Appendix A.

E.—2.

the' Rev. John McArthur, Mr. Augustus Mclnnes Bradbury was elected a member for the Wesl Ward. In terms of the Education Act, 1908, the following members retired, and were re-elected unopposed on the fourth Monday in July : East Ward. Robert Masters ; West Ward. James Young ; North Ward. Arthur Morton. At the meeting held on the 27th August Mr Harold Trimble was re-elected Chairman. For the first eight months of the year the Board met on the fourth Wednesday and the preceding Tuesday each month ; but at the August meeting it was decided to meet on the fourth Wednesday only, and not on the Tuesday and'Wedneeday as previously. Xew residences have been erected at Pukearuhe, Waihi, and Whangamomona, and new schools at Douglas, Ihaia, Oeo, Pukearuhe. and Waihi. An addition in the shape of a movable building has been erected at Whangamomona on account of the increase of pupils, and a new school was opened at the beginning of the year at Radnor ; and the Puniwhakau and Taurakawa Schools were closed. That portion of the Stratford District High School destroyed by fire on the 18th May, 1911, has been reinsi a ted in brick, and was reopened at the beginning of April. A ground-plan supplied by the Department was adopted, and the building has proved very suitable for teaching purposes not only from an organization point of view, but also in respect t> lighting and acoustic properties. At the end of the year there were ninety-four schools open, including two half-time schools. Eighty-four were held in buildings the property of the Board, and the balance in buildings leased to the Board by settlers. Fiftythree of the head teachers have residences alt ached to their schools, and the others arc in receipt of house allowance. The number of teachers in the service of the Board was 193, graded as follows : Sole teachers, 37 female and 14 male : head teachers, 16 female and 26 male ; assistants, 58 female and 13 male ; pupil-teachers, 20 female and 1 male ; probationers, 7 female and 1 male. At the annual examinations one pupil-teacher gained a pass in the C and two in the D examination, and two gained a partial pass in the C and five in the D. At the scholarship examination candidates from the following schools qualified :— Bayly Memmial Scholarship. —New Plymouth High School,. 2; Stratford District High School, 3. Tin? scholarship was granted to a lad from the Stratford District High School. Boaid's Senior Scholarship. —-New Plymouth High School, 12 ; Stratford District High School, 6. The scholarships were granted to five from the New Plymouth High School and five from the Stratford District High School. The National and Board's Junior Scholarships. —Central, 4; Egmont Village, I; Fitzroy. 2, Hillsborough, 2; Kaimata, 1 ; New Plymouth High, 6; Omata, 1 ; Okato, 1 : Opunake, 2 : Stratford District High School, 20 ; Toko, 2 ; Waitara, 2 ; and West End, 2. The National Scholarships were granted to one candidate from Fitzroy and one from the New Plymouth High School. The Board's Junior Scholarships were granted to two candidates from the Central, one from Egmont Village, one from Fitzroy, and two from Hillsborough, one from Kaimata. one from Omata, one from Okato. three from Stratford District Hifjh Scl 001, and one from West End. The Taranaki Scholarships were won by a candidate from the Stratford District High School. and one from the New Plymouth High. School. [Details of purely local interest have been omitted.] There have been sixty-one appointments made during the year, besides those of H temporary nature and appointments of pupil-teachers. Thirty-eight teachers from other districts received appointments, and twenty-three teachers in the service of the Board-received promotion. The receipts cf the Board from all sources, including £1,033 2s. 9d. credit balance from 191], amounted to £40.520 165., while the expenditure was as follows: Administration, £3,526 16s. ; teachers' salaries, £25,975 lis. lOd. ; secondary education, £1,177 os. 7d. ; manual and technical, £2,279 17s. -Id. ; buildings, £10,156 lis. lid. ; leaving a credit balance of £860 17s. 9d. In the month of May a conference of representatives of Education Boards was held in Wellington for the purpose of protesting against the provision in the Local Government Bill whereby it was proposed to hand over the administration of education to the Provincial Councils. Mr. Morton represented this Board. In the interests of education the Board considers that this district should be enlarged so as to include at least the whole of the Taranaki Province. The following is an abstract* showing the number of schools, teachers, and pupils attending schools in the district, beginning with the year 1877, to the present time : —

III

Year ending Sohools. Assistants. Pupilteachers and Proba- j tioners. Total. Roll Number. Average. 1877 .. 1882 .. 1887 .. 1892 .. 1897 .. 1902 .. 1907 .. 1908 .. 1909 .. 1910 . . 1911 .. 1912 .. ! 23 23 7 .37 37 11 35 35 9 46 46 12 60 60 18 71 70 38 81 78 45 88 85 48 90 86 60 93 91 58 (C, 93 63 94 93 71 2 32 6 54 26 TO 27 85 29 107 22 130 23 146 19 152 30 176 32 181 33 IS! i 29 193 [s from 1877 to 1907. 726 1,985 2.395 3,148 3.845 4,706 5,096 5.370 5.836 6,021 6,199 6.139 196 1,290 1,597 2,351 3,018 3,904 4,246 4,653 5,131 5,177 5,487 5.381 * Condensed into (ivr-yearly peril