annual rent of £257 4s. 3d. The area of the pastoral land was 10,600 acres, leased to one tenant at a rental of £198 155., or 4*-d. per care. The township sections contained 1 rood each, and were taken up by twenty-three tenants, at a rent of £19 4s. The Commissioners have pleasure in reporting that they have every reason to believe that there will be an increase in the amounts of yearly rents to be received by them in reaped of many lands, the leases of which will shortly expire, and be taken up at increased rentals. Further, that by a desirable and wise system of subdivision of several leaseholds the Commissioners have been able to obtain an increased revenue therefrom. The Commissioners' rent-roll at the end of 1909 contained 981 tenants, and the annual rent was £14,449 4s. 9d. During the year the sum of £3,000 was invested on mortgage over freehold security at 5| per cent. interest, and £4,000 was received in repayment of loan. The total amount of funds invested on mortgage on the 31st December, 1909, was £40,012 11s. 6d., the annual interest for the yonr being £2,070 17s. .'id., which, with the exception of £68 10s. Id., was all collected during the year, and of this sum all but £6 ss. 7d. has since been paid. Of the sum of £2,539 Is. 9d. shown in the statement of accounts as rent in arrear on the 31st December, 1909 (a large part of which was for half-year's rent due in advance on the Ist November,. 1909), £1,378 18s. 7d. has since been collected. In explanation of the amount shown as expenditure in the statement of accounts, I may say that £53 6s. was paid for railway fares, £37 7s. 9d. for stamps, telegrams, and telephone, £77 ss. 6d. on the improvements of endowments, and £81 3s. 4d. to outgoing tenants for valuation on their improvements, ihe latter sum having been collected from incoming tenants. The Commissioners take this opportunity of bringing under your notice the desirableness of their obtaining statutory power to prevent the monopoly and aggregation of more than a reasonable area of pastoral land by any one tenant, and they will submit the draft of an empowering Bill, with ;i view to its introduction during the coming session of Parliament. A copy of the balance-sheet and statement of income and expenditure, duly certified to by the Controller and Auditor-General, with the exception of the item £103 10s. 6d. for School Commissioners' expenses attending monthly meetings at Dunedin, was forwarded to your Department on the Ist April, last. I have, &c, The Hon. the Minister of Education, Wellington. Wμ. Dallas, Chairman.

General Statement of Receipts and Expenditure for the Year ending 31st December, 1909.

91

Primary. Secondary. Total. Receipts. Credit balances on the 1st January, 1909— £ e< d. Bank of New Zealand and in hand ... ... 972 5 6 On fixed deposit, Bank of New Zealand... ... 1,800 0 0 Arrears of revenue for previous years, viz.— Rents of reserves ... ... ... •• 2,295 16 3 Interest on mortgages ... ... ... 10 2 3 Revenues, viz.— Rents of reserves for current year .. ... 11,176 I (> Interest on mortgages ... ... . • • 2,002 7 2 Interest on fixed deposits ... ... • 63 0 0 Other receipts, viz.— Net proceeds of land sales ... ... ■ • 83 19 0 Repayment of loans ... ...14,000 0 0 Valuation for improvements collected from in- 236 6 10 coming tenants Office-rent from Otago High Schools Board ... 10 0 0 Proceeds of sale of timber ... ... ... 2250 Instalments on account of judgment against Otokia 18 18 2 Drainage Board Royalties from coal-leases ... ... ... 222 10 0 Refund of expenditure on reserves ... ... 368 Goldfields revenue from endowments ... ... 154 18 3 £ s. d. £ s. d. 40 9 6 1,012 15 0 1,800 0 0 191 11 5 2,487 7 8 10 2 3 748 12 8 11,924 17 2 2,002 7 2 63 0 0 83 19 0 4,000 0 0 236 6 10 10 0 0 22 5 0 18 18 2 222 10 0 3 6 8 154 18 3 Total receipts ... ... ... 23, 071 19 7 980 13 7 24,052 13 2