E.-2.

[Appendix A

Finance.- -The provision made for increased allowances to School Committees and for assisting the general administration fund of the Board has improved the Board's financial position to some, extent. At the beginning of the year there was a debit balance of £46 13s. 4d. ; and at the end of the year there was a credit balance of £1,155 I2s. 3d. The position with regard to the funds for manual and technical instruction has been considerably improved by the acquirement of grants for apparatus and material. In this connection the Board wishes to accord its appreciation of this action of the Superintendent of Technical Education for his assistance in connection with these; grants. The. increases granted by way of allowances to School Committees wen; paid over to the Committees before the end of the year. A more, equitable distribution of the amount allocated to School Committees is a matter which must engage the Board's attention during the year. I have, &c, The Hon. the Minister of Education, Wellington. F. W. O. Smith, Chairman

CANTERBURY. Sir, — Christohuroh, Ist June, 1920. 1 have the honour to present the following report of the, proceedings of the Education Board of the District of Canterbury for the year ending 31st December, 19.19. The Board. —There was no change during the year in the membership of the Board, which remains as follows : Christohuroh Urban Area- -Mr. E. H. Andrews, Mr. J. Jamieson, Mr. C. H. Opie, Mr. A. Peverill ; Tima. .1 Urban Area—Mr. C. S. Howard, Mr. J. Maze ; North-west Ward Mr. J. H. Bignell, Hon. Joseph Grimmond ; Middle Ward —Mr. W. A. Banks, Mr. W. P. Spencer ; South Ward Mr. G. W. Armitage, Mr. T. Hughes. At a special meeting of the, Board held on the 3rd September, 1919, Mr. W. A. Banks resigned as Chairman of the Board, and Mr. E. H. Andrews was elected in his place. The following standing committees were also set up, the Chairman of the Board being ex officio member of each committee : Agriculture- Mr. Howard (Chairman), Mr. Arniitage, Mr. Banks, Hon. Mr. Grimmond, and Mr. Opie ; Appointments Mr. Banks (Chairman), Mr. Bignell, Mr. Howard, Mr. Hughes, and Mr. Opie ; Buildings—Mr. Armitage (Chairman), Hon. Mr. Grimmond, Mr. Jamieson, Mr. Maze, Mr. Peverill, and Mr. Spencer ; Finance—Mr. Peverill (Chairman), Mr. Bignell, Mr. Hughes, Mr. Jamieson, Mr. Maze, and Mr. Spencer; Normal School- Mr. Opie. (Chairman), Mr. Banks, Mr. Howard, Mr. Hughes, Mr. Jamieson, and Mr. Peverill. Board's Representatives. At the end of the year 1919 the Board's representatives on the several public bodies were as follows : —High School Boards : Akaroa- Mr. W. K. Virtue, Mr. R. Latter ; Ashburton—Mr. J. Tucker, Mr, W. B. Denshire; Greymouth—Mr. W. R. Kettle; Hokitika—Hon. H. L. Michel; Rangiora- Mr. H. Boyd, Mr. W. A. Banks ; Timaru Mr. C. S. Howard ; Waimate— Mr. W. Lindsay, Mr. G. J. A. Shackleton. Boards of Managers of Technical Classes : Akaroa — Messrs. G. Armstrong, J. S. Dodds, H. Odell; Ashburton —Messrs. G. W. Andrews, R. Galbraith, F. Watt, R. A. Collins; Christohuroh—Messrs. C. H. Opie, G. F. Franklyn, A. Peverill, H. R. Rusbridge, W. Jones, McGregor Wright, W. H. Cooper, W. R. Gahagan ; Fairlie—Mr. T. Foden, Rev. A. B. Standage, Mr. J. R. Lack ; Geraldine—Messrs. M. Campbell, T. Sherratt, T. Hughes (8.A.) ; Kaiapoi -Messrs. R. Wylie, J. 11. Blackwell, S. Jackson ; Pleasant Point Messrs. J. Maze, L. Laurenson, W. B. Oborn ; Temuka—Messrs. G. W. Armitage, G. Thompson, P. Sanders; Timaru Messrs. J. G. Gow (M.A.), G. Sealey, H. A. Innis-Jones ; Waimate-Messrs. E. W. Hassall, W. Geddes, S. I. Fitch. School Buildings. —During the year new schools were erected at Avoca, Chorlton, Culverden, and Pleasant Valley, and additions at Cave, Ouruhia, Sumner, Waikuku, and Wharenui. The largest work was the completion of the first portion of a new school at Sydenham. The Board contemplates the rebuilding of part of the Christohuroh West, Fairlie, Spreydon, Phillipstown, and Richmond Schools, and complete new schools at Cobden, Hilton, Hook, Prebbleton, Kaikoura Suburban, Milford, Rakaia, and Weedon's. These schools will be put in hand when the. Department's approval is obtained and suitable arrangements can be made for the carrying-out of the work. The foundationstone of the new Opawa School has been laid, and the erection of four rooms in brick is being proceeded with by the Board's building staff. As a result of repeated applications to the Department, a main school at Phillipstown has been granted, and the Board expects shortly to be, in a position to commence the erection of an up-to-date school there, taking all the standards. The, Department has agreed to the rebuilding of a number of class-rooms at Christchurch West District High School, and when this is done it will give the secondary classes better accommodation and facilities for work. Throughout the district a large amount of repairs and painting had been done, but this work has been hampered by the difficulty in securing carpenters and painters. The high price of wages and material has prevented the Board from granting any but urgent work, the building grant not having been increased in proportion to the rise in cost of repairs and painting. In the case of a large number of schools (approximately seventy), a sum of £50 or over was expended either on repairs, renovations, or furniture, or on improvements to school grounds. A special grant from the Department has enabled the Board to attend to the requirements of the schools in the Grey district, and the workmen are busy carrying out much-needed renovations. Grants have been made for new schools at Owenga and Te Roto (Chatham Islands), amd workmen were sent over to the islands to erect these buildings. The need of a new training college for teachers is urgently felt, and fresh plans with amended applications for a grant were sent to the Department some months ago. The Board is making every effort to secure more modern accommodation for the training of its teachers, and it is hoped that the Government will soon make the necessary grant. New sites were, obtained at Cobden, South NewBrighton, and Opawa, and additions to sites at Allenton, Burwood, and Wharenui. Supplies. —The Board has made arrangements to obtain supplies of stationery, ink, chalk, drawing, and copy books, &c, for schools, and Committees can now obtain these from the Board at wholesale prices, thus effecting a considerable saving to Committees and pupils. An effort was made last year to secure supplies of coal and firewood for schools. The Board, though unsuccessful in securing coal in bulk, obtained a large quantity of firewood, part of which will be available for this winter.

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