23

E.—2

The net balance in the Buildings Account at the close of the year 1913 was £30,198. The above summary indicates that at the end of 1914 it had increased to £44,518. As remarked above, the account for maintenance of school buildings is largely responsible for this increase. An examination of the grants made to Boards under heading (a), referred to above, together with their returns of expenditure, discloses the fact that the School Buildings Maintenance Account should stand as shown in Table F 11, of which the following is a summary:— School Buildings Maintenance Account, all Boards, 31st December, 1914. £ Cash balances .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 98,050 Net excess of amounts due to Boards over amounts due by Boards .. 4,132 Net balance, 31st December, 1914 .. .. .. .. ..£102,182 - It would appear, then, that at the Ist January, 1915, this net balance of £102,182 was available for the purposes indicated. However, the combined Buildings Account shows the actual balance to be £44,518, and obviously, therefore, a sum of £57,664 has been diverted from the Maintenance Fund to other purposes. This is far more than would be warranted by the provision allowing the Boards to transfer 7 per cent, from this account to its Buildings Account. Chatham Islands. At the end of 1914 there were four schools in operation in the Chatham Islands —viz., those at Te One, Te Roto, Matarakau, and Owenga. The average number of pupils on the roll was 98, the average attendance being 85. The total expenditure on the schools for the year 1914-15 was made up as follows:— £ Salaries of teachers (including allowances and cost of removals) .. .. 637 Buildings, repairs, &c. .. .. .. .. .. 11 '-* Scholarships .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 30 Inspection .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 13 Other expenses .. .. .. .. .. .. 25 Total .. .. .. .. .. .. .. £716 In the table below are given the names of the teachers together with certain details of expenditure. The average roll number and average attendance for each school are also shown.

School. Names of Teachers. Wentzel, E. SB. Renwiok, Miss F. Lanauze, Miss G. Seymour, Miss A. Hutohinson, J. Russell, Mrs. E. A. .. Salaries at End of 1914. £ s. d. H.M. 210 0 0 Pt. 2 *55 0 0 Pt. 5 55 0 0 F. | tH7 0 0 M. 108 0 0 F. 108 0 0 Attetit Allowance for Conveyance of Mean of Average Goods Attendance for Four Quarters of 1914. dance. Mean of Weekly Roll Number for Four Quarters of 1914. I 'e One £ 25 39 46 'e Roto .. Iwenga .. latarak.au 15 22 15 13 11 26 15 11 Totals 653 0 0 55 85 98 •Ini tlllllf lll'l-•tag-allowance, £15 per annum. t Also house allowance, £16 >er annum.